Posted on: Wednesday, September 26, 2001

Fate of Lahaina's Pioneer Mill under review

By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau

The demolition of historic Pioneer Mill in Lahaina has been put on hold pending further discussion with the community.

Tamara Edwards, president of Amfac Land Co., parent company of Pioneer Mill Co., said yesterday that the Maui County Cultural Resources Commission will be asked to postpone consideration of a demolition permit, which was scheduled to be heard Oct. 4.

Edwards said community members asked for further information during a meeting Monday night in Lahaina to describe the demolition plan.

She said residents asked that Amfac compare the cost of demolition to the cost of refurbishing the mill. She said engineers and consultants likely will be consulted before an additional meeting is scheduled.

Amfac, which closed its West Maui plantation in 1999, planned to demolish most of the sugar mill, including the 200-foot-tall brick smokestack, to make way for commercial or industrial development.

But a number of Lahaina residents suggested that the factory be spared for a museum or commercial use. Many said the smokestack should be a historical landmark.

The plantation was founded in 1861 and once farmed more than 14,000 acres on the slopes above Lahaina.