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If you have ever liked Makena, you better go NOW to see it because in a few years it will be gone forever. Our "great leader" Everett Dowling, like so many carpetbaggers of yore, has bribed and lied his way to a full approval of rezoning for Two Hotels, Hundreds of Condos and over One Hundred Mini-Mansions, all within spitting distance of the most unspoiled coral reefs in all of Hawaii Nei.
Since we are in an economic downturn, it is much easier to trade our dwindling natural resources for new jobs, however temporary. Your kids may work today, but tomorrow they will be forced off the island to live on the mainland. But no one is worried about the future, they want their Maui dream NOW.
Na Wai Eha (in English: "the four waters"):In the West Maui Mountains, just outside of Wailuku, lies Iao Valley, a popular stopover for busloads of tourists daily. What they don't know is that the two small streams that they are taking photos of merge nearby and get sucked up into a large fifty-foot-wide drain. All of the water from these sacred streams then get piped down to South Maui, where it irrigates the golf courses and hotel grounds in Wailea. Also, every time someone in Kihei flushes a toilet, the water is coming from the Iao Stream, along with three other smaller streams nearby.
Well, several local groups got together and formed a movement called Na Wai Eha for the four waters, and is currently suing for rights to let these four streams flow again. There's more than one side, of course... Opposing increased use of these waters is in a direct collision with the recession-flagged construction industry, and these two forces are headed into a knock-down, drag-out fight unlike any seen in these islands since Captain Cook was speared in the back for impersonating a God. |
Not one voice mentions the fact that local people will be there mowing the lawns, polishing up the marble tiles, and cleaning the toilets in Honua'ula but no local people can afford to live there. Only rich outsiders need apply; in the last ten years, nine out of ten new home buyers are from overseas, less than half ever live here, some never even see their homes.
Pave Maui Points (out of 100)
Peter Pave-a-lot
Thanksgiving Day 2007
(still thankful that the construction hasn't started....)
With the Rains Comes the Runoff... (December 1, 2003)
It's right across the street from the posh Hotel Fairmont Kea Lani and the million-dollar Polo Beach condos at the south end of Wailea, Maui. This is runoff happening right before your very eyes. This large Hitachi steamshovel is busy moving dirt to prevent the large mound of goo behind it from falling into the rushing river in the foreground.
This channel is normally bone-dry, but on that day there were 3 inches of rain upcountry and it all comes down through here.
This was a gross violation of EPA runoff laws, but no one there seemed to care; we talked to a worker and he said "You can't stop mother nature"...
After news of this runoff broke, Dowling hired a helicopter, flew several
journalists upcountry above this site, and showed them that some of the
runoff came from uphill.
Dowling then used this logic to "prove" that he wasn't
a polluter, and avoided huge fines and possible criminal prosecution as a result.
As any Honest cop will tell you, just because there may be litter already on the side of the road, you still have to pay the fine if you are caught dumping more garbage.
But Everett Dowling is above the law, or at least it appears to be the case.
Why did this criminal behavior go completely unchallenged?
December 2, 2003
[Ed]: 100 points out a possible 100 on this one!!!
photo courtesy of Jack Hammer, crack reporter
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Saddam's Bunker in Makena?One of the ugliest things EVER on Maui, in a beautiful pristine area, to boot. To compensate for their substandard (but EXPENSIVE) lot, some fools built a 100-foot, ten-foot THICK, twelve foot high concrete retaining wall in a rural area, right next to a roadway, and also below the high tide and storm surge heights. The ocean dragged coral up to the edge of their foundation the day these photos were taken.
Translation for the impaired (i.e. real estate agents): this construction is ILLEGAL and whoever in the council
approved is also guilty of violating coastal preservation laws
...total: 75! not bad! (hint, for more points, get everyone on Maui to build right up to the water's edge!) |
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'Pave it Underwater'Makena, I have seen your future if the paving continues, and not only will the land be paved, but there will be fresh pavement under the sea!!Over on Kauai, some dolt named Jimmy Pflueger blew away all the ground cover on several acres of shoreline. Shoreline right next to one of the biggest coral reefs in the state! That's right, and when the November (2001) rains came, the whole lot of mud gushed right into the ocean. Marine scientists looking at this mess are saying that reefs and large coral heads over 100 years old were completely killed, and there is no new growth on any of them. Check out The Advertiser on July 1, 2002 for more info, first page B section, Jan TenBruggencate's column 'Hawaii's Environment'
As the paving continues in Makena, so will the runoff.
Runoff with mud, oil, fertilizer, cowshit, and gasoline
(from old cars which spit 10% of their gas out the tailpipe).
No, this stuff doesn't evaporate, it sinks in to the
asphalt pavement, partially desolving it under the sun and
weathering. This goo then goes straight into the ocean
when it rains. By the way, even the best containment systems
produce runoff during high rains; it can't be helped.
