UPDATE 9/20/16 **While we always encourage using our comments feature for your input so everyone can share in further discussion, some guys just rather call us, which is OK. So yes in spite what was implied in a Maui News article published this morning supposedly relaying information from Don Couch, HDOT Ford Fuchigami was not at this meeting, and neither was Mr Couch. They are both board members, & Couch is the vice chair, but they were not at the meeting. Further while we did state correctly that the TAC is composed of experienced staff members of the Public Works and Planning departments, it does also include guys from both state and county DOT for a total of eight members. Their first meeting is 9/26/16 at 10 AM                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Further

9/19/16 Newly named Executive Director Lauren Armstrong participated in her first Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) policy board meeting, and KCA was there to testify as advocate for South Maui transportation needs, focusing on our North South Collector Road (NSCR). As we believe this was the first meeting since July, we were surprised that Chair DPW Director David Goode pulled out all stops to achieve a bare quorum, since five of the seven board members were not present. But joining the only Council member Elle Cochran, Goode recruited DOT Deputy Direct Marc Takamori and planner Jeffery Dach to make it “legal.”

We have testified to this new board at the initial meeting

SEE https://gokihei.org/alternative-transportation/maui-metro-planning-org-maui-mpo-meeting , where you can lean more about it, and the process.

Now the next board meeting is not scheduled until December 19, but it was announced that a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) seemingly composed of experienced staff members of the Public Works and Planning departments will be meeting next Monday 9/26/16 at 10:00 AM in the Planning Departments Conference room, as was this morning’s meeting. That meeting will be open to the public.