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Meet the Department Director: David Goode, Public Works

Mar 10, 2011 | Community

The Focus Maui Nui process identified the key role of government and public officials in responding to community values and needs, and the importance of open, ongoing communication. To promote the dialogue, we present the first in a series of profiles of the newly appointed County Department Directors.

David Goode, appointed in January 2011 as County of Maui’s Director of Public Works, has been here before – he served as Deputy Director of Public Works, and then Director, in the County administrations of Linda Lingle and James “Kimo” Apana between 1995 and 2002. Sandwiched between his two stints, David served as President of KSD Hawaii, one of Maui’s premier development companies. “Working in both the public and private sector has given me an excellent overall view of how things work – and how they can work better,” says Goode.

The Department consists of three divisions: Highways, Engineering, and the Development Services Administration. Its work includes road paving, designing, installing and taking care of sidewalks and drainage systems, maintaining traffic signals and signs, and managing the County’s Kalana O Maui complex in Wailuku. The Department of Public Works also oversees building and housing codes, grading and nuisance ordinances, and beautification projects. “One of our primary goals is to streamline the permit process and upgrade our codes, and help people navigate through the regulatory process” says Goode. “We also put a very high priority on responding to the public and listening to what our residents want.”

Goode has a long track record in construction project management. “I love to see things built and to play a part in making projects happen,” he says. When he’s not seeking constant improvement and efficiencies in his County role, Goode enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf, and coaching AYSO soccer. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Carden Academy, the independent school Upcountry, and serves on the State Board of Land and Natural Resources, which oversees all policy decisions for DLNR.

Lessons on Growing Food and Sustainability in our Schools

Mar 3, 2011 | Sustainability

Lehn Huff, Maui School Garden Network

Lehn Huff, Maui School Garden Network

The Maui School Garden Network that Lehn Huff created and coordinates as a community volunteer supports project-based learning for students of all ages across the County. It also serves to promote valuable information on nutrition and growing food locally. The Network is a partnership involving over 40 public and private schools (from preschool through high school) across the County and a broad alliance of entities including the County of Maui, UH-Maui College, the Nutrition and Physical Activity Coalition, Community Work Day, and others.

Lehn Huff is one of the most respected educators on Maui; she started and headed the Middle School at Seabury Hall for 20 years until her retirement in 2008. Since then, her volunteer work has focused on mentoring young educators, global education initiatives, supporting women in developing countries starting their own businesses or schools, and food and energy sustainability issues. Huff was inspired to form the Maui School Garden Network because it involved young people in learning how to take seeds, nurture them and grow them to produce food. “This empowers our students, makes them the guardians of their own nutrition, gives them physical exercise, and provides them with a living lab for project learning that integrates their curriculum: math, science, technology, social studies, and the arts,” Huff elaborates.

“It’s also about sharing information, learning about best practices, and initiating community involvement through parent workshops and volunteering.” Maui is the first County in the State to have restaurants and farms “adopting” schools and providing resources through the Network, which has developed over the last two years. “It’s exciting – sustainability and small scale gardening yielding fresh, local produce are part of a grass roots movement that’s happening on a national scale. Michelle Obama put in a garden at the White House, which helped put these issues on the national map,” adds Huff. In March 2011, a website will be launched, at http://mauischoolgardennetwork.org/.