More lifeguards, property tax cuts proposed for Maui in 2002
By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau
WAILUKU, Maui — A Maui County Council committee is recommending a substantial increase in the number of lifeguards who patrol the county's beach parks as part of the budget for fiscal 2002.
The Budget Committee's proposed $272 million operating budget includes most of the projects recommended in Mayor James "Kimo" Apana's proposal and is $55 million more than this year's budget. The total proposed budget tops $300 million.
The committee, which includes all nine members of the County Council, considered proposing a 6 percent across-the-board reduction in real property tax, but decided to retain the 2.1 percent cut suggested by Apana. That means a property owner with a $300,000 house would save $23 a year based on current values.
A public hearing on the council's version of the budget is scheduled for Thursday.
In recommending the lifeguard hiring, Budget Committee Chairman Riki Hokama said panel members were interested in increasing ocean safety, reducing the county's liability and developing better systems for closing beaches when conditions are dangerous.
The proposal calls for hiring 13 full-time lifeguards, two seasonal employees and a few part-time water safety officers.
The increase would mean that Ho'okipa Beach Park, a popular windsurfing site, would have permanent lifeguards for the first time.
In addition, because county pool lifeguards provide backup for the beach lifeguards, the additional positions may keep the pools open longer.
"This is a giant step in the right direction for ocean safety,'' said Marian Feenstra, chief of the county's Aquatics Division.
The county now has 24 beach lifeguards. Feenstra said labor shortages often force single lifeguard coverage at Maui's busiest beaches.
The council committee also included several projects proposed by the mayor, including an $8.3 million fire station in Wailea, as well as setting aside $1 million for coastal land acquisition. The committee removed financing for an expanded Central Maui Youth Center with dormitories for visiting sports teams.
The committee is proposing that $2 million be spent on road improvements to help deal with traffic congestion. Half of the money would be the county's contribution to a project that would expand Pi'ilani Highway from two lanes to four. An additional $100,000 would go for a portable sign warning motorists of delays.
Council members also allocated $200,000 to study the need for new public facilities in South Maui. It would look at such things as a regional park, a gymnasium and a police station.
