Amfac seeks permit to raze Pioneer Mill
By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau
LAHAINA, Maui — When George "Keoki'' Freeland was manager of the Pioneer Mill plantation from 1985 to 1995, tourists would stop by the old mill factory all the time and ask to take a tour.
Advertiser library photo • March 1999
It was a fascinating old building that represented a major part of Lahaina's colorful history, said Freeland, now director of the Lahaina Restoration Foundation.
The Pioneer Mill buildings and smokestack in Lahaina would be demolished if owner Amfac receives permission from county officials.
But Amfac, which closed the mill in 1999, now wants to demolish the factory, including the towering smokestack that has been immortalized in photographs and paintings of Lahaina.
The company's application for demolition permits will be heard at 9 a.m. tomorrow before the Maui County Cultural Resources Commission. The panel's decision will act as a recommendation to the county Department of Public Works and Waste Management, which has final say.
The State Historic Preservation Division is recommending approval of the demolition, which would include the factory building, machine shop, blacksmith building, sugar bin, cane washer, carpentry shop and several other small structures. But in doing so, the division is recommending the county require photographic and oral histories be produced.
Officials with Amfac Land Co., which has been conducting an environmental cleanup of the factory for two years, could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Freeland said company officials met with a number of community members a couple of months ago and told them they planned to demolish the factory and sell off the land.
"It's sad,'' said Freeland, who was born and reared in Lahaina. "(The mill) is a significant part of Lahaina's history, and if it goes down, so does the history with it.''
The West Maui plantation was founded in 1861, and at one time farmed more than 14,000 acres spread across 16 miles of slopes above Lahaina. The smokestack, near the busy intersection of Lahainaluna Road and Honoapi'ilani Highway, is perhaps the town's most prominent landmark. At Christmas, it was decorated with a big star.
Theo Morrison, executive director of the LahainaTown Action Committee, said it is disappointing that Amfac didn't make a greater effort to meet with community members and ask for their input.
"It's a shock. It's a part of our landscape,'' she said. "Hopefully, (the commission) won't make a decision on Thursday.''
Lahaina resident Connie Sutherland said the mill factory and its smokestack are an important part of the town's character, and many will be "disturbed and concerned" when they hear about the company's plans.
"The smokestack is Lahaina,'' said Sam Kadotani, who worked on the plantation going back to the early 1940s. "Don't touch that. That's a landmark. If they knock down that smokestack, a lot of retirees are going to cry.''
Freeland said he has been trying to get someone interested in forming a "Friends of the Pioneer Mill'' group for about a year, but no one has taken the lead. He said the mill would make a great museum.
Another, perhaps less desirable, option, he said, would be to preserve the buildings and turn them into a retail center, much like what was done with the Lahaina Cannery Mall, a former pineapple cannery.
Reach Tim Hurley at thurley@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.
