PD BACKGROUND REPORT (PL-SPP-2022-015)

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STATEMENT FROM THE APPLICANT It all started when I had my first child. I, myself, started to play tennis from age 7 with unbelievable experiences throughout my entire junior years. I wanted my son to love the game of tennis. I also dreamed of having my own court as a child. Many of my peers, friends and competitors, had tennis courts at their homes. I always felt it was a huge advantage and just awesome to have your own court. It made a lot of sense to me since my wife (ex-wife now), mom, two brothers, niece, sister-in-law and a bunch of cousins all played tennis regularly. I built the court when I was a school teacher and started playing all the time with my family. I started working with friends and their families and pretty soon, I found that I not only loved playing tennis, but also loved coaching tennis. Although I had my Masters degree in education, I decided to leave teaching and teach tennis full time. I have worked with thousands of players from juniors all the way to senior citizens though all these years. I worked with the community, the University of Hawaii at Hilo, the Hilo Junior Tennis Club, East Hawaii District Tennis Association, Hui Kako'o Kenika and high school tennis. I, voluntarily, led at least 25 fundraisers through the years for various causes, including four huge fundraising events for those in the tennis community who were seriously ill. I love giving back to the community that treats me so well and gave me the opportunity to coach them or their child/children. Many juniors and adults in my program have been to National events and have gained invaluable experiences. The adults have been to places in Florida, Arizona, California, and Nevada to play tennis. Some of the juniors in my program have won State High School tennis championships or have placed in the top four; many received full or partial scholarships at colleges including Division I schools. Coming up to my property for tennis lessons has given many youngsters a safe and engaging place to be at after school. A few years ago, I introduced pickle ball as it was gaining in popularity among young and old alike, and I decided to incorporate it into my program. I had senior players and many retirees (some into their eighties) come and play at no charge. This was very well attended. However, due to complaints I received about traffic and noise, I stopped this, much to their disappointment, especially for those who had no other activity. I am currently looking at what I can do to surround as much of my court as possible to serve as a sound barrier. I have been, and am still trying my best to be a good neighbor and member of our community. To address concerns about the hours of my tennis lessons, I now end all lessons a couple of hours earlier than previously. I have already started to stagger my classes. For example, some classes may end at 4:15pm, and the next class start at 4:30pm. 2Page