SAVING THE WAIALUA SUGAR BUILDING UPDATE
By Antya Miller, President
....
Finally, the greatest news is that on June 20th, Mayor Blangiardi came to visit us.
We had met with the Managing Director Mike Formby and Councilman Matt
Weyer a couple of times. The Mayor decided this is a worthy project and we are
now working with Director Krucky of Community Services to fund the possible
purchase of the building. Ownership would enable us to obtain grants to
rehabilitate the deteriorating structure that would not be available otherwise. We
are amazed and excited at how quickly this came about, but there are still
challenges that must be overcome.
On his visit, Mayor Blangiardi sat with us on the restored pair of pickup
truck benches that face each other, just outside our office (see photo). He
remarked “How it must have felt to sit like this, every day, going to the fields, to
‘bust your ‘ōkole all day.’ Then he quipped that, at age 77, he has ‘GSD.’ We
asked, what’s that? He said ‘Get Stuff Done!’ That’s what he wants to do, just
‘Get Stuff Done.’
Mahalo to our 2024 Board of Directors including Julie Patacchia, Museum
Chair, Margaret Sagaysay, Membership & Programs Chair, and Cy Yamanoha,
Marketing & Communications Chair. Also on our Board are Keith Awai, Vice
President, Evelyn Kaneshige, Secretary, Boyd Ready, Treasurer, and myself. We
will be updating you soon on upcoming workshops and activities.
For more information about the Historical Society go to
or contact Antya Miller at 808-342-8557 to schedule a Hale‘iwa or Waialua historical walking
tour.
Mike Formby, managing director, in the Society's restored Waialua Plantation Manager's office, showing Mayor Blangiardi (foreground) some of the historic photos on display.
Notably, when Mayor Blangiardi arrived, HE had lei for President Antya Miller, and they were the same flowers as these fresh puakenikeni from Johnette Wicker that Antya had for him!
Mayor Blangiardi, foreground, appreciating the situation of a worker heading to the fields in the back of a foreman's pickup. This is where he made his "I've got 'GSD' quip (Get Stuff Done).
Others, right to left: Director Margaret Sagaysay, volunteer Larry Sagaysay, President Antya Miller, and Historian/Treasurer Boyd Ready.
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