Amala Place clean-up continues in Kahului
News Release from Maui County, Sept 21, 2021
The County of Maui and the State Department of Land and Natural Resources completed the second day of clean-up in the Amala Place area in Kahului. County employees and contractors used heavy equipment to remove 41 derelict vehicles and 50 tons of solid waste from the area.
The Maui Police Department closed Amala Place from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. to ensure public safety during the operation. Clean-up will re-start at 7 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 22. All remaining vehicles, property and refuse will be removed by 4 p.m. tomorrow.
Social services such as access to shelter and housing services have been offered to the unsheltered consistently for several weeks. No trespassing signs were installed on Sept. 1. Two weeks later, MPD officers delivered “Notice to Vacate” letters to people remaining in the area.
“Over the past several weeks, social workers have been meeting with occupants of the Amala Place area encampment to help move them into shelter before today,” explained Mayor Michael Victorino. “This past Friday afternoon, I personally met with a group of camp occupants to explain the need for the State and County to take action. Thanks to the professionalism of MPD, everything went as planned. I am happy to report that no occupants were arrested today.”
DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife must replace the perimeter fence surrounding the 235-acre Kanaha Pond Sanctuary. The existing fence was vandalized, allowing introduced predators to kill rare native water birds that find refuge there.
The County of Maui requires unfettered access to the Wailuku-Kahului Wastewater Reclamation Facility to prevent an accidental sewage spill and the environmental damage it would cause.
At one point, nearly 80 individuals had been living in the Amala Place encampment. Social workers estimate that about eight to 10 individuals had remained in the area by the time work began this morning.
The Amala Place gate will remain locked until 7 a.m., Friday, Sept. 24. Access to Kanaha Beach Park will be through Koeheke/Ka`a Street until that time.
KITV: Maui County crews continue to clean Amala Place
MN: Homeless encampment on Amala nearly cleared
DLNR: SECOND DAY OF MAJOR MAUI CLEAN-UP MOVES TO STATE WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
MN: ACLU, advocates called for efforts to halt amid lack of shelter options
AMALA PLACE CLEANUP & CIP FUNDING KICK START RESTORATION IMPROVEMENTS AT KANAHĀ PONG WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
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Amala Place Clean-up Nearly Complete
News Release from Maui County, Sept 22, 2021
The County of Maui and the State Department of Land and Natural Resources are nearing completion of the Amala Place clean-up in Kahului. Today, County employees and contractors successfully removed 13 remaining derelict vehicles and 8 more tons of solid waste from the area.
Amala Place will be closed tomorrow from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. to allow for thorough cleaning, including a magnetic sweep for small metal objects such as used hypodermic needles to protect public safety. Amala Place and the Amala gate to Kanaha Beach Park will reopen as planned on Friday, Sept. 24.
Since the cleanup began on Monday, social workers were able to assist 8 individuals to move into shelter with support services, and 11 have moved out of the area. As of today, five occupants remain temporarily camped on privately owned land. Two are planning to move into shelter tomorrow and the other three will relocate by Friday at the landowner’s request.
“I understand how disruptive change can be,” said Mayor Michael Victorino. “But I truly believe this is a change for the better for everyone concerned. Area occupants were able to get a new start in clean, safe accommodations with services to help them move ahead.
I want to thank Maui Police Department and DOCARE officers, as well as area occupants, for their cooperation throughout this effort. And finally, mahalo to the many dedicated County and State employees and contractors who actually did the hard work of transforming a dangerous roadway into a safe road within a few days.”
Additional “No Trespassing” signs are being installed on the public lands lining Amala Place. MPD officers will regularly patrol the area to ensure it remains clear, safe and accessible to the public.
The Amala Place gate will remain locked until 7 a.m., Friday, Sept. 24. Access to Kanaha Beach Park will be through Koeheke/Ka`a Street until that time.
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Amala Place gate to Kanaha Beach Park to be locked for clean-up project
News Release from Maui County, Sept 17, 2021
The County of Maui will lock the Amala Place gate entrance to Kanaha Beach Park at closing on Sunday, Sept. 19, through 7 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. The temporary closure is needed to safeguard public safety during the area’s planned clean-up that will require heavy equipment to remove derelict vehicles and solid waste from the area.
The Maui Police Department will close Amala Place to through traffic near the Kanaha Pond Wildlife Sanctuary and the Wailuku-Kahului Wastewater Treatment Facility. Kanaha Beach Park will remain open and accessible via Koeheke Street, which becomes Ka’a Street, near the old rental car area by the airport.
Earlier this month, no trespassing signs were installed both mauka and makai of Amala Place to prepare for the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resource’s long-planned restoration of the 70-year old sanctuary. The County of Maui must also clear the area fronting the wastewater treatment facility for environmental protection.
The County of Maui has been working with social workers and service providers to assist those living in the area’s homeless encampment. To date, 25 individuals have moved into shelters and one has moved into permanent housing. Thirteen have moved out of the area and 12 are currently considering offers for shelter and services. Maui Police Department officers have served the remaining 14 individuals with notices to vacate.
