Question: Whatever happened to the historic Lihue Sugar Mill and Kekaha Sugar Mill on Kauai that are slated to be demolished?

Answer: Contractors are almost done with asbestos-removal work at the Lihue mill. Lynn McCrory, president of PAHIO Development Inc., which owns both mills, said asbestos work is about 98 percent complete. Boilers ridden with the toxic material have yet to cleared.

Work to remove asbestos is expected to be finished by the end of June.

So far, contractors removed about 88 tons of material containing asbestos. The material is being taken to a facility on Oahu for proper disposal.

The NCM Contracting Group started the removal work at the Lihue mill in January. Work to demolish the structure will start in July and is expected to be completed in three months, McCrory said.

Salvageable material from the dilapidated mill, such as steel and concrete, will be recycled and used on Kauai and elsewhere, she said.

Community meetings have been held to keep area residents informed of the work being done. Updates are also posted at www.sterlingsystems.biz/hawaii.html.

At the Kekaha mill, asbestos removal work is scheduled to start in the second week of July. The structure is expected to be torn down by the end of the year, McCrory said.

Generations of families worked at the mills when sugar was the center of island’s economy. Sugar cane sprouted plantation communities with homes, schools, hospitals and mom-and-pop stores.

Since the closure of both Lihue and Kekaha mills in November 2000, the abandoned structures have deteriorated, been defaced with vandalism and occupied by the homeless. Because of the mills’ condition, McCrory has said the only solution was to tear them down.

There are no planned developments for the two sites once demolition is completed, McCrory said.

In 1849, the Lihue mill was built in the valley of Nawiliwili Stream where water power was used to operate mill rollers brought from China, according to the Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association Plantation Archives. Its first crop produced 108 tons of sugar and 25,847 gallons of molasses.  

More than 80 years later, Lihue mill merged with Makee mill after the Lihue Plantation Co. acquired the Makee Sugar Co. Following World War II, productivity surged following the return of veterans, which led to a record harvest of 59,417 tons of sugar in 1947, according to the archives.

In 1880, the first crop for Kekaha Sugar was harvested, leading to the birth of the Kekaha mill. Almost 1,000 people were employed at the plantation.

Improved techniques in cultivation such as advances in steam generation resulted in high sugar productivity, according to HSPA. In 1983, the mill produced 54,819 tons of sugar compared to 1,000 tons of sugar produced in 1883.

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This update was written by Rosemarie Bernardo. Suggest a topic for “Whatever Happened To…” by writing Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210, Honolulu 96813; call 529-4747; or email cityeditors@staradvertiser.com.