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growing up in Hilo and, you know, sometimes I forget, and actually it has been a long time since
<br />I've gotten to walk in that area. It was such a beautiful day, and we got to really appreciate the
<br />views of Downtown Hilo. My children enjoyed it too. And when I heard about this project, I
<br />know it has been going on for quite a while, it just -. That walk reminded me of how it really
<br />can be the same kind of experience that will benefit both families, community, and the visitor
<br />industry in the Bayfront, with the ability to walk along and enjoy the Bayfront area, you know, at
<br />a time when so many suffer from inactivity and obesity. There is a lot of discussion about that.
<br />And I agree with Miles Yoshioka who says maybe, maybe some of us, you know, even I can
<br />start walking a little more with, with trails like this. Our 1 ½ year old, my youngest daughter,
<br />has just discovered, she has been walking for a few months, but she has really started to enjoy
<br />walking. And you know, anytime I walk close to the door, I get close the door, even if I’m going
<br />to go off to work, she starts running close to the door and says “walk, walk,” cause she wants to
<br />go for a walk. You know, I want to encourage that, and I want to encourage the trail. And thank
<br />you for your time.
<br />KERN: Thank you very much. Any questions from Fellow Commissioners? Seeing none,
<br />thank you. Tom Yeh, name and address, and you may begin.
<br />YEH: Yes, 85 West Lanikaula Street, Hilo, Hawai‘i. Good morning, Mr. Chairman and
<br />Members of the Commission. I am actually here representing myself today, which is a little
<br />unusual, but also as a friend of Malama Kaipalaoa where we have done some work in improving
<br />some of the locations near the lighthouse. A lot of the things that, you know, I wanted to say
<br />have been said already, but I'll give you an example. About five years ago, I became pretty ill
<br />and in order to strengthen myself I took to walking. And the place to walk was really around the
<br />Liliuokalani Park site. But it got a little old because it was a circle, you'd see the same faces.
<br />And so this project here is really good not only for tourists but really also for the residents. And
<br />it will provide this connectivity between the various locations that we have.
<br />One of the examples of how bike paths and walking paths can really help strengthen the
<br />community is like in Portland, Oregon. They are really big on this kind of green kind of
<br />projects. What I found that when I visited last is in the smaller neighborhoods where you has
<br />these biking locations, the smaller businesses actually thrive. Because instead of people getting
<br />out of their cars to go down to the big shop, they could just walk down or bike down to the
<br />restaurant or the shop that was there. And so those kinds of places and those residences actually
<br />thrived. We're also looking at an unstated benefit, which is the value that this kind of thing can
<br />create for the residents that are in the neighborhood, because it makes the area more vibrant, you
<br />feel safer, more people are around, and you have this connectivity and synergy that is going on
<br />both within the neighborhood as well as the businesses. So, you know, I think Hilo just got a
<br />reputation, I think, for being the unhealthiest location either in the state or elsewhere. We can
<br />really change that and really polish our image here in Hilo by creating what we have here. So,
<br />you know, there are probably going to you a few bugs in the system that we have to work out.
<br />The funding is not there yet. But unless we have a plan, we will never implement it. So thank
<br />you. I hope you approve it.
<br />KERN: Thank you. Any questions from Fellow Commissioners? Seeing none, thank you very
<br />much. Bob Duerr?
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