ECONOMY, ENVIRONMENT, SOCIAL NEEDS LEAD THE LIST

The Maui News
April 12, 2004

By ILIMA LOOMIS, Staff Writer

WAILUKU - When it comes to planning for the future, Maui residents might have more in common than they think.

In the final report from last year's Focus Maui Nui project, there was a consensus among participants about the issues that would be key to Maui's future - a consensus that could be surprising considering the diversity of backgrounds and the vocal disagreements that get the spotlight at public meetings.

Eighty-four percent of Focus Maui Nui's participants identified sustainable economic development as a key theme in planning for Maui County; 82 percent picked preserving the natural environment as a key theme; and 75 percent said providing for social services was vital.

"We really are coming from a sense of shared values, which you might not pick up on in a public hearing," said Jeannie Skog, president and chief executive officer of the Maui Economic Development Board, which coordinated the project.

She said another common thread was a call for balance between the conflicting priorities of Maui County.

"We didn't come out with extremes," she said.

The Focus Maui Nui project brought together small groups of Maui County residents to survey core values for planning, along with challenges, priorities and suggested strategies.

More than 1,600 people participated in 167 sessions from May to August 2003.
The final report of Focus Maui Nui findings was presented to the Maui County Council and other elected officials this month. Copies are available at public libraries, or the report can be downloaded at www.focusmauinui.com.

Skog said the Focus Maui Nui advisory group will move into "phase 2" of the project, meeting again with focus groups to review the findings of the study and to discuss ways people, organizations, businesses and leaders can use the information and promote the values outlined by the project. An "action kit" on the program's Web site includes suggestions for taking concrete steps toward community goals.

"We never intended to have it end with this report," Skog said. "The intent was to have this report trigger action."

The county Planning Department has also indicated it will require consultants to incorporate Focus Maui Nui principles when working on the Maui County General Plan update.

An expressed goal of Focus Maui Nui was to reach members of the "silent majority" who rarely join the political process. Of Focus Maui Nui participants, 23 percent had attended four or more public meetings in the past year. Forty percent had attended one to three meetings, and 37 percent had never attended a public meeting.

In outlining top priorities for the county, two goals emerged at the very top of the list.

Fifty-six percent of participants said improving education was one of their five top goals, and 52 percent cited preserving the natural environment.

Other noted priorities included:
ß "Make housing accessible," 39 percent.
ß "Assure adequate water supply," 37 percent.
ß "Improve transportation," 35 percent.
ß "Strengthen economy," 33 percent.
ß "Preserve local cultures," 29 percent.
ß "Promote efficient use of energy," 26 percent.
ß "Address substance abuse," 25 percent.
ß "Create jobs," 23 percent.

Focus Maui Nui participants also weighed trade-offs between different priorities, identifying which goals should take precedence, as well as goals that should be advanced "at any cost."

A large area of perceived conflict was between strengthening the economy and preserving the environment.

Of participants who identified the economy as an important goal for the county, 76 percent said improvements should not come at the cost of the environment.

In contrast, of those who identified the environment as a worthy goal, only 34 percent said improving the environment should not come at the cost of the economy.

"If trade-offs must be made, a significant number are more willing to make sacrifices in the economic area than in the environmental area," the report concludes.

Similarly, significantly more groups would choose to make sacrifices in county infrastructure rather than to the environment, according to the report's findings.

Participants in the study also agreed on a number of strategies that would help accomplish their goals.

For the top priority, improving education, focus groups called for local control over schools, increasing teachers' pay, building more schools and improving existing school facilities, more family involvement in schools and more opportunities for internships and apprenticeships.

Participants also highlighted the importance of a four-year public university.

For the goal of preserving the environment, Focus Maui Nui participants called for better education of residents, industry workers and visitors about their roles in protecting resources, along with laws and incentives to provide encouragement.

Ilima Loomis can be reached at iloomis@mauinews.com.


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