MAUICOUNTY
BY CHERYL AMBROZIC-MOOZ
‘Seek an Alternative Location’
Noise Matters
County planning chief contests car-crusher at Kanaha Citing considerable opposition from a variety of county, state and federal agencies, the Maui County Planning Department has told local tow truck operator Mike Kitagawa that it opposes his building a car-crushing facility on Hobron Ave. next to the Kanaha Pond State Wildlife Sanctuary in Kahului. “In light of the concerns raised by these agencies, we find it difficult to support your proposed facility at its current location,” Maui County Planning Director Michael Foley wrote to Kitagawa on Apr. 7, 2005. “You are again advised to follow the recommendations of these agencies and seek an alternative location such as your Alamaha Street location.” Kitagawa refused to comment on Foley’s letter. But other county officials are vocalizing their opposition. “I believe there are serious and obvious concerns associated with the proposal to site a heavy industrial activity of this sort next to a protected wildlife sanctuary, home to three species of native endangered birds,” said Rob Parsons, the Maui
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County Environmental Coordinator. “I applaud Director Foley for his comments to the applicant, encouraging him to choose another location.” While Maui County clearly has to do something about the ballooning number of abandoned cars, crushing them next to an endangered species habitat isn’t the answer. As Maui Time has previously reported (see “The Big Squeeze,” Apr. 7 and “Explosive,” Apr. 14), the county Department of Fire and Public Safety, the U.S. Department of Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) have all put into writing their opposition to Kitagawa’s proposal. DLNR is concerned that loud noise from the facility will harm the endangered Hawaiian stilts, coots and ducks that make their home at Kanaha. Federal Fish and Wildlife officials told the county it was likely that cars reaching the crushing lot would still contain many toxic fluids that would inevitably leak into the Kanaha Pond. But it was the county Fire Department’s comments that were the most explosive. “A fire is a very real possibility at this location, even with most/all vehicle fluids removed,” Fire Captain Val Martin wrote to the county. Martin added that should his department have to battle a blaze at the crushing yard, water contaminated with oils and fluids could run off into the Kanaha Pond. In his Apr. 7 letter, Foley also wrote that the Planning Department has received at least one complaint against Kitagawa for already stacking abandoned cars on his lot. “[T]here are current problems of possible oil contaminants on the ground,” Foley told
Complement: 2437 Scheduled Maui Visit: May 3, 2005 Last Center for Disease Inspection: Feb. 26, 2005
Control
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Score: 97 out of 100 Read through enough CDC Vessel Sanitation inspection reports, and you see that sometimes cruise ships get written up for some rather petty stuff. “The plastic tasting spoons [in the Deck 3 Galley] were not dispensed with the handles all facing the same way,” read one violation in the Feb. 26 report on the 41,000-ton Norwegian Wind. But more often than not, the CDC inspectors find scarier problems. Like possible poisoned food and toys scary. In the same report cited above, inspectors also wrote that, “mold was noted inside a sealed package of mozzarella cheese.” And over in the Kid’s Corner, “the Lego toys were found still wet with disinfectant in a large plastic bin.” -Anthony Pignataro
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Kitagawa didn’t waste any time Kitagawa. “Please be advised that this complaint has been forwarded to our Zoning and Enforcement Division for proper action.” County Planning Department’s Staff Planner Colleen Suyama said Kitagawa also hasn’t responded to Foley’s letter. But she added that all hope isn’t lost for him. He can still try to fix the problems outlined by the various agencies above. But if he can’t, he’s going to have to forget about crushing cars next to the Kanaha Pond. MTW
It requires no pesticides or herbicides (Cleaner water for all of us)
Recently a Liquor Control inspector showed up at Jacque’s in Paia during one of their DJ sessions. Not to soak up some world music or do a little dancing, but to wave his noise meter around and check the decibel readings. I mean, sure—liquor, noise—it’s all the same, right? Of course a liquor license would be tied to sound levels. The LC scrutinizes a club’s dance floor dimensions and location, and that’s a fire issue. So why not noise, too? Noise comes up in the LC hearings more often than you’d think. It’ll be coming up again as the Liquor Commission begins holding hearings on removing the noise restrictions from Hana Hou Café in Haiku. The cafe has been open four years and has apparently caused no complaints. Of course, it can’t have live music or stay open late either. It’s located in the Haiku Cannery where the old Lounge used to play rock music in the days before the LC packed decibel meters. When the Lounge closed, the LC moved in and turned the volume way down. “I want the opportunity to expand my business,” owner Leslie Lai told the Commission during its April 13, 2005 hearing. “[But] I want to prove to the community that I would still be very considerate of the neighborhood.” Though Commissioner Manuel Moniz, Jr. pointed out that he thought it was odd to perpetuate restrictions on one place when other nearby establishments could operate freely, the future of Hana Hou could go either way. In early September, 2004, the Liquor Commission put the screws to Yorman’s by the Sea in Kihei after cranky Menehune Shores residents who live above the restaurant swarmed into the hearing chamber to denounce “the Count Basie rendition of ‘One More Time.’” But earlier this year, at the Feb. 9 Commission hearing, the panel was far more gracious to Bamboo Chi in Wailea. Though a bunch of Wailea Community Association residents showed up to complain against allowing Bamboo Chi to hold live music past midnight, the Commission opted to stay out of the fight, saying nearby residents needed to work out their differences with the restaurant. MTW
—Anthony Pignataro
16 Baldwin Ave. • 808-579-8880 www.hemphousemaui.com
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MAUI TIME WEEKLY
APRIL 28, 2005
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