Deputy Planning Director Michele McLean advised the Alliance of Maui Community Associations last evening (11/19/12) that the County’s new program to give grants to communities is now available. The total amount for all eligible community is $243 K, which is the amount that would have gone to Wailuku Main Street Association (WMSA) for small town projects, were they in good standing. However, since Kihei was not in WMSA list of “small towns,” the administration and County Council decided Kihei would not be able to participate.
The second portion of the meeting was devoted to the Maui Island Plan, and what actions the Alliance would take. Two items were proposed: re-insert the preservation districts (green-ways, green belts, etc) and include a “sunset’ provision regarding proposed developments, in essence, stating a time limit once a development is approved, if commencement does not initiate within a specific time period, the approval of it is pau, & must begin anew. Each Community Association will vote up or down, if this will be an official position of the Alliance to be presented to the County Council on November 27,2012.
Maui County Announces Small Town Planning Grants
Applications and Forms
- · RFP – The RFP provides instructions, a sample budget, a submittal checklist and other information that is needed to compile your proposal.
- · Application Form -The Application form must be completed and submitted with the RFP.
WAILUKU, Maui, Hawai`i – November 23, 2012
The Planning Department has issued a Request for Proposals for a new “small town planning” grant program.
A total of $243,000 was budgeted for Fiscal Year 2013 for the Department to issue grants for projects that would provide direct benefits to one of Maui County’s small towns. These towns are identified as Haiku, Hana, Kaunakakai, Keokea-Waiakoa, Lahaina, Lanai City, Makawao, Paia, Waihee, Waikapu and Wailuku.
According to the RFP, projects would have to meet several criteria: direct benefit to the town, collaboration and community engagement, accountability of the applicant, project “ripeness,” proposed budget, manageable term and scope, and outreach.
Because this is the first year of this program, and because the Department wants to be able to equally award grants for projects in every town, then each town’s award would be approximately $22,000. This is the amount that proposals should consider. The Department will receive proposals through December 2012 and will make its first round of awards in early 2013, with each town receiving one grant. From January through March of 2013, proposals will continue to be accepted; those towns that did not receive an award in the first round will receive top consideration for awards during the second round. From March through June 2013, any remaining funds will be used for awards for any town.
“Working with the Council during the FY13 budget process, we developed criteria for this new grant program,” noted Mayor Alan Arakawa. “It will be exciting to see what proposals we receive from our small towns, and it will be gratifying to award grants for projects that will provide direct and tangible benefits for our small town business owners and residents.”
The RFP and application form are available through the County’s website:
http://www.mauicounty.gov/index.aspx?nid=121 under Hot Topics. Planning Department staff is also available to give presentations to community groups. For more information, contact the Planning Department at 270-7735.
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Small Town Grants Program
Program Description
The Department of Planning’s “Small Town Planning” grants program is a new program that took effect on July 1,2012. The goal of the program is to provide planning and development support to our small towns.
Evaluation Criteria and Request for Proposal (RFP)
The Planning Department, in consultation with the Maui County Council’s Budget and Finance Committee has established criteria that the Department will use in evaluating grant proposals. Refer to the Request for Proposal (RFP) for specific information.
Projects Ineligible for Funding
- · Capital improvement projects
- · Fundraising
- · Events and activities
- · Projects or activities that are redundant with existing governmental functions
Awards and Acceptance Period
In FY13, the Department has a total of $243,000 to award. Grant proposals can be accepted at anytime during FY13. However, due to the “first come, first served” nature of the process, it is recommended that proposals be submitted as soon as complete submittals can be prepared in accordance with the RFP.
Applications and Forms
- · RFP – The RFP provides instructions, a sample budget, a submittal checklist and other information that is needed to compile your proposal.
- · Application Form -The Application form must be completed and submitted with the RFP.
I am surprised, in light of recent negative reports about the WMSA, that its “list of small towns” would be considered legitimate.
Kihei, is once again the Rodney Dangerfield of Maui communities. South and West Maui are often looked over despite being the major economic generators of the island. According to 2010 census approx. 27k residents in Kahului, 15k in Wailuku, 21k in Kihei, 6k in Wailea, 20k on west side (incl. all Lahaina, Kaanapali, Napili, Kapalua). In this case the “Small town” grant, seems like a very relative and subjective term. Come on County, give us a break… and a full regional park 🙂