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MASON: My English name is Melvin Mason, Jr. `O wau `o ko`u inoa Hd'Makua Ke`e'aimoku. I
<br />was born and raised in Hamakua up in Honoka`a, also raised in Waipi`o Valley, Valley of the Kings,
<br />very sacred and very beautiful place. It's a, you know, it's a blessing, you know, to actually come
<br />from there. And just because of the culture and how in that I actually grew up in it where with my
<br />kupuna, you know, being able to teach and to exert not just with farming kalo but with the culture
<br />and traditions and values and also ma ka `olelo Hawaii, with in our `olelo Hawaii, you know, the
<br />older language that I've learned, that I grew up with. And, you know, the things for me is that I
<br />understand culture and traditions and values and the `aina, the wai, ulu wai, and I've seen often, you
<br />know, if many—and I do respect, you know, other people's testimony even against it. But I am the,
<br />I am actually the CEO of Keahole Hotel and Suites LLC. I was the one who actually propositioned
<br />and proposed this to be built. A real kanaka, not a foreigner coming from America or Japan or
<br />China. I'm Hawaiian. And the reason why I did it is because _I "saw an opportunity. And I saw the
<br />opportunity that, in the respect with `aina, I'm very, much --my father is actually buried in Mauna
<br />Kea with six other kings who was on my ancestry:" "Arid the things forme with this is, you know, this
<br />testimony, which I greatly appreciate, you know;' Madam Chair and Commissioners, and for me, it's
<br />a very interesting concept because it is very cultural. And when I approached this idea and came
<br />through envision, and I had met Chauncey, you know.—honestly, I went through a lot of hoops and a
<br />lot of, a lot of red tape, black tape, purple tape, blue tape, whitetape, everything that had, even with
<br />Ethics Board, and I was actually one of the main guys who -started to develop and"direct this process
<br />but she attracted and brought some of those allies. And, actually, it also created the development.
<br />I'm the former CEO and president of Keahole FBO;I LLC, which is actually the big development
<br />with the FBO at the end. And, for me, the hotel, it's-d"very cultural -base buildout. There is a
<br />requirement to actually _buildin "this place; .aiia ma ka `olelo�-.Hawai` ,you have to actually speak,
<br />able to speak Hawaiian, read Hawaiian and write in Hawaiian:.I;wrote a curriculum actually in, in
<br />Hawaiian; it went tourism, hospitality, customer service. And I actually, he's implementing into a
<br />CTE department, the DOE: -I've already, I'm also .the CEO of Kalea Goal [phonetic], it's a drone
<br />education company, and we a:re the firstguys in history that actually put Hawaiian language in
<br />training with";"technology., And"we:are contracted, actually various schools that we do this already.
<br />My all Hopes is this, you know,everybody is always making the excuse that, you know, our kids are
<br />leaving;- I'm,,building this for kids to.stay. This is an opportunity and place to actually be able to
<br />make this�happen, because the"way this.:de-s n, you know, talked about water, I can answer that;
<br />actually, I have ,a -commitment and agreement to, with NELHA, to run on the ocean, the oceanwater.
<br />I'm also a former-; consulted also Koyo USA, brought investment money to develop the bottled
<br />water company calledMaHaLo,Water. And the thing for me with this development, being from
<br />where I'm at, is that I"'saw the=need and the want, and because people were talking about, you know,
<br />the money and it's running out,and CAFRs this and that; well, I'm the only guy who actually
<br />offered, even in the beginning" when I met Chauncey, for five acres I was willing to pay eight million
<br />dollars for 35 -year use of land. And the part that really comes down to this land is that I compare
<br />myself to the DOD; Perl Harbor, a thousand acres, people like talk about environment, go look at the
<br />USS Arizona, leaking fuels stay up today, and nobody doing nothing. Yet a thousand acres paying
<br />one dollar. Well, the offers that I put on the table is because, why I push this is because my pressing
<br />against even government are stopping to raising taxes on the people. Enough. This is an
<br />opportunity because of the taxes they are taking away from the county level, from the tourism tax.
<br />For me, it's a lease, there is a lease, going to be paying rent, and even in proposition negotiations,
<br />there'll be a percentage of earnings. My whole thing is that it's not just helping myself as a
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