The Hawaiian word for today is aloha. Aloha is a word that is used constantly in Hawaii. Aloha means so many things but conveyed through one means first, attitude then action. Contemplate that as you read through the definition: love, affection, compassion, mercy, sympathy, pity, kindness, sentiment, grace, charity; greeting, salutation, regards; sweetheart, lover, loved one; beloved, loving, kind, compassionate, charitable, lovable; to love, be fond of; to show kindness, mercy, pity, charity, affection; to venerate; to remember with affection; to greet, hail. Aloha is an attitude that we must embody to be able to share. As a human service organization, it is critical that we have an attitude of aloha, encompassing all of its meanings.
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The New MEO Transportation Center Project
NEW MEO Transportation Facility
• 10 acre facility located at the central hub of Kuihelani and Mokulele highways and Puunene and Dairy roads. • For the first time all Maui transportation operations will be in the same location: Administration, Maintenance Facility, Bus Washing and Fueling Station, Bus storage and Passenger Transfer Station • Will ensure the continuation and improved delivery of vitally needed transportation • Keep operational costs down due to the central location of storage, service and administration • Adequate size to accommodate long-term program expansion • We anticipate a total of 100 vehicles for our fleet within the next 5-7 years, • Site situated with good highway access; site use is compatible with adjacent land uses. • Utility provision can be accomplished at a relatively low cost. • Capacity to grow as need for services grow
The center will provide all MEO transportation to be in the same location- Maintenance, Administration, fueling, bus wash and transfer station.
The New MEO Transportation Center Project
MEO Transportation
MEO began transportation services in 1969 when the need for senior transportation in the community became apparent. Transportation began as a small start-up program with a single used vehicle. Currenty, MEO Transportation operates out of state-owned property in central Maui, adjacent to the Queen Ka’ahumanu shopping center. Its maintenance facilities are located in a separate location Our maintenance facility is located almost 2 miles away from our base yard in the Kahului Trucking and Storage facilities at the Kahului Harbor.
• Over 283,000 trips were provided last year • Provided services to elderly, low-income, persons with disabilities, residents with medical transportation needs, preschoolers and youth. • Staff consists of about 90 employees that serve in driving, maintenance, and administrative positions throughout Maui County. • Our general operation begins as early as 5:00 a.m., and continues until 10:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. A reduced schedule operates on Sundays and Holidays • As an active participant of the County of Maui’s Civil Defense group, we are ready to assist with their transportation needs when called upon. • The fleet consists of over 80 vehicles • Four ASE certified automotive technicians, keep our vehicles safely operating up to capacity
Alexander & Baldwin Donates Land for MEO Transportation Facility
A Total of Ten Acres Involved, in Pu‘unene, Maui
Transportation Facility Will be Built near HC&S’ Pu‘unene Mill and Power Plant
KAHULUI, MAUI, HAWAII -- Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. and Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc. (MEO) have announced the site of MEO’s new transportation center on a ten-acre parcel in Pu ‘unene, made possible by a sizeable donation of land from Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. to MEO.
Originally identified by MEO as a likely location for a base-yard, the ten-acre Pu‘unene parcel will now allow MEO to consolidate all of its transportation operations at a single site--including a bus storage and passenger transfer station, maintenance facility, bus washing and fueling station and administration. In addition to affording operating cost savings for MEO, the parcel will also accommodate MEO’s expected programmatic growth over the next 20 years.
MEO unveiled the project at a dinner Friday night at the Grand Wailea Resort’s Ballroom – attended by more than seven hundred persons – which honored its first executive director and Speaker of the House Emeritus Rep. Joe Souki, and United States Senator Daniel K. Akaka. Estimated to cost $9 million, the new MEO transportation center has already received $1.2 million from the State and $400,000 from Maui County.
MEO Board Chair Riki Hokama said, “While we still have the challenge of raising the funds needed for construction, our land acquisition costs have been kept to a minimum, thanks to the generosity of A&B. That helps all of our clients, which represent some of Maui’s most vulnerable citizens.”
“We are very pleased to partner with MEO in its future, in its efforts to expand services to Maui’s neediest populations,” said Alexander & Baldwin Chairman and CEO Allen Doane. “When MEO approached us about acquiring this site, we recognized the importance of this location to MEO, and the importance of MEO to this community. So, what began as an agreement to provide five acres to MEO, at a significantly discounted price, today has been augmented with the outright donation of an additional five acres.”
Taken in context of market prices, this equates to a donation of about 7.5 acres to MEO.
“Pu‘unene has been our home since 1902, when the HC&S factory was relocated there from Spreckelsville,” continued Doane. “Today, we welcome MEO with open arms to the neighborhood.”
The future site for the transportation facility is located in Central Maui, close to residential and commercial areas of Kahului and Wailuku and the island’s primary commercial harbor and airport. This new facility will integrate all MEO transportation operations in the same location and ensure the continuation and improvement of transportation services for elderly, disabled and other underserved constituencies. With good highway access, the site is also fully compatible with adjacent land uses.
“My compliments to Alexander and Baldwin for its generous donation of land – a crucial component in the development of MEO's new transportation center,” said Senator Akaka in a statement issued from his Washington office. “This partnership is exactly the kind of collaboration necessary to tackle the root causes of poverty, both in our state and nationwide.”
Mayor Charmaine Tavares said, “MEO is such an essential part of our community. The many services they provide help an amazing number of people from little keiki to our kupuna. They do ‘help people and change lives’!”
Rep. Souki reminisced about his days with MEO and how they started out with a $9,000 grant and a used van. “That was the beginning of the transportation program so poor people could get to work and the disabled could have mobility. Now MEO has 90 busses and van.”
He talked about how his inability to get funding from the State Legislature spurred him to run for elected office, and he called on young people to enter the political arena, paraphrasing President Kennedy’s inaugural call, “It’s not what you can do for yourselves, but what you can do for the community. You don’t run for yourself, but (for) how you can make your community better.”
MEO Executive Director Sandy Baz spoke about the “bigger vision” the new transportation center represents for the whole community. “We support those that can’t support themselves and this new center will be the hub of a transportation complex that will provide services for those for whom unfortunately, regular public transit is not a viable option. We are grateful to A&B for this generous gift of the land and we look forward to a long and fruitful partnership.”
MEO is a Community Action Agency with 42 years of service to Maui. An advocate for those whose voices are often not heard—the elderly, disabled, immigrants, youth, offenders and the economically disadvantaged—MEO operates programs throughout Maui County and its farm-worker program is statewide. From transportation and early childhood education to assistance with small business development MEO works in concert with the public and private sector to help people and change lives. More information about MEO is available at http://meoinc.charityfinders.org/.
Alexander & Baldwin, Inc., headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, is engaged in ocean transportation and intermodal services, through its subsidiaries, Matson Navigation Company, Inc. and Matson Integrated Logistics, Inc.; in real estate, through A&B Properties, Inc.; and in food products, through Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company and Kauai Coffee Company, Inc. Additional information about A&B may be found at its web site: www.alexanderbaldwin.com
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Community Action changes people’s lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.
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