|
KAMAKA: Okay. First of all, I oppose to this building of this condominium. And, you know,
<br />we go through this a lot in all this Commission; she is right, this meeting should not even
<br />happen. But I’m, you know, you guys have got to bring up to the community, gives us chance to
<br />bring out our voice, which the people do come here to give you their voice. So you’ve heard
<br />their hearts. You’ve heard everything that they said. And most of all, when we go back to our
<br />culture, that’s important. Keolonhihi, of course, is a big factor down here, playing a big part
<br />and a role in taking, you know, the whole preservation of Hlualoa Bay, the whole Hlualoa
<br />Bay. This whole, especially what Nani was saying, Kekealaniwahine complex, there’s so much
<br />history here. Everything is worth millions to people, and greed, of course, is what everybody is
<br />after – it’s for greed, greed, greed. But to me it looks like trash. If the ocean ever gets a hold of
<br />it – I was born and raised down here on Ali‘i Drive – and also when the waves are humongous
<br />down there, the wave reaches up there, the water splashes in that area where you guys want that
<br />condo area right there. This place is for the Hawaiians, we find it as a place of refuge or place to
<br />go back, you know, and relax. You see how many families coming down here. Now, with that
<br />condominium right in that area – if I could stand up and walk over there – when the waves are
<br />big – I can’t reach – okay, if the waves are big, there is an area that right in front of the
<br />condominium where it’s so serene, you sit in that pond, and the wave hits that wall, that rocks
<br />over there, and splashes into the pond; I wouldn’t want to be down there anymore knowing that
<br />the condominium with how many peoples are behind me now. As is is as is. The person who
<br />sold the property, you know, maybe now they regret selling their property and they, again, it
<br />probably was sold for the best interest of the people, not to build a condominium. We have
<br />enough already. And, you know, enough of the shoreline. This is our breath of fresh air right
<br />here. We were born and raised here. We are here. The people are still here. They are speaking.
<br />So it’s either build it and not listen to the people’s hearts or listen to the people’s hearts and don’t
<br />build it. Mahalo.
<br />HOUSEL: Thank you.
<br />BEAN: Aloha mai. My name is Rolinda Bean, 74-312 Nuhi Place, Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i.
<br />Hawaiian proverb, “aloha aku, aloha mai” – “aloha aku” means to give love, “aloha mai” is to
<br />receive love. As Hawaiian people we were shared this proverb because we are caretakers of this
<br />land. But you don’t have to be Hawaiian to know that and to learn that. I’m half haole; my
<br />father is from Oakland, California. He’s Hawaiian within his heart. But this message is so
<br />strong. And we cannot stop development; we can only but slow it down. But we can stop
<br />ignorance. How much more money do you need? In West Hawai‘i it’s said that the units, the
<br />two-bedroom units will cost $1,250 to $2,000 a week; we as kama‘ina and residents here cannot
<br />afford that. Who are they going to serve? We cannot afford that. We have to take care of each
<br />other. Aloha aku, aloha mai – Give love, love will be received.Take care of the land. We know
<br />that that’s our kuleana. Take care of the land because the land will take care of us. Take care of
<br />one another because we here as residents here in Kona will take care of each other. And I share
<br />this as an educator. I share this as a resident, as keiki o ka ‘ina. I travel all over the world, and I
<br />take children from Kona traveling with me to Switzerland, Kuikilani, to Italy, Italia, to Japan, to
<br />Aotearoa, to educate them about other cultures and to share our culture. I work for Keauhou
<br />Beach Resort, and we just opened the Cultural Department there. The comments from our hotel
<br />guests is, “This is what we were looking for, we come to Hawai‘i for this, this open air, this
<br />23
<br />EXHIBIT C
<br />
<br />
|