COM 0466.001 1996-1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

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PO Box 605 Volcano, Hawaii ';;7 15 ~ , _ 96785 Sunday, 14 Septemt(~ 1997 Councilman John Santangelo COU~JI Hawaii County Council Aloha, t wish that I could be present to support the need for a covered recreational facility in Volcano. I especially regret that I cannot be there due to the fact that 1 must be in a very hot classroom in Hilo during your meeting. As a teacher, 1 see the energy levels of our youth and teenagers build up on those days when they can not get out to exercise due to inclement weather in Hilo, where it only rains a bit over 100 inches per year. In Volcano, there are few positive alternatives to capture the attention of our youth, and so many more rain days. As Facilities Director of the Volcano Community Association, I wish to ask for your support for our community in the form of a covered court. Volcano has built on the solid foundation of community spirit and County assistance that helped build the first increment of Cooper Center. As a new arrival a bit over 10 years ago, I had the privilege of working with several of the community leaders who were adding a covered lanai to our highly utilized community center. A few years later, through the work of more than a hundred volunteers, I participated in erecting the Fuhrman Firehouse, which now houses our volunteer fire department. With the volunteer efforts of many more members of the community and the on- going support of the County Parks and Recreation Department, funds have been raised internally to provide our community with an expanded parking lot, a playground and most recently the expansion and grading to provide a space for the covered facility. This combined facility, built essentially by local volunteer efforts, receives daily use from a wide cross-section of our population. For the past few years, the Volcano Community Association participated in developing a long range plan for community development. Two of the goals accepted by the VCA involve Recreation. t.~ Provide for the recreational needs of people of all ages in the Volcano area. z.> Coordinate the efforts of various resident-groups in Volcano with existing public and private providers of recreational activities. Transportation Goals include a decreased number of car trips between Volcano and other communities. tea. )Ka 516=~ >n~ xa. ~D ciP ief. 3b~ - F~- ~ SEP 1 6 1W;?