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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 4h. 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 inspectors 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 9h that I would come over 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 9h. 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. So, I went home.
<br />Now, that was in December 9h. 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 on the 13' 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 24h, 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 9h. So, on the 26h, 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 />EXHIBIT A
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