Naʻe fakapapauʻi ʻa ʻElini Uēti, ko ha mataotao ʻi he palani fakakolo ʻoku laka hake ʻi he taʻu ʻe 20 ʻene taukei ʻi he tuʻunga fakatakimuʻa ʻo e ngaahi kolomuʻá, ʻi he pongipongí ni ko e Tokoni Talēkita Pule ʻo e Vahefonua Mauí. ‘Oku fakamamafa’i ‘e he fakanofo ‘o Wade ‘a ‘ene mateaki’i fuoloa ki he ngaue fakapule’anga pea mo ‘ene malava makehe ke fakahoko ‘a e ngaahi founga fo’ou, ‘oku fakatefito ‘i he komiuniti.

Kuo ngāue ʻa Wade ʻi ha ngaahi fatongia mahuʻinga ʻi loto ʻi he Ngaahi Potungāue Palani mo e Puleʻi ʻo e Vahefonuá ʻi he taʻu ʻe 18 kuohilí, ʻo ne tataki ʻa e ngaahi fokotuʻutuʻu kuo nau liliu ʻa e ngaahi pole fakasivile faingataʻá ki ha ngaahi poloseki lavameʻa, ʻoku poupouʻi ʻe he komiunitií. ʻOku kau ʻi heʻene ngāué ʻa e palani mo e tisaini ʻo e Wailuku Garage mo e Hālau ʻo e ʻŌiwi Art, ʻoku fakatokangaʻi ʻi heʻenau ngaahi founga ngāue fakataha mo e fakakaukau ki muʻá.

“Kuo fakaʻilongaʻi ʻa e taimi ʻo ʻElini ʻi he Vahefonuá ʻaki ʻene tuʻunga fakatakimuʻá, founga fakakaukau ki muʻá, mo ʻene tukupā ki he ngāue fakapuleʻangá,” ko e lau ia ʻa e Pule Kolo ko Richard Bissen. “ʻI heʻene hoko ko e Tokoni Talēkita Pulé, te ne ʻomi ʻene taukei ʻi he tauhi ʻo e ngaahi tuʻutuʻuni fakafederal mo e palani ʻoku fakatefito ʻi he komiunitií ki he ngāue mahuʻinga ʻo hono toe langa ʻo Lahaina.”

Naʻe toe pehē ʻe he Talēkita Pule ko Sosaia Nishita, “Kuo tokoni lahi ʻa e ngaahi tokoni ʻa ʻElini ki he Vahefonuá ki hono fakalakalaka ʻo e ngaahi ngāue mahuʻinga ʻa e koló. ʻOku mahuʻingaʻia lahi ʻene founga fakavavevavé mo ʻene fakatapuí, pea ʻoku mau fiefia ʻi heʻene hokohoko atu ʻene uesia ʻi he fatongia foʻou ko ʻení.”

Ko e fatongia fakamuimui taha ʻo Wade ko ha Tokoni Pule II ʻi he Potungāue Puleʻangá naʻe kau ai ʻene fengāueʻaki mo e Potungāue Puleʻi Fakavavevave ʻa e Puleʻangá (FEMA), ʻa e Kau ʻEnisinia ʻa e Kau Tau ʻa ʻAmeliká, mo e Potungāue Puleʻi Fakavavevave ʻa Hauaiʻí. Naʻe mahuʻinga ʻene ngaahi feingá ʻi hono faʻu ha founga toʻo ʻo e ngaahi veve ʻo e afí, fakalele ʻa e ngaahi aleapau fakapuleʻanga ʻoku mahuʻinga ki he tali mo e fakaakeake hili ʻa e velá, pea mo e fengāueʻaki mo e Fakataha Alēlea ʻo e Vahefonua Mauí ke fokotuʻu ha ngaahi fakatonutonu ki he lao fakavavevavé.

