2009-07-01 THI JOHNS - Laserfiche WebLink

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we do have -. Thank you, gentlemen, if you would be seated. We do have one person signed up to testify from the public, Tim Mann. Good morning, Mr. Mann. If you’ll raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth today before the Windward Planning Commission? MANN: I do. WOODWARD: Very good. If you’ll give us your name and address, and then you may proceed. MANN: Aloha, Members of the Committee. My name is Tim Mann. My home is at 44-2321 Middle Road, Honokaa, Hawaii 96727. I’m a farmer and a small business owner for the last 33 years in Hawaii. My two businesses were tied to the construction industry and crashed; and the farm saved our butts. The farm is currently employing 5 people right now. I have a farm right across the highway from Hawaii Johns. I’ve known John for almost 25 years. I’ve been a neighbor across the street from him for 5 years. I know all the neighbors in the area fairly intimately, and I have never heard a negative comment about him personally or about his business operation. And we’ve never smelled anything, that’s the most important thing. His operation is quiet, clean, it provides a necessary service to the community at a reasonable cost. I personally feel it’s in keeping with the agricultural zoning of the area. One of the things Mr. Cummings’ representative noted is that there’s little or no selection of available commercial property in the area. I’ve also looked for commercial sites for a business venture of mine and I found nothing closer than Kawaihae or Hilo. This unreasonably burdens the possibility of business operations in this area. My personal feeling is that this is a business that benefit the residents, benefits the community, is an asset to the community, and it is something that’s, it deserves to continue. On the other side of that, within three quarters of a mile of this area I know of two small sawmills, two furniture manufacturing businesses, a motorcycle shop, an auto paint shop, a machine shop, several contractors who store their equipment, two small trucking companies. These are all located on ag zoned properties; and none of them to the best of my knowledge has a special use permit. However, all these businesses in the aggregate probably employ somewhere between 30 to 45 people, full-time and part-time. Now I don’t know how it is in Hilo but we’ve been hit really hard in Hamakua. And anything we can do to conserve jobs, to help keep our community intact, keep the families together is, I mean, you’ve seen me, you know -. I’m employing people partially to give them work, not because we have the money to do so; and we’re right on the edge ourselves. So thank you for your consideration of John’s permit. WOODWARD: Thank you, Mr. Mann. Any questions or comments for Mr. Mann? All right, seeing none, you may be seated, sir. Is there any further discussion? Commissioner Kern. KERN: Yes, comment. I’ve been a customer of Hawaii Johns, my construction company, for about 5 years. I want to state that for the record. We never even met, but I do business with them. I have no interest in their business whatsoever. They run a good business, 8 EXHIBIT A