Status Update The Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii’s (HHMH) Lahaina Hongwanji Recovery and Rebuilding Committee continues work to facilitate the rebuilding of the Lahaina Hongwanji campus. While there are multiple hurdles to address the need to reestablish the Nembutsu teachings in West Maui, the Committee is making steady, consensus-based progress towards this goal. The following are noteworthy milestones.
1. Visioning and planning strategic sessions have been held with the Lahaina Hongwanji Sangha to receive input regarding their priorities for the future of the Temple.
2. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed clean-up of the Lahaina Hongwanji property.
3. HHMH, through the Office of the Bishop, coordinates with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HiEMA) to obtain needed clarification regarding funding qualifications and criteria for Federal reimbursements. This process included site visits with FEMA, HiEMA, HHMH and Lahaina Hongwanji Sangha representatives.
4. FEMA recently completed its funding obligation process to provide HiEMA the Federal funding for the planning, design and construction processes.
5. HHMH retained the professional services of FAI Architects to conduct an initial feasibility and masterplan for the Lahaina Hongwanji campus.
The foregoing are but a few of the many steps required to advance the rebuilding process. While much more work is needed, the current effort of FAI Architects to prepare the rebuilding feasibility study is a focus of the Committee.
Need for Lahaina Hongwanji Campus Photographs
A key research item for the FAI study is the need to obtain pre-fire photographs of the Lahaina Hongwanji campus and buildings. With the exception of the former two-story school building on the campus, there are no architectural plans for the other structures lost in the fire. Recreating the historic character of the campus is a requirement for Federal funding. In this regard, the Committee is asking our Wailuku Hongwanji Sangha for any photographs you may have of Lahaina Hongwanji. The photographs will be useful in supporting FAI Architect’s work to in the masterplan process.
If you do have photographs of any Lahaina Hongwanji campus building, may we ask that to provide a copy to the Wailuku Hongwanji Temple office. If your photos are in a digital format, they may be emailed to: WHM@wailukuhongwanji.org.