• Home
  • Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
  • CCPA
  • Medical Disclaimer
Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Hawaii Digital News
  • Home
  • US
  • Business
  • World
  • Honolulu
  • Pearl City
  • Hilo
  • Hawaii Travel
  • Kailua
  • Univ. of Hawaii
  • Press Releases
  • Videos
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • US
  • Business
  • World
  • Honolulu
  • Pearl City
  • Hilo
  • Hawaii Travel
  • Kailua
  • Univ. of Hawaii
  • Press Releases
  • Videos
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Univ. of Hawaii

Transforming Change Into Progress, Part 3

by NewsReporter
February 19, 2022
in Univ. of Hawaii
transforming-change-into-progress,-part-3
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Eighteen days into 2022, Hawaii set a grim record of 6,252 coronavirus cases in one day. Now, the count is under 300. As predicted, the omicron surge peaked quickly, then plummeted.

Is the pandemic finally over? Dr. Anthony Fauci believes most of us can return to pre-pandemic life soon. (And yes, I will be relaxing more public health restrictions in the coming days and weeks.)

Fortunately, Maui County is well-positioned to prosper. Our unemployment rate went from a high of 35 percent in April 2020, to 13.4 percent by December 2020, then down to 6.3 percent last month. All credit goes to the people of this community who pulled together to support one another during the worst public health and economic crises of our lifetime.

We can go back to what was or we can strive for a better balance between human needs and financial pursuits.

Our hospitality industry will always be the county’s top economic driver. Yet the industry itself knows it must do better for our natural environment and distinctive lifestyle. We all encourage more thoughtful tourism while discouraging the kind of tourism we experienced last March.

The internet has dramatically changed tourism and not always in good ways. Booking websites have enabled residences to operate as neighborhood hotels instead of homes. Recently, Airbnb removed more than 1,300 Maui County listings from its website for not complying with our regulations. We are escalating this crackdown by finding and fining more lawbreakers.

Like Council Chair Alice Lee, I don’t agree with every suggestion in the County Council’s recent 400-page plan for managing tourism, but some of the ideas are sensible and achievable. However, I caution everyone about the consequences of doing too much, too soon. Stable prosperity will come from evolution, not revolution. Until our local economy is more diversified, we will remain financially dependent upon tourism.

That’s why my Office of Economic Development has been diligently working on economic diversification. The pandemic revealed our need for trained medical personnel, so again we are partnering with Hale Makua and the University of Hawaii Maui College to upgrade the skills, and income levels, of local health care workers. We are nurturing the creative economy by establishing an arts and cultural district in Wailuku town and certifying Maui residents to work for visiting film production companies. We are strengthening our agricultural sector to reduce our dependence on imported food. These changes will take time, but will help to buffer Maui County from future economic shocks.

Climate change, rising seas, wasteful use of resources and pollution are threatening the people and islands of Maui Nui. We’ve taken small steps by banning plastic bags, single-use plastics and chemical sunscreens. We can soon take bigger steps by upgrading to green infrastructure. Over the next five years, the Federal Infrastructure Bill will pump $66.5 million into our local economy. It will pay for highway improvements, including relocating sections of Honoapiilani Highway away from rising seas. We will electrify the Maui Bus fleet and build public charging stations for electric vehicles islandwide. With new water reclamation facilities, we can replace “wastewater” with recirculated treated water for agricultural irrigation. Our new “green infrastructure” will go a long way toward helping the environment while boosting our local economy and raising the standard of living for local residents.

Finally, the growing residential housing shortage extends far beyond Hawaii, but it’s a problem we can also mitigate with local action. Over the past three years, Maui County welcomed 364 affordable rentals and 574 new attainable units for purchase. Nearly 2,500 more affordable units for rent or purchase are in the pipeline. We are expediting these projects to relieve the current housing crunch and planning ahead by reassuming the government’s kuleana to build infrastructure and for developers to build residential housing.

By reducing our dependence on tourism, moving to greener infrastructure, diversifying our economy and building homes for residents of all income levels, Maui County will prosper in a post-pandemic world.

* “Our County,” a column from Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino, discusses county issues and activities of county government. The column alternates with “Council’s 3 Minutes” every other weekend. This week’s column is the last in a three-part series on Maui County’s response to the pandemic.

Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox

Read More Here

Related Posts

thieves-damage-three-school-buses-at-charter-school

Thieves Damage Three School Buses At Charter School

by NewsReporter
April 14, 2022
0

HONOLULU (KHON2) — A senseless crime at the University Laboratory School left three school buses damaged. Officials said the school has been targeted by thieves lately and there seems to be no end in sight. School officials point out that it is an open campus so it’s impossible to keep...

N

by Duong
April 13, 2022
0

Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Read More Here

marion-thornton-millett-obituary-(1926-–-2022)-deseret-news

Marion Thornton Millett Obituary (1926 – 2022) Deseret News

by Duong
April 12, 2022
0

Marion Thornton Millett Herriman, Utah - Marion Thornton Millett, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, and friend, passed away on January 21, 2022 in Herriman, Utah. Dad was born April 13, 1926 in Cedar City, Utah, to Cambalena Hepworth and Loyal Unthank Millett. He was raised in Lake Arrowhead, California,...

jay-copeland-made-luke-bryan-jealous,-while-charming-jimmie-allen-on

Jay Copeland Made Luke Bryan Jealous, While Charming Jimmie Allen On

by NewsReporter
April 11, 2022
0

“American Idol” has thrown in a new wrinkle for the two episodes this week.For the first time ever, the Top 24 contestants’ performances at Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii will be judged by viewers at home. The voting began with episode 10 Sunday evening. Episode 11 is Monday.There are three...

Hawaii Digital News

© 2021 Hawaii Digital News

Navigate Site

  • Home
  • Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
  • CCPA
  • Medical Disclaimer

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • DMCA Policy
  • Medical Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure
  • CCPA
  • Terms of Use

© 2021 Hawaii Digital News

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT