2009-07-01 THI JOHNS - Laserfiche WebLink

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at farmers’ markets, in nurseries, on taro patches, inside macadamia nut farms when pickers are there. It services the charter schools and the park at Waipio, you know, the beach at Waipio, with four-wheel drive that he adapted just to be able to make that service. He’s probably the largest County provider at the beach parks around the County of toilet operations. So from an agricultural perspective he is a partner in agricultural businesses and does that on an on-going basis. So I just want to build that bridge to the agricultural industry which he indeed is and has been for the whole time of his business. So I’ll leave it at that; and I look forward to your questions. WOODWARD: Thank you. Any questions for the applicant or Mr. Melrose? Commissioner Domingo. DOMINGO: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Melrose. With regards to the support and/or negative reactions from the community, I see that there are three letters submitted this morning by people who live or are adjacent to the property or abutting the property, and that from the every day perspective as they look and drive by they see the so-call operation every day -- and they have, in that way and with that ability to see the operation they’ve even submitted letters of support for him, for the applicant. And I saw across the street also to which Mr. Tim Mann is present, and I think he would be also presenting verbal support for this issue. And another item that I thought I’d just bring up with you is the fact that in their letter of denial, you know, “The approval to allow a portable toilets storage baseyard on this property would result in the conversion of land identified as Prime Agricultural Land to an irreversible non- agricultural use, which would be against the State Land Use Law and Regulations, which are intended to preserve….” Now as you made it clear this is perhaps short term or just a place for storage, and nothing is to be built or put there that would render this property in a different designation as prime agricultural land. It’s just something that they put there, and tomorrow or next week they can take it away, and it will still be prime agricultural land for that particular use. So it doesn’t take anything away from this designation. Am I correct? MELROSE: Yes. DOMINGO: Okay, thank you. Because I see that even some, in some other applications with regards to cellular towers that, you know, they’re established on prime agricultural land with Soil Category C rating, of course this is B. But when you consider the entire Hamakua and the availability of agricultural lands for that purpose, you know, there’s so much land; and this is only 1., 1.5, 1.6 acres. WOODWARD: All right. Commissioner Ogata. OGATA: I just have a question on the time period. So I know you mentioned that this is, or that you’re thinking that this is going to be a temporary storage facility until, I guess, or baseyard facility until the Hamakua Plan CDP comes out and you can figure out if there might be other more well suited industrial zoned areas, I guess, that -. Is that the intent then to -? MELROSE: Well, let me just state that a little more clearly. I think what we’re saying 6 EXHIBIT A