You'd have to bomb the area to do better! ...total: 100! (I gotta be tougher with my criteria!) |
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'Clint Eastwood Beach'Near the border between Wailea and Makena, on one of the last truly open beaches on Maui, the former Mayor of Carmel, California, and 'tough guy' Clint Eastwood, is building yet another minimansion, blocking off beach access and creating a concrete eyesore. The Wailea Corporation is busily developing all the land across the street as fast as it can, too! All the land between the old Makena road and the beach here should immediately be bought by the county and turned into a beach park, to guarantee open space for future generations. He paid over $7 MILLION for the 1.5 acre lot; who says outsiders don't contribute to the local economy? Too bad he didn't spend any on education...Wake up, Clint. If I went and built a McDonald's on the 18th at Pebble Beach, would you be happy? Another hollywood star falls in love with Maui, only to destroy what he allegedly cherishes! 
Pave Maui Points (out of 100)
90 points! |
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Wailea Shopping 'Village'This gigantic, $90-million 'renovation' of the former Wailea Shopping Village is nearly complete, and no doubt way over budget. Financed by Ross Perot's son and other greedheads, this is a classic example of California-style architecture gobbling up the beauty of Hawaii. This concrete shopping den is built up to within 20 feet of the edge of the property on all sides, maximizing the development potential! They didn't waste any valuable real estate on 'green space' with this one, that's not what Maui is about. It's shopping, shopping, shopping, people! Looking more like it belongs in Riverside instead of Wailea, this megamall will cater to the high-rollers at the local hotels, and provide dozens of low-wage service jobs!We have our first poster child for pavemaui.org here, because this project is more than 75% paved with Black Asphalt, which traps in heat and produces tar-laced runoff which runs into the ocean. All the new streetlights and traffic signals will also greatly increase the ambient light level in south Maui, which generally has nice, starlit skies.
Pave Maui Points (out of 100) ...total: 90 (almost perfectly paved, but with some plants poking out here and there...) |
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Makena becomes a SewerQ: What goes hand-in-hand with rabid development?A: Sewage Treatment!
Yup, it's time to build a gigantic sewage treatment
system in Makena. This is just a prelude to hundreds
if not thousands of new houses and condos which are
going to be plopped in on the hillside above the
Makena Resort area. This is one of the last really
pristine sections of coastline along Maui, and the
runoff from all this construction will undoubtedly
have an impact on the beautiful coral growth which
can be seen just off Makena Landing.
...total: 90 |
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Real Estate "talking heads" on TVEver watch CNBC? Well, over on Maui it's peppered with real estate ads every 10 minutes.Buy that condo before the market crashes! Get your bucks in now while prices are low! Only half a million for a condo! Get your piece of Maui Magic! No high pressure sales here! "Our commitment is your assurance of success!" Buy Buy BUY!!! (please!)
There are even timeshares being offered on TV, formerly
the domain of snake-oil peddlers; now you can buy timeshares
while you daytrade!
...total: 40 (hint: to get more points, start pushing Makena and Hana lots!) |
The notion that real estate development and tourism are
not in fact 'industries', but more like addictive drugs
that trap people into
becoming totally dependent on them is increasing in
popularity. No region has ever been able to quit
'cold turkey' from this plague, nor are there any
12-step programs to wean people off these narcotics.
When combined with greedy politicians eager to approve
any zoning whatsoever as long as they get their cut,
this one-two punch is unstoppable.
This juggernaut has even gone so far as to call itself an 'industry', although no real estate people anywhere have ever produced new, pristine land on which to develop, nor have any tourism authorities ever produced a virgin coral reef or rain forest for the tourists to gawk at. There is NO contribution to the GNP from either the tourism or real estate 'industries', even though that's what other legitimate industries are measured by.
Want to see the future? Just look at places like Seattle, Half Moon Bay, or Aspen.
Want to stop the stupidity? Put down the real estate "crack pipe" and create some real, productive businesses that actually improve the environment and living conditions for the people of Maui.
Look for more desperation and despair in Maui Real Estate, the industry that "defies reality" as 2009 rolls by, and the greediest of the skimmers get plunged into a pastrami slicer called too much debt. One of the prime financiers on Maui is a li'l company called Lehman Brothers, and we all know what has happened to them, now don't we???
....Peter Pave-a-lot, November 2008
Collectively, these four streams have been called Na Wai Eha
by the hawaiian people as far back as anyone knows, and were
probably used to irrigate loi (taro patches) and other
crops. At the base of these streams were vast fresh-water shrimp
and fish grounds, and possibly even fishponds. All of that is gone
now, and even as all the water gets drained from these lush, green
mountains, it still isn't enough.