Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou!
Happy New Year
Thanks to everyone who came to our Meet Santa event in December! Dozens of families and hundreds of keiki got to meet the man in red, and our sincere thanks to Don Kennedy for volunteering his Santa-services. Please go to www.makahavalleyplantation.org/community to see our day with Santa. Also, this feel good story will be in the February issue of “Westside Stories”!
Special thanks to our Santa: Donald Kennedy, Santa’s elves, MVP office and security team, Andrew Clark, Jane Finstrom, Grey Schmidt, Bonzai, and to Susana Poulin for the use of her Sleigh. Thank you also to Aunty Pattie for pitching in when she saw we needed help gathering names for the raffle.
Congratulations to our raffle winners: Vince, Leah, Ashlyn and Moanakea! They received a gingerbread house (and book about Don’s adventures as a volunteer Santa) and we are excited to do more events like this in future! Speaking of events…
What Event Would You Enjoy At MVP?
Community works best when people feel they can express themselves honestly and get involved with events. What sort of events would you like to see at MVP? Let us know in this quick survey so we can start organising: https://forms.gle/kzidNM8oYt5NxyLW9
Upcoming General Association Meeting
Our New Years resolution is to continue serving the MVP community and participate more! The next HOA Board meeting will be on Tuesday, January, 11 at 6.30pm – look out for a meeting email closer to the time with all the details! If you have a question for the board or an issue you’d like to discuss the best thing to do is email it to our Property Manager Chester at chester@touchstoneproperties-hawaii.com so the best answer can be found ahead of time.
2022 Board Member Elections
We are also rapidly approaching the next annual association meeting! It will be held in late March so we can discuss business, areas of concern, and hold our yearly elections.
This year there are 3 board members up for re-election: Tommy Sowell, Kathy Sowell and Gregory Sokolowski. The specific positions that board members take on such as President, Treasurer, etc is determined by the board *after* elections. In this way people can join the board without being obligated to take a certain role if it is outside of their skillset or interests.
Being involved in the democratic process of general meetings and elections is what creates a healthy vibrant community so we encourage you to attend these events and be heard!
Raining Cats and Sharks
MVP experienced an epic downpour in December! Fortunately damage to the property was minimal, but the front office phone system was damaged and is not working. Fortunately, our new website and email systems made it easy to communicate new contact information with the community, and the front office is now automatically routing calls to cellphones. If you find this doesn’t work, you can try the cellphones directly. Office: 808-695-9566. Security: 808-695-9464. Hawaiian Telcom is addressing the issue and it will hopefully be back up and running soon. In the meantime the entire valley has turned green with life, leading to some great pictures and waterfalls!
Brown Water Safety
The cause of “brown water”, is heavy rain that results in stormwater runoff entering into coastal waters, the state Department of Health Clean Water Branch said, who advises the public to stay out of flood waters and storm water runoff due to possible overflowing cesspools, sewer, manholes, pesticides, animal fecal matter, dead animals, pathogens, chemicals, and associated flood debris. Mountain runoff also provides delicious fish chum which also attracts sharks closer to the shore. Locals know to always check the water conditions with the lifeguard before jumping in and to always shower after swimming. The CDC has provided valuable information in the following PDF https://makahavalleyplantation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/What-is-in-the-brown-water.pdf
Solar Questions and Answers
We are working on a new page for the MVP website focused on the upcoming solar project so we can answer questions, provide clarity, and dispel any areas of confusion. It’s an incredible project that will benefit everyone who lives at MVP for decades to come and we look forward to sharing more with you when it’s up. If you have any specific questions in mind feel free to get in touch at mvpcommunicationcommittee@gmail.com and we’ll try and find an answer.
We will also be adding a page dedicated to renters needs with information about house rules, citations, and how to appeal a citation. Renters are a valuable part of our community but often feel powerless or less-important than owners, so we are working to change that feeling.
SURF’s UP! A brief history of surfing in Makaha
Most of the world famous surf competitions start running in the next few months! Makaha Beach will host the traditional Buffalo Big Board Surfing Classic in February. This contest has been happening for the last 45 years and you can see previous events on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFMNLFs-xtU. For a full list of upcoming surfing competitions around all of Oahu you should check out https://www.alohasurfguide.com/events-contests/ – it’s all happening!
Did you know that the Makaha International Surfing Championships from 1953-1973 was the first held in Hawaii? Many consider Makaha the birthplace of international surfing competition!
Gigi’s Farm: A Hidden Gem
“Gigi’s Farm” is located next to Makaha Elementary School. Once a month they invite the community for a “U Pick It” where you can visit the farm, pick fruits and vegetables from the land, and tour their gorgeous property. For the holidays, volunteers were taught how to make a wreath out of rosemary and gourmet canned goods were available for Christmas gifts. There is no cost for U Pick It but a donation is appreciated.
No Fluoride
New members of the Oahu family may be surprised to learn that Hawaii has the greatest incidence of tooth decay in the US. This is because most water treatment facilities in the state do not add fluoride to their water, which results in children and adults needing more tooth extractions. Your local dentist can provide more information and can provide a fluoride treatment – good to know!
Broken Arm
Slow down while exiting and entering MVP, give the arm plenty of time to rise up to let your car in. The arm exiting MVP is broken, please continue going slow as you leave.
HONU Homeless project at Kea’au park
When driving just north of Makaha beach, you may have seen the tan tent community set up in this park. It is part of the HPD HONU project. https://www.honolulu.gov/rep/site/ohou/HONU_FAQ_ver_112919.pdf
Until next month,
Lokomaika’i (kindness with aloha!)