• Failure notice from provider:
    Connection Error:http_request_failed

  • Submission Deadlines

    Advertising

    Thursday 4pm

    March 13, 2025

    Content

    Friday 4pm

    March 14, 2025

    To print on:

    Wednesday

    March 12, 2025

  • Join us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Google Plus Subscribe via RSS

Political

Molokai and Hawaii – Island Politics

Barge Bailout

Sunday, April 5th, 2009

Young Brothers proposes schedule and rate changes.  

By Melissa Kelsey

Even transportation giants like Young Brothers are feeling the economy’s crunch, and Molokai could potentially see the brunt of the company’s money-saving strategies. Since December, Young Brothers, Limited, a barge company that has become an island life-line, has submitted two proposals to the State of Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) that have gotten Molokai residents’ attention. One proposal, if approved, would increase shipment costs, while the other would change Molokai’s barge schedule.

Young Brothers ships goods to ports throughout the Hawaiian archipelago on a regular weekly schedule. Because Young Brothers is the only company of its kind, resulting in no inter-industry regulation through price and route competition, Young Brothers is regulated by the government through the PUC. This means that the transportation giant cannot make changes to its sailing schedule or shipment prices without the state commission’s approval.

Posted in , commentsAdd your comment

Furry Business

Friday, April 3rd, 2009

Humane society seeks a stronger financial foundation.

By Melissa Kelsey

It is not only the Molokai Humane Society’s services that are improving; the island’s only veterinary service is taking steps toward financial sustainability as well.

Housed in a converted sea container near Ho`olehua, the animal care facility recently started taking animals by appointment instead of only on a walk-in basis to help the entire operation run more smoothly. In case pet owners do have to wait, they can check email and work online using the facility’s new onsite wireless internet.

With better service, a growing clientele and a busy schedule, the motley crew of animal lovers who coordinate the veterinary services want to make sure they are taking initiative to be financially solid.

“We want to show the county that we are fiscally responsible,” said Chairman of the Board, Koki Foster.

Posted in , commentsAdd your comment

Faithful Service

Friday, April 3rd, 2009

Faithful Service

It was the last Molokai Planning Commission meeting for three commissioners, Sherman Napoleon, Jr., Lynn Decoite, and Bill Feeter. They received many thank you’s from fellow commissioners and community members. They will be replaced by Napua Leong and John Sprinzel, starting in April. The Molokai Planning Commission is still accepting applications to fill one open place for a third incoming commissioner.

Posted in , commentsAdd your comment

Legal Hospitality

Friday, April 3rd, 2009

Planning Commission recommends a second legal TVR for Molokai.

By Melissa Kelsey

Molokai is an easy place to start a Transient Vacation Rental (TVR), but not while following the law. The bureaucratic process to legally operate a TVR on Molokai is lengthy and arduous, and requires two separate permits.

One Molokai TVR owner determined to operate her business legally is resident Francis Feeter. After an application process that has lasted years, she is finally beginning to see the fruits of her labor. Last Wednesday, the Molokai Planning Commission (MoPC) unanimously passed a motion to recommend to Maui County that she be given both necessary permits to operate her TVR for a period of three years.

“You have the authority to say how many years the permits would be good for. If there are any problems with the rental, you have the right to not renew,” said Feeter to MoPC Commissioners, referencing the limited time condition of the permits.

Conflicting Views

Some community members expressed relief that Feeter has been rewarded for her efforts to follow the law, believing that the best way to manage TVRs is to prove that it is possible to go through the proper legal channels.

“We have got to allow somebody to be legal,” said community member Rich Young. “I think properly managed, this can work out. This is a balance for our community, and it definitely is not a good thing if it is done illegally,” he said.

Not everyone agreed with the MoPC’s decision to support the permits, a decision that left some community members concerned about the MoPC’s consistency in following laws and granting exceptions.

“The business district is where these vacation rentals are supposed to be allowed,” said community member Linda Place, expressing her views that even existing accommodations on the island are not being filled to capacity.

Posted in , comments1 Comments

Mount Opala

Wednesday, April 1st, 2009

Mount Opala

New cell under construction at Naiwa landfill

By Melissa Kelsey

Slowing Accumulation
There are currently no plans by Maui County to ship Molokai opala off the island, according to Martin. However, Maui County occasionally hires private vendors to ship certain items off-island. A $1 million contract between Maui County and SOS Metals allowed trashed vehicles and appliances to be sent off Molokai last year, according to Martin.

Maui County also hires private vendors to take recycled materials, according to Martin. As a result, Molokai residents can help keep trash from piling up in the landfill by carefully sorting household waste and bringing recyclables to the recycling facility located on the same property as the landfill. Items stamped with “5¢ HI” can be redeemed for five cents each.

Plans to convert trash management on Molokai to the Herhof Stabilat system where trash is converted to electricity are not currently making progress, according to Kamehameha Environmental LLC board member Billy Buchanan. To create energy through this system, solid waste is put through a heat exchange unit after its moisture has been removed.

“It seems to be stuck in bureaucracy and no one is making decisions. Everything is about being green and saving energy and fossil fuels, but when we have a proven technique and technology and very little happens, that is a problem. This project is pretty much at a standstill,” said Buchanan.

In the meantime, Molokai residents should do everything they can to reduce the island’s waste accumulation.

“The community needs to know that Maui County is not only expanding the dump, they are also recycling and working with the community to prevent things from going into the landfill,” said McPherson.

