OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Maui County Water Authority Social Services and Parks Committee Meeting - June 1, 2026

County Council & Committees — Monday, June 1, 2026
BodyMaui County, Hawaii
SessionCounty Council & Committees
DateMonday, June 1, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:06:04
Transcript — Verbatim
7:11

Aloha Kakayaka and welcome to the WhatsApp committee meeting of Monday, June first, twenty twenty-six.

7:17

It is nine oh seven.

7:20

Happy Vayune.

7:22

I'm Shane Senensi, your committee chair.

7:25

Mahalo members for taking the time to attend this meeting.

7:28

And just as a reminder for members of the public, silence our cell phones and or any noise-making devices.

7:35

Members in accordance with the sunshine law.

9:00

And there's nobody in my workspace with me.

9:02

Thank you.

9:03

Thank you for joining us.

9:04

Also joining us online is Councilmember Nohe Wu Hudgins.

9:09

Aloha and good morning.

9:11

Aloha chair.

9:12

Good morning, everyone.

9:14

I'm at my private residence.

9:15

I do have it's summer time, so I have a couple kids running around the house.

9:20

But I'm alone in my dining room that will function as my workspace for today.

9:24

Thank you.

9:24

Thanks for joining us this morning.

9:27

Also from Corporation Council, we have Deputy Corporation Council Yukari Murakami.

9:32

Hello and good morning.

9:33

Good morning, Chair.

9:35

Also, we have uh a whole list of what's upcommittee staff.

9:39

Thank you for for running this meeting this morning and welcome.

9:45

Members, we have two items on today's agenda, mental health crisis intervention, prevention, and support for youth in Maui County.

9:52

WhatsApp 1 parent 19, and our second item overview of a proposed community resilience and youth uh development campus, WhatsApp 1 parent 20.

10:05

Members without objection for WhatsApp 1 parent 19.

10:08

I'll designate Ms.

10:10

Danielle Burr Bergen from Mental Health Trainer and Community Affairs Consultant, uh Youth Line Hawaii.

10:20

Also with her, we have Kelsey Lori and Ashley Tone were also welcome.

10:27

Um as uh all resources under Rule 18A of the rules of the council because of their expertise on youth line and its operations.

10:38

Uh for WhatsApp 1 parent 20 without objection, I'll designate the following as resources under Rule 18A because of their expertise on the proposed community resilience and uh youth development campus, uh built-in Baba uh to Bodo uh senior president for Koupa Enterprises and Mike Diaz, representative of the Hoelina Group LLC.

11:03

We got that.

11:04

Thanks for coming, gentlemen.

11:06

Um staff, do we have any testimony this morning?

11:11

Sure, no one has indicated that they would like to testify at the beginning of the meeting.

11:15

Okay, great.

11:16

And just let me know, and then if anybody comes on and then I'll read the um the testimony log.

11:26

Okay, let's go straight to our first item members, WhatsApp 1 parent 19.

11:31

Members, our first item is mental health crisis intervention and support for youth in Maui County.

11:38

Members, last month was Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to highlight the importance of mental wellness, reduce stigma, and connect people with support.

11:48

However, our discussions within this committee have made it clear that mental health is an issue we must prioritize year-round.

11:57

In our committee meeting on the Maui Wildfire Exposure Study on July 21st, 2025.

12:03

We heard how youth in particular are in urgent need of greater mental health support.

12:09

Today we've invited representatives from Youth Line Hawaii to join us and share how they're supporting youth across the county and across the state.

12:18

They plan to present on uh their particular services that they provide.

12:23

Excuse me, including their peer-to-peer uh mental health support and crisis line.

12:31

Um I'd like to turn the floor over to Miss Bergen for her presentation.

12:36

Thanks for being here.

12:37

Thank you, Chair Senisi.

12:39

Very much appreciative of having us here today.

12:42

Again, my name is Danielle Bergen, and I am a mental health trainer and community affairs coordinator for Youth Line Hawaii.

12:49

Uh we're going to show you a little presentation here.

12:52

We'll advance some slides as we go through and talk about it.

12:55

And then at the end, we'll be able to open this up to questions for anyone who might have any.

13:00

So you see our first slide here is uh we're a service of lines for life, which is the 988 out of Oregon.

13:08

Youthline is uh been around for 26 years, and you can see the logos that we have from our different um contact centers.

13:16

Uh very excited to be able to tell you the work that we've been doing in the last year and a half at Youth Line.

13:24

Next slide, please.

13:31

So we wanted to make sure when uh youth line came over from Portland at a time shortly, maybe a year, year and a half after the fires.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Youth Programs█████████████████████████████████████████████45%
Mental Health Awareness██████████████████████22%
Economic Development█████████████████████21%
Procedural██████6%
Community Engagement█████5%
Fiscal Sustainability█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Maui County Water Authority Social Services and Parks Committee Meeting - June 1, 2026

The Water Authority Social Services and Parks (WASSP) Committee met on Monday, June 1, 2026, at 9:07 AM under Chair Shane Senensi. Members present included Vice Chair Johnson, Councilmembers Nohe Wu-Hudgins, Lee, Poulton, Sugimura, and Rollins Fernandez. Two agenda items were discussed: a presentation on Youth Line Hawaii's mental health crisis services and an overview of a proposed community resilience and youth development campus on the former Kahili golf course. No public testimony was offered. Both items were deferred without objection.

