Lahaina fears
sugar-loss
side effect
Officials warn Amfac that
By Gary Kubota
more steps need to be taken
to halt soil erosion
Maui correspondentTHE dust rises from the rear of auctioneer Roy Gamityan's rented car like a plume of red smoke, as he surveys the heavy equipment and pickup trucks at Pioneer Mill Co. Ltd.'s mill yard.
"I had these trucks washed three times and they're still red," Gamityan said.
As Amfac/JMB Hawaii prepares to sell off the heavy equipment at Pioneer Mill -- which ended cane production this year -- the dust has become a nuisance for many living in nearby residential areas.
But even more than that, residents are worried about what happens to the dust once it rains.
Their worries have increased as Amfac prepares to sell the equipment that once was used to control soil erosion.
Pioneer company manager James "Kimo" Falconer has said he doesn't know how he's going to carry out erosion measures without the heavy equipment.
The auction begins at the mill yard at 10 a.m. tomorrow, with viewing of the equipment today.
"When we get a good wind, it blows brown down the street," said Kevin Sommerfeldt, who lives along Lahainaluna Road. "Sometimes it will be like a river running down the road."
Sommerfeldt said his driveway was eroded by a flood three years ago.
Federal officials estimate the southern section of Lahaina alone loses an average of about $625,000 annually to flooding.
Residents fear the flooding will worsen without sugar cane in the ground to absorb the rain during the winter.
Amfac has planted some bushes as windbreaks adjacent to residential resort condominiums in Kaanapali, but many sections of field remain bare.
Federal officials have warned Amfac and other major landowners that their soil conservation measures are insufficient and more steps need to be taken to halt the erosion.
County Public Works Director David Goode said that he and Mayor James "Kimo" Apana recently talked with Amfac/JMB Hawaii President Gary Grottke about the company's conservation efforts.
"He (Grottke) told us he will not let the sale of the equipment stop their efforts," Goode said. "We'll see."
