2021-11-04 Windward Exh B (Public Testimony re SPP 12-138)

Home

REPLOGLE: Okay, what I'm going to suggest is, we will take a five-minute recess if you will, and you can log out and log back in again and see if that helps your microphone. Is that okay with you? GOMES: Acknowledged by nodding his head. REPLOGLE: Okay, if no one has any objections,we will take a five-minute recess here, we need to be back at 9:36. Okay, see you then. Chairman Replogle called a recess at 9:31 a.m. and called the meeting back to order at 9:36 a.In. REPLOGLE: Okay, Mr. Gomes please continue. GOMES: Good morning, thank you for giving me a break and for allowing me to testify. I'm Jeff Gomes, I live in Kaumana. I'm testifying on the Connections application to build a school directly on top of Kaumana caves. I'd like to first address Ted Hong's latest complaint about me where he mentions the systemic wave of violence emanating from the school that's pouring out into the community. He tries to spin it like members of the community are climbing over their locked fence and attacking the employee at the school. But actually, what happened when I talked to the officer and what my wife saw the latest fight occurred in front of the school came all the way down the street right in front of my driveway. When I talked to the officer about what happened, he said they were fighting over a chicken. There are hundreds of chickens, you don't have to fight over chickens, help yourself, everybody come get a chicken. The lesson there should not be if you see someone walking with the chicken, run out and attack them and get the chicken from them. Be kind. This violence is unnecessary, and Ted Hong is right, the violence needs to stop. But it's not the community members attacking people on the campus it's coming out of the campus onto the street. If you look at all the evidence of violence that has occurred during this process, the one where John Thatcher's son attacks him and he has to call the police to arrest his own son for beating him up, it's unfortunate. We don't know why that happened but, it did. It's in the record and it's a sad thing but violence should not be tolerated and instead of having this style of fighting, stop, get counseling. Hire a counselor, counsel the students and the staff and everybody, talk it out first. Hire a counselor but, oh wait a minute, the school does have a counselor. Some Gary Replogle. He testified in 2012. He's a counselor at the high school. He's from Ka`u. Is that a family member? Possibly? REPLOGLE: Just for the record, all Replogle's is related but I don't know them all. GOMES: Okay and so the perception. REPLOGLE: I can't help it. GOMES: Yeah, so hopefully I'm wrong but, it looks like a Replogle on the Commission voted for a Replogle that works at the school. But thank you, you don't know him I'll accept that. 5 EXHIBIT B