Posted in , commentsAdd your comment

Water Fight

Monday, March 30th, 2009

Molokai residents faced with proposed water rate increases as high as 500 percent.

By Molokai Dispatch Staff

For Molokai residents paying water rates that had been called outrageous, another “rate shock” may be on the way, in the words of Molokai Properties Ltd (MPL), parent company of subsidiary water utilities Wai`ola O Molokai and Molokai Public Utilities (MPU). Both utility companies have filed their general rate increase with the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), requesting rate increases as high as 500 percent of what ratepayers on the island’s west end were paying last August.

How It Started
In June last year, MPL threatened to cut water utility services to over 1,000 central and west Molokai residents after claiming that its subsidiary utility companies did not have the financial resources to continue service. The announcement caused panic among island residents and lawmakers in both the state and county. Emergency plans were made, lawyers were hired, and a heated discussion ensued over who would be responsible for keeping water flowing. The State put pressure on the County, and the County filed a lawsuit against MPL, pointing to the binding agreements the water utility companies had signed with the County to provide residents with water services.

Posted in comments2 Comments

Checking In

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

Molokai bills stay active in the Hawaii Senate and House.
By Sean Aronson

There continues to be legislation that will have an impact on Molokai in the Senate and House.  Issues that range from GMO’s to fisheries to Molokai Ranch have all seen the light of day in the past few weeks.  Here’s a run-down of the action.

GMO’s

There are two separate bills addressing the use of genetically modified organisms, commonly known as GMO’s.  One seeks to ban their use, while another hopes to take away the power of the legislative bodies to prohibit their use.

House Bill 1663 would ban the use of GMO’s for taro only. It “prohibits the development, testing, propagation, release, importation, planting, or growing of genetically modified Hawaiian taro in the State.”
Posted in commentsAdd your comment

Winds of Change

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

Energy agreement gives go-ahead to First Wind on Molokai

By Catherine Cluett

For Molokai residents pushing for alternative energy on the island, an agreement called “Big Wind” announced by Governor Lingle last week gives cause for hope. Alternative wind energy company First Wind has received the okay to begin building a wind farm on Molokai through the agreement between First Wind, Castle & Cooke and the Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO).

First Wind on Molokai and Castle & Cooke on Lanai submitted competing wind energy proposals to the state last year.  Each had proposed supplying about 400 megawatts (MW) of energy to Oahu from either Lanai or Molokai.  But under the new agreement, the companies will split the state’s objective, and produce 200 MW of energy on each island.

Posted in comments1 Comments

Ranch on the Bidding Block

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

Molokai Properties says land is up for sale if price is right.
By Sean Aronson

It’s been almost a year since Molokai Ranch closed its doors, but its importance to this island continues to keep it in the headlines.  The most recent chapter in the Ranch saga occurred at a hearing on last weeks’ House resolution requesting a fair appraisal of Molokai Properties Limited (MPL) land.

Dan Orodenker, General Manager for MPL, said in a live hearing Friday that the Ranch land is for sale if the right offer was on the table.  Rumors about MPL’s willingness to sell have been flying around Molokai for months, but this was the first public statement from MPL addressing the issue.

HCR 95, introduced last week by Ken Ito, Chair of the Water, Land and Ocean Resources Committee (WLO), requests the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) to conduct a fair and accurate appraisal of MPL’s lands.  The resolution cites MPL’s failure to allow access for subsistence hunting and farming as well as its lack of commitment to provide water and sewer services to West end residents among the reasons for State intervention.
Posted in , commentsAdd your comment

Between a Barge and a Hard Place

Monday, March 16th, 2009

Young Brothers proposes several changes to Molokai shipping service.
By Sean Aronson

Molokai is full of talk about sustainability and self-sufficiency, but every day brings reminders of how far away this island is from either.  Perhaps the most glaring example of this is the reliance on weekly barges for nearly everything – fuel, food and building supplies. For these essential items, the island is serviced by just one company, Young Brothers, Ltd.   And a number of proposed changes to the delivery schedule and rates of these barges has this community talking.

Currently, Molokai’s two weekly barges arrive on consecutive days, Wednesday and Thursday.  This presents storage problems for the island’s grocery stores because they must essentially unload and keep a weeks’ worth of merchandise in just two days.  It also means the shelves are virtually empty on Monday and Tuesday.

Under the proposed changes, Molokai would receive a barge on Monday and Thursday. The biggest difference is that the Monday barge will be going directly from Honolulu to Molokai, whereas before the Wednesday barge was going from Honolulu to Maui and then on to Molokai.  

Despite all of this information being publically available, some Molokai residents say Young Brothers is not acting in the best interest of the island.

Here’s an excerpt from an email that made the rounds through various Molokai email lists earlier this month:

“In a nutshell, Young Brothers is trying to sneak a schedule change past the PUC [Public Utilities Commission]. No fresh vegetables? Everything, vegetables, cattle, will have to route through Honolulu taking two or more days. They also want to end the Maui to Molokai link.  YB did not tell Molokai or Lanai residents the truth of what they are
 proposing.”

Young Brothers did hold a public meeting on Feb. 2nd in Kaunakakai to discuss the proposed barge schedule change as well as changes to the rates for shipping.  In addition, all of these changes were laid out in documents that are available on the Young Brothers website.

Posted in , commentsAdd your comment