‘It’s a health hazard’ | Dilapidated restrooms, sinking piers plague Maui harbor

By ‘A’ali’i Dukelow

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    LAHAINA, Hawaii (KITV) — Workers at the Lahaina Small Boat Harbor are calling on the state to address a laundry list of repairs they claim have been neglected for years.

Mona Cherry, one of the workers, called the restrooms at the facility “horrendous.”

“It’s a heath hazard. You need a hazmat suit to go in there,” Cherry complained.

A spokesperson from the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) reported homeless people have been washing their clothes in the toilets, clogging them, which leads to closures.

According to DLNR, the bathrooms are vandalized on a regular basis. People have been tearing off toilets, sinks and urinals, and DLNR staff members “try to repair them as soon as we can,” the spokesperson added.

Another worker, Sean Conroy, pointed to the sinking piers.

“Why hasn’t it been fixed? No, they just condemn it and basically said ‘tough luck,'” Conroy alleged.

The harbor has received $20 million for repairs and, according to DLNR, construction on piers will resume shortly.

Last week, frustrated boaters took it upon themselves to haul out heaps of trash that have been left at the facility as well as another boat harbor in Ma’alaea on the island’s south side.

The trash piled up for days after large dumpsters were removed from the facilities as the state finalized its contract with the operators.

“They let the contracts run out. They don’t bother to immediately get a new one. They leave us with no trash cans. The trash is horrible,” Cherry decried.

Since then, DLNR has provided temporary containers. And while new ones are now in place, Cherry said the littering problem is persisting.

DLNR reminded the public not to leave their trash on harbor property if they see the dumpsters are full.

Conroy also complained over a sandbar at the entrance of the harbor that some boaters have tried to whittle down themselves.

“We do the best that we can but it’s a safety concern for the vessels and passengers and all it takes is for one boat to get stuck on it and block the entire harbor,” Conroy said.

According to DLNR, any dredging projects will require funding from the state legislature.

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