County Office of Recovery to hold open house of West Maui office on July 3

The County of Maui Office of Recovery-West Maui will host an open house at its new office at Lahaina Gateway on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, from 5 to 7 p.m.

The office is in Suite B102, near Ace Hardware, at the shopping center at 325 Keawe St. in Lahaina.

“We are looking forward to the opening this new location in Lahaina, which we hope will better serve our West Maui community throughout the wildfire recovery process,” said Mayor Richard Bissen. “We want the new office to serve as a hub for residents and business leaders seeking resources and support.”

Members of the community are invited to drop by and visit the office at any time during the open house. The open house is being held in lieu of the weekly County of Maui Disaster Recovery Community Update Meeting.

The Office of Recovery-West Maui will be a space for the residents to gather and access services related to the recovery process. Departments and agencies utilizing the office include Maui Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA), 4LEAF Inc. (Recovery Permit Center), the County of Maui Office of Economic Development, Maui County Council Member Tamara Paltin and her staff, as well as organizations that were operating out of the Community Resource Center at the Royal Lahaina Resort including Maui AIDS Foundation, Med-QUEST, Imua Family Services, Kaiser Permanente, Maui Economic Opportunity, United Policyholders and Legal Aid Society of Hawaiʻi Maui Branch.

“Having a centralized location in West Maui for all of these essential departments and agencies is a positive step forward in the recovery process,” said County of Maui Managing Director Josiah Nishita. “We encourage the public to come by and visit the new office, get to know our team and learn more about what we are doing to help rebuild our community.”

The Office of Recovery-West Maui will begin normal operating hours on July 5. The office will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Resident re-entry and contractor placard pick-up, operated by MEMA, will be available at the office on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

In partnership with the Maui Public Art Corps and SMALL TOWN * BIG ART, the office will feature the “Maui Strong: Art for Hope” exhibition. Inspired by the impactful 2023 “Maui Strong” artwork installation—a 1,000-foot barrier fence positioned along a perimeter of the impact zone showcasing artistic messages of hope by 600 students — the new exhibition continues this celebration of community resilience and unity in the aftermath of the 2023 Maui wildfires.