Maui says it may buy
site of pool in WailukuThe county could see a deal on
the property resolved by Aug. 29
WAILUKU >> Maui County appears headed toward buying the Wailuku Pool for $700,000.
Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa has entered into an agreement to buy the half-acre site including the swimming pool.
County Council Chairman Dain Kane said although he has not seen details of the agreement, he supports acquiring the swimming pool.
Kane, who resides in Wailuku, said the swimming pool is an essential part of the town that schoolchildren from Wailuku Elementary and Iao Intermediate school use regularly.
The Council has authorized the purchase through bonds but is required to pass a resolution authorizing the agreement.
The agreement to buy the property, now in escrow, calls for the deal to be completed by Aug. 29.
The Council had hoped the state Legislature would contribute $350,000 toward the purchase, but the authorization did not pass during the 2003 session.
Earlier this year, Market-Wells Hui II LLC, the owner of the pool, was asking for $700,000 in cash and $300,000 in tax credits.
Arakawa initially balked at the owner's proposal, an idea supported by outgoing Mayor James "Kimo" Apana, and asked for an independent appraisal.
Arakawa decided to move forward with the $700,000 purchase but excluded giving $300,000 in tax credits to the owner.
The owner's spokesman Clifford Beppu said his group was happy with the deal.
"It's beneficial for both sides," Beppu said.
The pool, about 75 by 42 feet, was built before World War II and was used at one point by military servicemen when it was the Alexander House recreation center.
The county, which takes care of maintenance and liability, has paid $1 a month in rent to the landowner for the 27,249-square-foot lot since 1984.
The pool property, at South Market and Wells streets, was previously owned by the county but traded in 1983 for a similar-size property that is now part of the nearby tennis facility at Wells Park.