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market longer than anybody else in this room. You might have been there as long as we -- but I <br />was there in the early stages when we used to flag people down -- Mike, we call him Mike, not <br />Richard -. But we used to waive at people, locals, to stop to buy our stuff in the old days. And <br />we still have a stall there. And I intimately know the area because we’ve renovated a major <br />property very nearby and it was the dump. This is a vacant piece of land. There’s not much else <br />you can do with it; and you can’t renovate it. And I really admire Keith’s, you know, taking this, <br />I mean, it’s a risk. It’s a financial risk. But I think what he’s doing is very important for Hilo. <br />I’ve watched over the years the difference that the market has made from its very beginning in <br />Hilo, and not only just the businesses Downtown.But a lot of the people that are at the market <br />are selling other people’s products as well.It has a huge effect on the economy of this <br />community and elsewhere. And I don’t think for a moment that Keith is going to take a chance <br />with raising prices to the point where vendors are not going to be there. I know we’ll be there. <br />You know, we used to have the little café across the street, as a matter of fact. And we served <br />only what we grew from our farm, which wasn’t of course Downtown at the time. But we <br />worked with many, many, many other growers to produce our products. And I think it’s a very <br />important part; and I really thank Keith for doing this. It’s very important to the fiber of our <br />community. And as a DIA Member, as a former Envision Keeper, I’m committed to Downtown <br />and I’m committed to this project. Thank you for your time. Any questions? <br />WATANABE: Thank you. Do we have -? <br />BOWMAN: Yes. <br />WATANABE: Yes. <br />BOWMAN: I have a question for Mr. Davis. Since you live Downtown what is your, <br />do you have any comment about the three stories versus the two? Thank you. <br />DAVIS: Well, I’m also a businessman and a landowner and I know that what he <br />needs to do is to be able to afford to put concrete floors. I know that when it rains hard that <br />gravel is really hard to clean. The markets everywhere else we can shoot down with a hose, <br />concrete floors. But there doesn’t seem to be any other way than to do a real building, and a real <br />building costs money. And so I really don’t have an objection as long as -. I mean, I think there <br />needs to be sensitivity, and I think that this builder, this owner, is sensitive to restrictions. I <br />mean sure it would be great if it was exactly the same height as the adjoining buildings, which is <br />sort of part of the Hata complex there on the front street, Kamehameha Avenue. But I think that <br />the reality is that, you know, I don’t see how somebody can, you know, make it work, just -. I <br />mean, to me the best possible use for that space is a market, either that or a parking lot, you <br />know. And a parking lot would never produce the income nor the benefit to the community as <br />the market would produce. And so I’m willing to give a little bit to see that the community <br />benefits from this man’s investment. <br />BOWMAN: So you’re in favor of the three stories, is that it -? <br />DAVIS: Well, -. <br />BOWMAN: If need be economically? <br /> EXHIBIT B 17 <br /> <br /> <br />