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doing a letter, I instructed the arborist that I selected to do a full-blown analysis, risk analysis on
<br /> each of the trees that are being tagged, not just a letter. Now and also, I instructed the arborist to
<br /> take care of all the trees he identified which is from zero to 50, I mean 51 trees. So, I'm doing
<br /> more than what I, the option that I'm choosing. If I chose, I did choose the second option. All it
<br /> says is to go do the letter, right? It said in lieu of removal. If I have to remove, it belonged to
<br /> the first option,but here, and I assure the Commission, although I selected number two, instead
<br /> of just writing a letter, I have a full-blown detailed analysis on each tree and also I'm doing
<br /> option number one even though I'm not required to. So, all of these been proven, I already
<br /> signed contract. In fact, the first part was completed two days ago, February 4th. Now, if the
<br /> Public Works Department have offered me the kind of cooperation that I hoped for, that I
<br /> expected, this item would not be on the list today.
<br /> Let me explain. I did not delay any of these procedures as mentioned, and I can go through the
<br /> dates, but I don't think I want to belabor the Commission on that. The fact is, I told the Public
<br /> Works Department. Because the report, the survey that done by the iinspectors is not sufficient,
<br /> and the arborist actually went through every tree being tagged, right, and I explained to the
<br /> Public Works Department it's very, very important that I should be there when the inspector tags
<br /> the trees because they're various trees, right? I don't know how many trees. Very important.
<br /> So, it was scheduled on December 91h that I would come aver'and meet with one'of the two
<br /> inspectors. In fact, I was expecting to meet the first inspector, which is the Inspector Saplan,
<br /> okay, at 10:45, December 9th. You know, in the morning, I had to fight the traffic on the H-1 in
<br /> Honolulu, 7 o'clock, get to the airport, fly over here. I arrived at the site at 10:35, then I was told
<br /> no show. No inspector was showing up. The Inspector Saplan was not supposed to work on
<br /> Monday anyway. It was a Monday. I wasn't told. And, then the other inspector was busy. He
<br /> cannot show up. So, I came all the way from Honolulu and was standing there. Nobody showed
<br /> up. Now, if, any of the-inspectors had showed up on that particular day, I would have known
<br /> exactly which tree is being tagged. In fact, on the same day, I made three appointments with
<br /> three arborists. I had to cancel them. Sa, I went home.
<br /> Now, that was in December,9th. If that didn't happen,if the inspectors showed up, all the work
<br /> that I'm describing here would have been done by now. Now, I expressed to the staff of the
<br /> Public Works Department it is awfully important that I have to be there when they tag the trees
<br /> because there are;so many trees there. I have to be the one to show the arborist which tree is
<br /> being tagged.
<br /> So, I received an email from the staff on about December 14 or 15. She said the trees been
<br /> tagged by Inspector Saplan orf the 13th of December. I said, "How come? I wanted to be there.
<br /> You cannot just tag the trees because they are hard to find." So, finally she agreed that I would
<br /> meet with the inspector to see exactly which trees are being tagged. Because of the holiday after
<br /> mid-December, with Christmas coming up, I tried to get together on the 24th, the day before
<br /> Christmas. It didn't happen. So, finally, an appointment was made on December 26, which is
<br /> almost 20 days later, right—from December 91h. So, on the 26th, I show up, and Mr. Visaya, I
<br /> think his name was Visaya name, yeah, appear—he has not been to the site before as far as I
<br /> know, the first time, okay? Then we finally found about 35 trees or maybe 36 trees tagged by
<br /> the previous Inspector Saplan. And, yet, on the spot, he added a few more. I said, "why these
<br /> trees?" I don't think he even know the name of those trees, okay? He said, "Oh, they are tall."
<br /> DRAFT
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