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TAI: I believe I said that already. I told you. Whatever what was identified in the January 281'
<br />letter, which I just received, once I get the explanation
<br />RAFFIPIY: Is that a "yes" Mr. Tai?
<br />TAI: That's a yes. I believe I said yeah four times already.
<br />RAFFIPIY: Thank you.
<br />AGUINALDO: Mr. Chair, I have a quick question for him, a quick one. Mr. Tai, you gotta look
<br />back and think what got you here, okay? You really gotta look. My question to you, when the
<br />time of purchase of your property, how much time have you spent on your property to get this
<br />far? Ironically, we can all say, oh I don't know what tree to cut. We gotta put some common
<br />sense in it. You're surrounded by a residential neighborhood. If you feel it was unsafe,
<br />shouldn't you have hired an arborist because you don't know trees at that time to prevent all this,
<br />and the question was asked by one of my Commissioners, are you going to pursue in building
<br />this out. And, you know, over here is all residents, live here in Hilo, wherever the live, and they
<br />fear for like oh, it's going to be on sale, who going do `em now? What going happen? So, to
<br />me, with that honor in your heart that you wanted to do a development, you should hang onto
<br />this property until you cannot. When you put things on the market, it's like you're letting it go.
<br />If you need partners, you gotta seek partners, but to get you this far, Mr. Tai, obviously, for me,
<br />you haven't spent enough time on this property to really look and assess encroaching trees going
<br />over somebody else's property. That's what got you here in my honest opinion, because the
<br />surrounding, you know, neighbors, maybe there's leaves flying in their gutter. Clogging their
<br />gutter. I don't know. It's only based on assumption, but my question to you, how much time
<br />have you spent on this property or maintaining your property, because you are surrounded by
<br />neighbors? That's my question.
<br />TAI: Okay, I think I can answer the question. It is just common sense to me. Yes, I own the
<br />property. I don't live here, and I know very little about trees. I see trees, okay, I like the trees.
<br />They are tall trees. I love tall trees. Now, the only way I know that these trees are presenting
<br />problems to the neighbors, if they inform me or if the trees actually damage their property, all
<br />right? Otherwise, I wouldn't know. So far, only two neighbors is in contact with me, Ann and
<br />Charlene. No one else. Now, if no one told me, how would I know? You said how much time I
<br />spend on the property? Not much, but even if I spend time, I wouldn't know, because I don't
<br />know about trees. If there are complaints, I would know, okay? So far, there's two situations,
<br />two neighbors contacted me. There's one case, I forgot the name again, the tree actually
<br />damaged one of the shacks that I informed the State Farm to repair. And, this is the question
<br />here, too. They said causing damage to dwelling; then if there is damage, why couldn't they file
<br />a claim? I have been urging Ann and Charlene to talk to the insurance company and so that we
<br />can work my insurance company, file claim, we get it done. We pay insurance, right? And, you
<br />want insurance companies to take care of these things, but to answer your question, yes, I didn't
<br />spend a lot of time there, and I didn't know anything about, anything about trees, but I would
<br />know if someone tells me so.
<br />RAFFIPIY: Thank you. Any other questions?
<br />EXHIBIT A
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