2009-07-24 TPALAMANUI - Laserfiche WebLink

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that this has all changed around to fit the plan; Kailua Village Improvement District moving forward; Kona Heritage Corridor being the first scenic byway in the state; I forgot to add Hotel King Kamehameha renovation; the 50-year Billfish Tournament which is going on now; Saddle Road, another segment of Saddle Road dedicated in August; the County building the mid-level road with stimulus money; the master plan for the County Civic Center TOD has begun; Forrest City moving ahead with their TOD and affordable housing; Pelekane Watershed improvements funded with stimulus money; and, amazingly enough, a developer that is willing to invest $23,000,000 in the Kona community which will result in the first phase of a Hawaii Community College, Kona campus. This appears to begin the completion of a dream a lot of us have had for 20, 30 years at least. We want to move out of the Foodland buildings. We may move the college out and then we move the County out; and, who knows, Foodland may come back with a bigger store. This appears to begin that beginning. And I real my lifetime which is getting shorter and shorter. So we need to do something soon. However, this is one phase of this development that can be funded right now and I encourage you to clear the way as far as you can. We need the jobs the construction will bring but even more we need this kind of uplift that this investment brings. And itÓs all good. IÓm also going to say that in the hearings to come, the industrial area along Queen KaÒahumanu Highway needs to look good; and it needs to look not like Kaloko and not like Nimitz Highway. IÓm aware of the fact that the plans for the airport, which is going to be across the street, will come out to Queen KaÒahumanu; and that also needs to look less industrial. Because it is a major highway, we want to keep that major highway as beautiful as we can. I sat through hours of Planning Commission hearings trying to keep Kaloko beautiful and keep it a highway that wasnÓt lined by industrial. And they built a berm which we thought was great but then they built the buildings up over the berm. And IÓll never forgive Sidney Fuke for that, and he knows it. However, weÓre going to watch you guys to keep that, and the County Council. Thank you very much. I see your fingers, Norman. Thank you very much. WATANABE: Okay, Marni. Fellow Commissioners, do we have any questions of Ms. Herkes? No? Thank you for your testimony. You must be Mr. Rei REIMER: Yes. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. I will keep this short as I agree much with the two previous speakers, so I will say IÓll donate the balance of my time to the two previous speakers. Today I want to testify from the heart. I was really thrilled to see this development go in that was so consistent with the desires and please of the people of the County. And I do express my disappointment to see that there are now major changes proposed. I, weÓve been down this road before where things have been promised, then they have been changed for whatever reason. And I just want to ask you to keep this a two-way street and donÓt think of just today, think of the future. Yes, the roads and the parking lots seem to be empty today, but they werenÓt before and they wonÓt be tomorrow. So I donÓt see your responsibility is to help make a private enterprise a profit; but your responsibility is to the people. And I ask you, I plead with you, to get guarantees and not just live on promises. Thank you. WATANABE: Thank you. Do we have any questions of Mr. Reimer? N for your testimony. Janice. EXHIBIT B 11