No, it was not a  KCA  public meeting on Tuesday (4/30/13) evening at the Kihei Community Center, but with nearly half of the all volunteer KCA BOD, some committee and numerous general members in attendance and participating, totaling probably half of the 40 in attendance, KCA’s voice was a strong one. But it was a Maui Electric Company (MECO) meeting labeled “South Maui Reliability Projects,” to follow-up on the last public meeting about 16 months ago. The 3 projects of concern were the two substations to be located mauka of the Pi’i lani Hwy at Kaonoulu and Ke Ali’i  Alanui and MECO’s transmission line extending from Maalaea to that south substation across from the Kamai’i School.

Included in the audience were executive assistants for both the Mayor and Council-member Don Couch, and Public Utility Commissioner and Kihei resident Mike Champley, who all observed a power point presentation offered by MECO System Designer Ryan Powell, offering information on the three projects. Among the items, the four potential routes of the line discussed in 2011 have now been reduced to two, both running along the Pi’lani Hwy, one overhead and other partially underground.

Look for a more extensive report in the Maui Weekly.