Discuss Molokai Plan Final Draft on Monday

Maui County News Release

Maui County Councilmember Kelly King, chair of the Council’s Planning Committee, will present the proposed final draft of the Molokai Community Plan on Molokai from 5-7 p.m., Monday May 7 at the Mitchell Pauole Center. This is the latest in a series of informal meetings to gather with community members who will directly be impacted by the update to the existing 2001 Molokai Community Plan. The date extension passed by the Council late last year states June 30 as the deadline for final passage of the Plan. Throughout the process, community input was a driving force.

Along with Councilmember Stacy Crivello, King invites the community to come talk story and share any concerns about the few major changes made after more than a year of committee meetings, community input and additional workshops and visits to speak directly with the community. While the major themes of the Plan, including addressing maintaining Molokai’s rural character, traditional Hawaiian farming, subsistence living, as well as climate change concerns, have been preserved in the Plan, the addition of the East End and West End Policy Statements are confirmed as proposed by the Planning Committee. Other changes include refocusing the prioritization of the implementation items and moving some of the items not under county control to be stated as policy, as well as changing the name of the Plan to “Molokai Island Community Plan.”

“I commend the community of Molokai for its diligence in giving input to assure their community plan is truly of the people and for the people.” King said. “Having to revisit the plan after it was set aside by previous council made it more difficult to understand the CPAC’s and Molokai Planning Commission’s versions once we took it up again after I became Planning Committee Chair, but we took the time to research and communicate, and I think the result is a good plan that is respectful, inclusive and intelligent.”

King added that she feels a much deeper connection to the “last Hawaiian Island” now and greatly appreciates the support and gratitude of the community. “I was told in the beginning that this process was a ‘mine field’, but I discovered that approaching it with an open mind, deep concern for the people of Molokai, and respect for the aina and environment was the key factor in developing a plan with the community, not just for the community.”

All interested residents are encouraged to attend this informal presentation to learn about the changes that are being proposed.

For more information, call Ella Alcon at the Council’s Molokai District Office 808-553-388, or contact the office of Councilmember Kelly King at 808-270-7108.