2008-05-22 TLELAH - Laserfiche WebLink

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WATANABE: Thank you. Do we have any questions? Okay. Jeff Mermel. Did I pronounce that properly? MERMEL: Yes, thank you. Good morning, Commissioners. My name is Jeffrey Mermel. And many of you know me as a small business owner in Hilo; many of you know me as president of the Volcano Community Association. By the way, my address, Box 342, Volcano. What you don’t know is that I’m also trained as a psychologist. I have a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree from Berkeley and San Jose State. And I only say that because I have had occasion to visit Dr. Lelah in relation to my retail business. I’d like to ask each Commissioner where do you go to find peace, solitude to get restored from this crazy world we live in. Well, luckily, for this side of the Island, Dr. Lelah has created that space in Kaloko. It’s not -, the type of work he does and where you can get restored and renewed and calmed to look at what’s going on with you and your children cannot happen in downtown Kailua. He’s created this in a residential neighborhood, true. However, he has very heartfelt work at healing the relations with his neighbors. They reached agreements. I think what he rally works for is harmony with the children and the adults in the children’s lives and currently his work at harmony in this neighborhood. I would encourage you to approve his application. Thank you. WATANABE: Do we have any further questions? No? Okay, thank you. You may be seated. I think I’m calling up the last three: Tamara Gouveia, Lelah – it’s Lelah S, Denisha Soto-, no, I’m sorry, Denisha. Okay, would you raise your right hand, so I can swear you in, please. Okay. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth now before the Planning Commission? TESTIFIERS: I do. WATANABE: Thank you. Then maybe we can begin with you, Denisha. State your name and address, please. SOTOMAYOR: Hi, my name is Denisha Sotomayor. I live in 75-6060 Kuakini Highway, Apartment F-3, Kailua-Kona. And I’m here on behalf of my son, not really myself because I’m not in therapy with Dr. Lelah. He is four years old; he’s actually in the back right now over there. And the reason why I’m here -, first of all, my voice is trembling cause I’m kind of nervous to sit here in front of you guys and tell you all this. But saying that also I think it was very brave of the two children that sat here a little while ago; I don’t think at that age I would have been able to sit here in front of everyone and state to everyone that I have a problem and how this wonderful person is helping out. We’ve been going to Dr. Lelah since last October. It’s for reasons of my son; he has some actions that we weren’t able to explain – it’s our first child. So we sought help of him. He was highly recommended. And first time we actually went up there – it’s about a 20-minute drive up a hill – and me and my husband, I remember we were complaining, cause, oh, my God, the car is going to stop for all this. A couple of months later, I couldn’t wait for Tuesdays to actually go up a hill and make my car suffer, because I was looking at what my son was doing after every visit with Dr. Lelah. We were experimenting at home the peace that we experimented up there, which was -, we really didn’t have that before. We had a really ruckus three-year old when we EXHIBIT A 20