“I want to thank the social services agencies and their caring staff members who have been working closely with area residents to help them get into suitable shelter before rainy season begins. Shelter is available for those who need additional time to make relocation plans,” explained Mayor Michael Victorino. “We’ve made all the necessary provisions to offer them a safe place with proper sanitation facilities. It’s their choice to accept these services or not, but remaining in the existing encampment is not an option because it is unsafe and it has become a public health hazard.”
During the week of September 20-24, the Hawaii DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife will join Maui County’s Department of Environmental Management, Department of Public Works and Maui Police Department officers to restore the area.
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Amala Place clean-up to begin this month
News Release from County of Maui, Sept 1, 2021
Today the County of Maui and the Hawaii State Department of Land and Natural Resources announced plans for a comprehensive clean-up of public lands surrounding the Kanaha Pond Wildlife Sanctuary and Wailuku-Kahului Wastewater Treatment Plant. The joint effort comes in response to concerns about public health and safety on Amala Place and long-planned improvements to the sanctuary.
No trespassing signs are being installed both mauka and makai of Amala Place. Maui County has been working with social workers and service providers to assist 53 individuals living in the homeless encampment in the area. The County is in the process of making emergency shelter resources available for each individual or household, as well as services to suit their situation.
“Caring for people comes first,” said Mayor Michael Victorino. “It’s not compassionate to enable people to continue living without basic sanitation. Mounds of rubbish, human waste and used syringes surround many of the tents and temporary structures in the area. With the risk of flooding during the upcoming rainy season, now is the time for these folks to move into emergency shelters. Once the unsheltered residents have settled into new accommodations, we will start the clean-up and DLNR will begin the needed sanctuary improvements.”
"Kanaha Pond, adjacent to Amala Place, is an invaluable resource for the people of Maui and is one of the most important breeding sites for numerous species of endangered waterbirds. It is not only a State Wildlife Sanctuary but was designated 70-years ago as a National Natural Landmark,” said Scott Fretz, Maui Branch Manager for the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW). “It is totally inappropriate for this special place to be impacted by the dumping of rubbish and human waste. Protective fencing that protects the endangered wildlife has repeatedly been damaged. Our staff has been harassed and threatened in the course of doing their jobs and have had to clean up syringes and other hazardous waste in the sanctuary."
Eric Nakagawa, director of County of Maui Department of Environmental Management, has encountered similar problems, saying: "Our employees need to get safely in and out of the Kahului wastewater treatment plant on Amala Place to do their jobs and possibly prevent a sewage spill into the ocean in an emergency that can happen any time, day or night. In recent weeks, our staff has reported individuals blocking the roadway entrance to the plant, starting verbal arguments and jumping on a truck in at least one instance in which police were called."
Additional no trespassing signage will be installed throughout early September to prepare for area clean-up. Work on the Kahana Pond Wildlife Sanctuary is scheduled to commence in late September.
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Amala Place gate to Kanaha Beach Park to be locked for clean-up project
News Release from County of Maui, Sept 17, 2021
The County of Maui will lock the Amala Place gate entrance to Kanaha Beach Park at closing on Sunday, Sept. 19, through 7 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. The temporary closure is needed to safeguard public safety during the area’s planned clean-up that will require heavy equipment to remove derelict vehicles and solid waste from the area.
The Maui Police Department will close Amala Place to through traffic near the Kanaha Pond Wildlife Sanctuary and the Wailuku-Kahului Wastewater Treatment Facility. Kanaha Beach Park will remain open and accessible via Koeheke Street, which becomes Ka’a Street, near the old rental car area by the airport.
Earlier this month, no trespassing signs were installed both mauka and makai of Amala Place to prepare for the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resource’s long-planned restoration of the 70-year old sanctuary. The County of Maui must also clear the area fronting the wastewater treatment facility for environmental protection.
The County of Maui has been working with social workers and service providers to assist those living in the area’s homeless encampment. To date, 25 individuals have moved into shelters and one has moved into permanent housing. Thirteen have moved out of the area and 12 are currently considering offers for shelter and services. Maui Police Department officers have served the remaining 14 individuals with notices to vacate.
“I want to thank the social services agencies and their caring staff members who have been working closely with area residents to help them get into suitable shelter before rainy season begins. Shelter is available for those who need additional time to make relocation plans,” explained Mayor Michael Victorino. “We’ve made all the necessary provisions to offer them a safe place with proper sanitation facilities. It’s their choice to accept these services or not, but remaining in the existing encampment is not an option because it is unsafe and it has become a public health hazard.”
During the week of September 20-24, the Hawaii DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife will join Maui County’s Department of Environmental Management, Department of Public Works and Maui Police Department officers to restore the area.
KITV: Crews on Maui county to clean-up Amala Place
MN: Cleanup on Amala Place to begin this month
MN: Photos-- Homeless in Kanaha line the streets
HNN: A large Kahului homeless camp is cleaned out with hopes of getting campers into housing