SPP-21-000227 9.3.2021 J. WESTLUND TESTIMONY

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Dr. Jaime Westlund COH PLANNING DEPT 75-5923 Kakalina Street SEP 10 2021 k7:17 Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 REM, ET HAIL Sep. 3,2021 County of Hawaii Leeward Planning Commission 101 Pauahi Street Hilo, HI 96720 Dear Mr. Chair Vitousek and Members of the Leeward Planning Commission: I'm writing to you on my own behalf and as a member of the Kailua-Kona community to express my support for Special Permit No. 21-000227, submitted by Kona Aerials Gymnastic Team Inc. requesting to permit the operation of a youth gymnastic and sport fitness facility on Hualalai Road in Kailua-Kona. Kona Aerials Gymnastics Inc. (KAG) is a non-profit organization that has served West Hawaii athletes for decades and is the only gymnastics training facility in Kailua-Kona. Their programs offer Big Island youth the opportunity to participate in an array of activities designed to advance physical and emotional skills as well as promote leadership skills, self-confidence, teamwork, and physical coordination.The proposed Special Permit will allow KAG to continue to provide a vital space for athletes and youth to train and further develop their skills,potentially enabling some participants to compete nationally and seek college scholarship opportunities. In addition to providing a healthy, fun and enriching environment for our keiki, KAG,through their partnership with Nakuwana Foundation, another Hawaii Nonprofit Corporation, the facility also provides adult fitness, strength and conditioning facilities to the community.The combined services offered by these two nonprofits promote a consistent,healthy and active lifestyle for community members of all ages while providing a positive source of much needed recreational activity to West Hawaii. I ask that you please vote to approve Special Permit No. 21-000227 so that our community can continue to enjoy the many benefits that Kona Aerials Gymnastics and the Nakuwana Foundation provide. It saddens me greatly that activities that help instill hard work,teamwork, and confidence in our local youth are under attack based on"special permits." Everything in everyone's power should be done to ensure that our youth on this island have opportunities and a better future. Frequently, I get asked by patients if I "plan on staying"on this island because they recognize the instability of medical professionals that typically leave the island,on an island that is already so very underserved by the number of providers that we have. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to live here and stay here because of the inability to get anything done, like a youth gymnastics gym fighting tooth and nail to keep the doors open over a"special permit." If you choose to not