The 13th Annual Art of Trash Exhibit

If you're interested in North Shore Maui real estate, you probably appreciate greenery. The lush, robust environment in this part of the island draws many residents and home buyers who want to live surrounded by natural spaces. Sustainable habits help to keep the land beautiful, here and everywhere else on Maui. That's why so many residents look forward to the annual Art of Trash exhibit. Anyone can submit an artistic creation made from recycled and reused materials, but only the best are selected for display in this juried exhibition.

This year's exhibit will once again be held at Maui Mall in Kahului. It will begin on April 10th and continue through May 2nd. The festivities kick off with the Maui Trashion Show on Friday the 10th at 6pm at the mall's center stage. The garments featured will consist of reused material contributed by high school youth and the rest of the community.

As for the art entries, which will be on display the following day, the creations you will find there are truly surprising and inspiring. All are made entirely from materials that would have otherwise ended up in the landfill. The message is an important one. Why not upcycle your trash into something useful, interesting, and even fun? Everyone benefits this way, as does the environment with all its amazing species. Maui County also benefits from these helpful habits because they reduce pressure on the landfill, which in turn can reduce the cost of these services in taxes.

Throughout the exhibit, Art of Trash will be open from 10am to 6pm every day. We can thank the Maui County Department of Environmental Management, Mālama Maui Nui, and SharingAloha Maui for this enriching, inspiring event. Hopefully you'll have a chance to swing by the mall and check out the exhibition, especially if you have kids. They'll benefit from this eye-opening, educational concept.

As always, if you need assistance with your Maui real estate search, my contact information is at the bottom of the page. Mahalo for reading!

Community Input for Maui County Council Budget Meetings

Whether you rent, own, or you're in the market for a Maui home, there are opportunities to make your voice heard when it comes to the development of the island. After all, it's your future, and if you have ideas or opinions worth sharing, you might be helping others out as well.

The County Council Budget Meetings are seeking community input in April. Evening meetings will be held by the Budget and Finance Committee in different areas of the island throughout the month. If you live in North Maui, then you'll probably want to attend the April 9th meeting at the Haiku Park and Community Center on Pilialoha Street. The discussion will focus on the fiscal year 2016 budget.

All meetings are scheduled for 6pm, except for the Molokai and join Wailuku-Kahului district meetings. The public has been invited to come and testify, which can be as simple as discussing which roads need work, for example. Capital improvement projects for roads, parks and water system improvements are all involved. The budget also covers services such as fire and police protection, public transportation, water, refuse collection, etc. It also covers how much is collected from the public via taxes to pay for these things. Mayor Alan Arakawa submitted his proposal version of the budget on March 25th, which you can use for reference when you consider your testimony.

You should make your points as concise as possible, because you can only speak for three minutes per meeting that you attend. If you'd rather provide written testimony, bring 18 copies for the reviewers.

If you need more information, visit mauicounty.us/2016budget. As for your real estate search, my contact information can be found at the bottom of the page. I would be happy to assist you! Mahalo!

Bill to Provide $64 Million to Maui County Passes House

Hawaii's biennium fiscal year budget was approved by the House of Representatives recently, and it included $64 million for Central Maui capital improvement projects (CIP). That's a sum that can go a long way for improving Maui County, and those who are in the market for North Maui real estate, or are already living here, will be happy to know that the bill includes $9.5 million for Hana Highway improvements.

House Speaker Joe Souki expressed that the state's economy seems to be improving, and they have adopted a cautious approach to budgeting in light of that. Joe represents Wailuku. According to Central Maui Rep. Justin Woodson, he and the Maui delegation "worked hard to upgrade and expand various facilities throughout Maui's District 9," which is the House district that covers Kahului, Puunene, Old Sand Hills and Maui Lani.

If you curious prospective Maui home buyers are wondering what kinds of improvements are slated for these funds, there are a few main recipients on the list. About $7 million will go to Maui High School's music and physical fitness buildings. The much used Maui Raceway Park will get $2 million for improvements, the Department of Land and Natural Resources' Maui annex building will get $4 million, and the Central Maui park will be built with $5 million.

The largest allocations include about $21 million for Kahului Harbor improvements and $25 million for the University of Hawaii Maui College, which will focus on plans to build a Food Innovation building.

As for our favorite North and East Maui areas, we're slated for the aforementioned $9.5 million for Hana Highway and also $14.58 million for compliance improvements at Hana Airport, which will include a new aircraft rescue and firefighting station. Of course these numbers are expected to change somewhat by the time the funding arrives, especially considering that the bill still has to go through the Senate's Ways and Means Committee.

Check in each Friday for possible updates on this and other information on North Shore Maui lifestyle, events and developments. If you need assistance with your real estate search, you'll find my contact information at the bottom of the page. Mahalo!

2015 Maui Energy Conference

Hawaii's march toward renewable energy sources is changing the landscape, when it comes to the cost of living in our beautiful state. These changes ultimately aim to reduce those costs, but no transition is without its challenges. Many North Maui home buyers and existing residents are interested in the current state of affairs when it comes to this subject, and many are engaged in efforts to get off the grid. If you're interested in the direction that Maui is headed when it comes to energy, you should think about following or attending the 2015 Maui Energy Conference, which will take place from Wednesday, March 25th to Friday, the 27th.

The Conference will bring nationally recognized experts together to explore and discuss the evolution of electric utilities through the "lens of the customer," which is an important perspective, considering that customers cover such a wide range of income levels throughout the island. The wealthy who own luxury Maui homes may not be terribly worried about their utility bill, but those residents with a modest income should be considered, especially considering that many of them are families who have been on Maui for generations. Then, there are business owners and operators, but no matter how successful they are, no one wants to spend more on energy than they have to when such expenses chip away at profits.

The experts at the conference will explore the relationship between customers and electric utilities in light of the many options and services that are now available. Public policy will be another topic of discussion, as its influence has far reaching consequences. Policy topics will include shaping customer choices, distributed generation, demand response programs, microgrids, customer engagement programs, and renewables integration.

Co-presented by the Maui Economic Development Board and the Mayor's Office of Economic Development, only those with a serious interest should attend. Serious to the tune of the $395-$525 ticket price. Whether you intend to get tickets or simply keep track of the discussion, you can do so at www.mauienergyconference.com.

Mahalo!