Arson destroys Kihei
park food stand
A concession stand built by Little League volunteers at Kalama Park in Kihei, Maui, was vandalized and burned Tuesday, officials said.
"It's a total loss," said Alan Jahns, Kihei Little League president. "We're going to have to bulldoze the thing and just start from scratch."
Jahns estimated the damage at about $10,000, mostly for the industrial kitchen appliances like the ice machine, refrigerator, oven, hot dog cooker and microwave oven that were inside the structure.
Parents sold hot dogs, candy and soda during games, and the concession was also used by other groups, like Pop Warner football teams and soccer teams, since it was built about 10 years ago. The funds from concession sales went to defer costs for the teams.
"You go down there you can see a ball game late in the evening, and you don't have to worry about dinner," said Bob Straub, district supervisor for the Maui Department of Parks and Recreation.
The concession stand was donated to the county after it was built, so it is unlikely that insurance will cover the loss, Jahns said.
The effort to raise money to rebuild the concession comes at a bad time.
The Kihei Little League team won the district title and is traveling today to Honolulu for this weekend's state championships. The group is still trying to raise $4,000 to offset the cost of travel.
"Good things are starting to happen. Our teams now are starting to win district titles," Jahns said. "It's just a shame that this kind of stuff happens."
Maui Police Sgt. Lester Wong said police could see the smoke from the fire from the Kihei station across the street.
"Everything was melted and black" after the fire was put out, Wong said. It also appeared that there was a break-in just before the fire started. "The building had contents scattered outside," he said.
Wong said there were two other arson incidents in the park in the last month: a rubbish fire near a skateboard ramp last month and a parked car that was set on fire about two weeks ago. But he said it does not appear the incidents are connected.
The concession stand was broken into a couple of weeks ago, and candy was taken, Jahns said.
Volunteers raised money and built the original concession stand, and Jahns said the community will come together and rebuild it.
"It's like a curveball that life throws you, and you just got to be prepared to take it and deal with it," he said.
