Mele Kalikimaka from Your Neighbors and WDNA

For over 10 years, the Waimahaihai District Neighborhood Association has been at the ready to serve our district and its community. From painting house numbers on curbs, cleaning ravines for flood control, rooster abatement, noise & intrusive light monitoring, and more—we are happy to be of service to our neighbors and friends.

Like most social and community organizations during the pandemic, our meetings had to take a back seat to the global crisis with challenges due to the inability to meet face to face. As we turn the corner on 2023, we hope to emerge stronger. Now, with 10 years of experience, it is our hope to help owners and residents alike with the new challenges of urbanization facing South Maui. We appreciate your support this year by responding to our call for membership renewals, meeting attendance, and volunteering to join committees to help us achieve our goals this next year. Watch for our posts here and in your mailbox if you given us your email address.

In the meantime, please accept our warmest wishes for you and your ‘ohana this Holiday Season. May you find joy in the days to come, celebrating with family, working on your home, or during travels to be with loved ones. Mele Kalikimaka.

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6th Annual Party: Shaka Pizza, September 28th, 2019, 6:00pm

It’s that time of year again! Come join your neighbors and friends at Shaka Pizza for our annual get together, Saturday, September 28, 2019, from 6-8:00 p.m.

We can discuss what’s going on in the neighborhood or just socialize. We will be accepting memberships but everyone is welcome. Tell a neighbor and bring a friend!

WDNA’s 4th Anniversary Party: Shaka’s Pizza Saturday, September 30th 6:30pm

It seems just yesterday, a few neighbors got together on the sofas at Three’s Bar & Grille to talk about the possibility of getting together to improve our neighborhood. That was April of 2013. With lots of hard work and dedication, seven month’s later [it was a premature delivery] WDNA was birthed right under the eaves of Shaka’s Pizza! Members came out, donated checks, signed membership forms and the bylaws for our not-for profit organization were adopted.

Since then, we’ve done a lot—cleaned the ravine, moved lots of rogue cars, and made a few good friends out of  neighbors. So, come one and all and raise a glass at Shaka’s for the 4th year in a row.  All are invited: owners, renters, people who have interest in our little district in Kihei.  Our acting President, Kevin Curry will give a bit of history and and lead a discussion as to the issues that face our “patch of paradise” into the next year.

The association will spring for the first few pizzas, so get there on time when the pies come out. See you there!

WDNA 2016 Earth Day Event

Sorry everyone, our event in honor of Earth Day at South Maui Gardens on Saturday, April 30th has been cancelled due to scheduling conflicts. The nursery will still be open until 4:00pm. Celebrate the earth in our neighborhood by planting food, growing organically, and taking care of the ‘aina.

 

Maui Solar Eclipse Fair

Get your eclipse viewing glasses (free while supplies last) so you can safely watch the solar eclipse, Tuesday, March 8, 2016 at sunset. For more information, visit www.nso.edu/node/1287 or MauiScienceCenter.com.

Founders Day Fun Leads to A New Alliance

WDNA’s 3rd annual Founder’s Day celebration brought out some fresh faces along with making new connections to the Maui community at large. Although the plan was to have a purely social gathering, sometimes one’s best work is done while breaking bread. In this instance, it involved some tasty pizza crust! 

  
Special guests included Maui Meadows Neighborhood Association President, Debra Greene and Vice President, Daniel Kanahele, (not pictured) who shared their experience with issues on liability insurance, stance on street lighting, and their participation in the Alliance of Maui Community Associations. This inspired a volunteer to step forward, so that the WDNA could send a delegate to that island-wide alliance to not only share our position on current events, but to bring a report back to the Board to keep us abreast of the latest issues before us. 

  
(Pauline (L) celebrates her birthday with Janet (R) our new Liaison Volunteer)

We celebrated Pauline’s birthday in style with kudos to Real Fruit Ice Cream for providing a delicious cone and a place to stick the birthday candle!  
 
With each passing year, the WDNA becomes more connected, ever known for its enthusiasm, vitality and growth. Thank you Janet for volunteering to be our liaison to the Alliance. 

So what’s next? Board member Alex (below with his wife) shares with us tips on board and liability insurance which can cost up to a whopping $1,700 per year, Once we have his recommendation the board will attempt to raise funds through member renewals ($25-&50/yr.) and Associate Memberships ($150/yr.) to cover the shortfall. Currently the WDNA falls short by nearly $1,000 when considering our yearly operating budget. Even with all volunteer labor, keeping the web-light on, as well as signage, fliers, and annual license renewals make it a challenge. 

  
Until we have liability insurance, we cannot host any function or project which would involve outside volunteers. If one of them got hurt, the members of the Board could be held personally liable. Lack of insurance keeps the WDNA from stepping to the “next level” of community service. It is our goal to be able to have insurance before Summer of 2016.  

