2008-05-08 TPUNAcdp - Laserfiche WebLink

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work, it costs a lot of money now to put them up. Not too many people can afford them. They’re going to move to Puna. They’re going to buy pre-existing lots and build their homes because that’s where they can afford it. I think it would be nice if the village centers were larger, you know, not just because we do building or developing but because I think they’re going to need it later on. It’s going to have to be large. And one of the problems that we’re going to see is a lot of these centers are plopped in the middle of a bunch of lots with different owners. And how you get each of these owners to sell their property to do this development or make this project come together is going to be tough, you know, you might get a few of them. But then the next guy will see it as his property is worth a lot of money because of what’s going on around him, and I think it probably won’t happen; and it’ll be sad because it will prevent all these developments that will bring jobs to this community and keep the guys within the community. I’ve got to say that I was also on that community board that W.H. Shipman had put together. They brought in a bunch of community leaders and did a planning for the land that they own. And one of the good things that I thought about was that Shipman had already owned this property. They own a big enough chunk to do what they wanted to do with their land versus a bunch of different lot owners that are going to end up arguing over a different development. And there was a lot of planning, a lot of thinking, a lot of, it was a fair process, I thought, that went into this. And I thought it was a good chance to bring in businesses, to bring in the type of walking community that would have been nice for the area and also provide surrounding housing that would keep a lot of our local people on this island. For me it’s sad because I look at my kids, and they’re getting older and they’re not going to be able to find good paying jobs by the time they graduate college and come back to Hawaii. They’re going to end up moving to the mainland, and I’m going to have to move to the mainland to be by my grandkids. And it’s sad because we see a lot of the local people are moving over to Vegas, Oregon, all over the place to get jobs. A lot of retirees are moving in here to retire. And, you know, if you ask a lot of the local guys, they don’t come to these meetings but I’m pretty sure they’re for this development. They want the jobs, they want things nearby and they want to be able to raise their families here. In closing, I just want to say, you know, I hope you guys consider these things before passing this or recommending your approval. Thank you. WATANABE: Thank you. I’m almost afraid to ask. Do we have any questions for Mr. Yamada? Do we move on? Thank you, Mr. Yamada. By the way, I do remember that incident with the subdivision. Mr. Fukumoto, name and address, please and then you may provide your testimony. FUKUMOTO: Good evening. I’m David Fukujmoto. I’m the president of Fuku Bonsai in Kurtistown. I moved here in 1973. I formed the first certified export nursery; and the certified export nursery now is a thriving industry that a few years ago had a larger gross income than Puna Sugar ever did. And so I’m very, very proud of being the father of a major new export industry. Right now we are working on an aquaculture industry that will also be exported. And I think that if you’ve been to Kurtistown lately 21