Naʻá ne hoko foki ko e Pule Palani mo e Fakalakalaka ʻi he Potungāue Pulé, ʻo ne tokangaʻi ʻa e ngaahi fakalelei fakapaʻanga ʻoku laka hake ʻi he $100 miliona mo taki ʻa e ngaahi poloseki toe langa ʻi he Kolo ko Wailuku. Naʻe sio ʻa e kau taki ʻo Wade ki hono langa mo fakasiʻisiʻi ʻo e Wailuku Civic Complex, hono kamataʻi ʻo e sisitemi fefonongaʻaki ʻi he loto koló ʻa e “Da Bee”, pea mo hono faʻu ʻo e polokalama Small Town Big Art ʻa ia naʻe maʻu pale.

ʻI he konga kimuʻa ʻo ʻene ngāué, naʻe maʻu ʻe Uēti ha ngaahi fatongia ʻiloa kehe ʻi he Vahefonuá, kau ai ʻa e ngaahi lakanga Palani V ʻi he Vahenga Palani Lolotonga mo e Vahenga Palani Loloá fakatouʻosi. Kimuʻa peá ne kau ki he Vahefonua Mauí, naʻá ne hoko ko e Talēkita Palani mo e Fakalakalaka Fakakomiuniti maʻá e Kolo ko Kalaniti Heveni, Misikeni, pea ko e Tokotaha Palani Taki ki he Uiliami & Ngaahi Ngāue ʻi Kalaniti Lepití, Misi.

ʻI he ʻamanaki ki he $1.6 piliona ʻoku fakataumuʻa ke maʻu ʻe he Vahefonuá ʻi he konga kimui ʻo e taʻú ni ki he ngaahi ngāue tokoni ki he fakatamakí, ʻoku mahuʻinga ʻaupito ʻa e taukei ʻa Wade ʻi he ngaahi tuʻutuʻuni fakafederal ʻoku puleʻi ai hono vahevahe ʻo e paʻanga ʻo e Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) mo e paʻanga ki he Fale mo e Fakalakalaka ʻo e Koló (HUD). Ko e paʻanga ko ʻení ko ha konga ia ʻo ha paʻanga fakafederal lahi ange ki he fakaakeake mei he fakatamakí, ʻo fakafuofua ki he $1.6 piliona ʻoku vaheʻi ki he ngaahi falé pea mo ha toe $480 miliona ki he ngaahi feinga fakafoki maí.

Naʻe maʻu ʻe Wade ʻene Mataʻitohi Master ʻi he Palani Fakakolo mo e Fakavahefonuá mei he ʻUnivēsiti ʻo Hauaiʻi ʻi Mānoá pea mo ʻene Mataʻitohi Bachelor ʻi he Palani mei he ʻUnivēsiti ʻo e Siteiti ʻo Misikení. ʻIkai ngata aí, kuó ne fakahoko ha ako hokohoko ʻi he anga fakafonua mo e lea ʻa Hauaiʻí ʻi he ʻUnivēsiti ʻo Hauaiʻi Kolisi Maui.

ʻOku kau ʻi he kau lahi ʻa Wade ʻi he komiunitií ʻene ngāue ʻi he ngaahi poate ʻoku ʻikai ke nau fakatupu paʻanga hangē ko e Ngaahi Ngāueʻanga ʻa e Fāmili ʻo ʻImuá mo e Habitat for Humanity. Kuó ne maʻu ha ngaahi fakamālō lahi, kau ai ha Paʻanga Tokoni ʻa e ʻEnitaumeni Fakafonua ki he ʻAati “Homau Koló” mo ha Pale ʻo e Lelei Taha ki he Ngāue Fakakomiuniti mei he Vahe ʻo Hauaiʻi ʻo e Sōsaieti ʻAmelika ʻo e Kau ʻĀkiteki ʻo e Fonuá.

ʻI heʻene fakakaukau ki hono fatongia foʻoú, naʻe pehē ʻe Uēti, “Kuo ʻuhingamālie mo fakahoko ʻaupito ʻa e ngāué ni. ʻOku ou ʻamanaki te u tokoni ola lelei lolotonga e taimi mahuʻinga ko ʻení.”

ʻI tuʻa mei heʻene ngaahi tukupā fakapalofesinalé, ʻoku fiefia ʻa Uēti ke fakamoleki ha taimi mo hono husepānití mo hono ongo fohá, ʻeveʻeva, mo ako hula mo Hālau Makana ʻAloha ʻo Ka Lauaʻē ʻi he Faama Kumu Sissy Lake.