Perhaps you’d like to make a special donation? Or renew your annual dues? A link on our homepage enables you to download our annual membership form. As well, look for an announcement soon to pay via PayPal. Your support is greatly appreciated. 
OCheck our website soon for details about Christmas Caroling on Kupuna” and our annual Christmas potluck. 

3rd Annual Founder’s Day Celebration on November 8th

It’s time to Celebrate!

 

The WDNA is excited to be celebrating three years of existence this fall! Come join us at Shaka Pizza & Sandwich for  some food, drink, and talk story. The evening is quite casual, and a great opportunity to get to know the people who serve on the Board of Directors.  Get there early and the Board will even spring for some free pizza. There will even be a raffle with prizes!!

Aside from the swag and the grinds, there you’ll meet new people in the district, learn the current challenges facing us, as well as what plans lie ahead for us in the next year.

Sunday, November 8th, 2015

6:00pm-8:00pm

Shaka’s Pizza 1770 S Kihei Rd . Kihei, HI 96753

Coming? While RSVP is not required, it sure helps us to set tables and know what size crowd to expect.

Use the handy form below to let us know:

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Board Meeting Tuesday, September 15, 2015

This is to announce the WDNA meeting of the Board of Directors on Tuesday, September 15th, 2015 from 6:30pm-8:00pm. The meeting is located at 181 Akai Street, Kihei, HI 96753. Please RSVP to kevin@waimahaihai.org if you plan to attend. The meeting is held in a private residence. Please walk or park on the street. Mahalo!

Re-Declare Your Property Tax Status or Lose Your Exemption

The Maui County Property Tax office has “reset” their database and is requiring that all property owners, regardless whether or not they have already declared their occupancy status, to do it again by year’s end. Failure to do refile your applicaiton will result in a loss of owner occupied status, and result in a higher tax basis for the next tax year. There is no forgiveness for late filing, and you will have to wait until the next tax year to see a change in your rate.

Maui County offers a $200,000 property value discount according to their website article. Their website explains:

“For example, if you own a house and lot valued at $550,000 and are eligible for a single home exemption of $200,000, your net taxable value will be $350,000. This figure is divided by 1,000 then multiplied by the applicable tax rate, which is set by the County Council, to determine the taxes owed.’

So, according to  Maui County’s  2015 Tax Schedule, the category of “Residential” pays $5.40 per thousand dollars of assessed value where as the  “Homeowner” category only pays $2.75 per thousand.  Non-owner occupants then, pay a 96% increase over the “Homeowner” category.

So, don’t delay! You could avoid lines by sending a certified letter (return receipt advised) with the “Claim For Home Exemption” form enclosed. Or you can visit the Maui County Tax center at the Maui Mall (the same office as the DMV) pull a number, and wait your turn.

To make your wait in line less painful, keep in mind that Maui County property tax rates are a real deal as compared to Seattle and other areas on the mainland. Now relax. You won’t have to do this again. Well, maybe not until next year.

Lawn Picks Raise Red Flags on Littering and Safety in Waimahaihai

by Kevin Curry

The Fine Print Shows A Commercial Website

Waimahaihai District streets are lined with red flags from Waipahe St. to Mehani Circle, from Kupuna St. to Malama. Almost two weeks ago, these mini lawn picks were strategically placed on neighborhood easements at just what would appear to be the flood plane line. Their appearance arrived just after Maui County held its symposium on the impact of the impending flood plane adjustment.  Like many others, I assumed it had to do with the new flood plane issues and left the marker alone.

Consult with your physician first, then bend down carefully from the waist and read a little closer.  If your Costco readers were in good order, you’d see the red marker invites the homeowner to visit a website and 800 number regarding flood zone revisions. Well don’t be duped! There is no connection to any official surveyor or FEMA flood plane manager.

A visit to the URL on the flag reveals a basic website that offers to sell a $99 “quick review”, but there are no details. A “whois” of the domain name shows the site registered to a Glenn Willis with ABA Insurance in Boulder, CO.  The installers of these red plastic picks have littered the Waimahaihai District with their commercial solicitation far and wide. The email address on file is for the domain name is: gwillis944@gmail.com.  Since virtually all of the pickets were placed on public easements, individual property owners might not have cause to complain. However,  some conscientious South Maui resident might write ABA Insurance and ask when they plan on removing the flags, and/or file a complaint with the police department insisting these bits of plastic and wire trip hazards be removed from our streets or insist that the company face littering fines.

Because people’s tendency is to leave what might appear to be an official survey stake alone, Waimahaihai residens may be living with these flags for quite some time. Let’s hope that as time goes on and the red plastic degrades and flies off,  no one injures themselves on the nearly invisible remaining sharp wire and trip hazards on their bike ride, or their sunset walk through our neighborhood streets.