Prettier Paia: Landowner Makes Good on Clean-up Promise

The western entrance to Paia got a much-needed facelift over the Labor Day weekend as crews removed 69 burned-out vehicles, trash, and some trees from the 339-acre parcel abutting the town.

Following a July 30^th fire that revealed a chaotic array of abandoned cars and illegal campsites, landowner Sam Hirbod promised a group of concerned Paia residents in late August that he planned to clean up and fence the property. The parcel runs along the Hana Highway across from Baldwin Beach Park and up the Paia bypass to the old sugar mill.

69 vehicles removed

“We removed 69 vehicles and 100-plus tires that were discarded around the property”, said Melvin Johnson, CEO of Aegaeon, the security company that oversaw the operation. “By the end of today [Tuesday], we will probably have filled two 30-yard bins full of refuse, leftover scrap metal and other stuff.”

Maui law enforcement also was part of the clean-up team, said Johnson, who is a former Maui police officer. “The community officers did excellent work and made getting all this done much easier.”

He also credited Alan Vierra’s Westside Tow for the quick vehicle removals.

Before they were trucked away, Johnson’s team spent two days cataloging all the vehicles, though most of the identification numbers were destroyed by the fire. “The community police officers made checks on the vehicles and only one came back as stolen,” he said. “The rest were just considered abandoned.”

Next up: fencing

Johnson declined to put a dollar figure on the operation, saying only “It was costly, but Sam [Hirbod] felt that it needed to get done.”

Fencing along the Paia bypass side of the property will start immediately, he added. Fences along the Hana Highway side are on hold while a Special Management Area exemption request is processed. “So there’s a little hurdle to that, as the bypass area by the Hana Highway is where most of the trespassing activity occurs.”

Once the area is fenced, discussions are underway to allow cattle-grazing on the property.

Illegal encampment occupants

Johnson also said that some 12 illegal encampments were dismantled, with most of their 26 residents leaving, many who were served with trespass notices. Two occupants were arrested on outstanding criminal warrants. Several trees were also felled, in an effort to prevent future camouflage for camps.

Johnson said that his team is working with some of the displaced occupants to get them social service assistance, “but they’re still a little resistant on that.”

There will be repercussions to the clean-up effort, he acknowledged. Johnson told a group of Paia residents last week to expect a “migration” of former property occupants into town. “It’s inevitable, due to the activity that is ongoing already,” he said, referring to the medical and food services provided to them on a regular basis by the county and private organizations. “I know these services do not intend for that to happen or that they are condoning it, but it’s just human nature. They’re going to stay around for whatever resources they can get.”