Discussion Items

Mental Health Crisis Intervention and Support for Youth (WhatsApp 1 Parent 19)

Danielle Bergen (Mental Health Trainer and Community Affairs Consultant, Youth Line Hawaii), Ashley Tone (Deputy Director), and volunteer Kelsey Lori presented on Youth Line Hawaii, a peer-to-peer crisis support and help line for youth ages 10–24. Key points:

  • Youth Line is a service of Lines for Life (Oregon-based 988 center) and has operated for 26 years. It provides confidential, anonymous support via call, text, or chat.
  • Since opening a call center on Maui in January 2025, Hawaii call volume has increased 225% through April 2026. In 2024, the national line assisted approximately 25,000 youth.
  • Volunteers undergo 70+ hours of training, including Youth Mental Health First Aid and SafeTALK (applied suicide intervention skills). After six months, advanced certification in ASIST is offered.
  • 96% of contacts are de-escalated without requiring emergency services. Over 50% of volunteers pursue careers in behavioral health, education, or social services.
  • The service is free and does not require parental consent for youth to reach out. Current funding comes from federal and state grants (not county).
  • Council members asked about reaching at-risk youth through courts and schools, measuring success, cultural competency, and volunteer support. Representatives emphasized their openness to collaboration and noted they are not currently seeking county funding.

The item was deferred without objection.

Proposed Community Resilience and Youth Development Campus (WhatsApp 1 Parent 20)

Milton “Bubba” Thibodeau (President, Koupa Enterprises) and Mike Diaz (Hoʻoilina Group LLC) presented a conceptual vision for developing approximately 320 acres of the Kahili golf course in Wailuku into a multi-use community hub. Proposed features:

  • Youth sports and recreation facilities (baseball, softball, soccer, football fields, indoor gymnasium), workforce training, community and cultural programming, and resilience infrastructure (emergency shelter).
  • Approximately 60–100 acres of sports fields with astroturf; active agriculture (orchards, farm market) on surrounding land to align with agricultural zoning.
  • The project would be phased, with an initial focus on tournament-capable fields to generate revenue. Estimated stadium cost: $80 million (5,000 seats). Additional funding via grants, sponsorships, and private investment.
  • The land is currently owned by a Japanese entity; a new buyer is in escrow for the combined Kamehameha Golf Club and Kahili course. The buyer has expressed willingness to allow use of the Kahili portion for the campus.
  • Presenters stated they are not requesting approvals or funding at this stage, but seek guidance on alignment with county priorities and community needs.
  • Council members raised concerns about land use permanence (special use permit vs. rezoning), water availability, community outreach, and potential conflicts with agricultural rights. Diaz noted they have consulted with professionals but intend to conduct broader community engagement.

The item was deferred without objection.

Key Outcomes

  • Both agenda items were deferred by consensus (no objections) with no votes taken.
  • No requests for funding or approvals were made; the committee noted the presentations as informational and open for future discussion.
  • The meeting adjourned at 11:21 AM.

Meeting Transcript

Aloha Kakayaka and welcome to the WhatsApp committee meeting of Monday, June first, twenty twenty-six. It is nine oh seven. Happy Vayune. I'm Shane Senensi, your committee chair. Mahalo members for taking the time to attend this meeting. And just as a reminder for members of the public, silence our cell phones and or any noise-making devices. Members in accordance with the sunshine law. And there's nobody in my workspace with me. Thank you. Thank you for joining us. Also joining us online is Councilmember Nohe Wu Hudgins. Aloha and good morning. Aloha chair. Good morning, everyone. I'm at my private residence. I do have it's summer time, so I have a couple kids running around the house. But I'm alone in my dining room that will function as my workspace for today. Thank you. Thanks for joining us this morning. Also from Corporation Council, we have Deputy Corporation Council Yukari Murakami. Hello and good morning. Good morning, Chair. Also, we have uh a whole list of what's upcommittee staff. Thank you for for running this meeting this morning and welcome. Members, we have two items on today's agenda, mental health crisis intervention, prevention, and support for youth in Maui County. WhatsApp 1 parent 19, and our second item overview of a proposed community resilience and youth uh development campus, WhatsApp 1 parent 20. Members without objection for WhatsApp 1 parent 19. I'll designate Ms. Danielle Burr Bergen from Mental Health Trainer and Community Affairs Consultant, uh Youth Line Hawaii. Also with her, we have Kelsey Lori and Ashley Tone were also welcome. Um as uh all resources under Rule 18A of the rules of the council because of their expertise on youth line and its operations. Uh for WhatsApp 1 parent 20 without objection, I'll designate the following as resources under Rule 18A because of their expertise on the proposed community resilience and uh youth development campus, uh built-in Baba uh to Bodo uh senior president for Koupa Enterprises and Mike Diaz, representative of the Hoelina Group LLC. We got that. Thanks for coming, gentlemen. Um staff, do we have any testimony this morning? Sure, no one has indicated that they would like to testify at the beginning of the meeting. Okay, great. And just let me know, and then if anybody comes on and then I'll read the um the testimony log. Okay, let's go straight to our first item members, WhatsApp 1 parent 19. Members, our first item is mental health crisis intervention and support for youth in Maui County. Members, last month was Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to highlight the importance of mental wellness, reduce stigma, and connect people with support. However, our discussions within this committee have made it clear that mental health is an issue we must prioritize year-round. In our committee meeting on the Maui Wildfire Exposure Study on July 21st, 2025. We heard how youth in particular are in urgent need of greater mental health support. Today we've invited representatives from Youth Line Hawaii to join us and share how they're supporting youth across the county and across the state. They plan to present on uh their particular services that they provide. Excuse me, including their peer-to-peer uh mental health support and crisis line. Um I'd like to turn the floor over to Miss Bergen for her presentation. Thanks for being here. Thank you, Chair Senisi.

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