2025-03-03 PL-REZ-2024-000070 Support Letters from Applicant Susan Osborne (30)

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d° Keaukaha wr ana'ewa Farmers Association P.O. Box 6844 yTV Hilo, HI • 720 February 27, 2025 The Keaukaha Pana`ewa Farmers Association (KPFA)is a Hawaiian Homes Commission Act (HHCA)Homestead Association controlled by beneficiaries (as defined by the Hawaiian Home Lands Recovery Act, 109 Stat. 537). KPFA is registered as a Homestead & Beneficiary Association (HBA)with the U.S. Department of the Interior under 43 CFR §§ 47.10 and 48.6. We represent over 1,000 native Hawaiian Homestead Lessees and their `ohana residing on Hawaiian Homes Trust Lands in Pana`ewa, Hawaii Island. Our 285 agricultural lots range from 5 to 40 acres across 1,615 acres of Hawaiian Homes Trust Lands. Our programs also serve our sister residential community of over 1,200 Native Hawaiians on 311 lots on 411 acres of Hawaiian Home Trust Lands. Our mission is to support, motivate and educate Keaukaha Pana`ewa agricultural lessees to establish a viable sustainable farm community; preserve Hawaiian culture; achieve self- sufficiency, pono management, and respect for the `aina (land). This past November 2024, Kua O Ka La Charter School and Ho'oulu Lahui Co-Founder Susie Osborne attended and presented at our annual meeting of Panaewa lessees. Over 50 attendees were present. She shared the journey of the schools recovery from the loss of their campus to the 2018 Kilauea eruption. The move to Makalika Street also encompassed needing to secure funding and significant work to ensuring County and State compliance with the facility. We learned about the Agreement in place with Nani Mau owner to rezone, subdivide and acquire the 5 acres where the school exists now. Our community organization whose many properties are surrounding neighbors, are in full support of Ho'oulu Lahui and Kua O Ka La rezone, subdivision and use permit process. Securing this property will provide culturally based educational opportunities for our Panaewa, Hilo and Puna community youth and 'ohana. The school buses the majority of their students to the campus and we do not feel any adverse impacts from this small school in our neighborhood. Susie Osborne has also become an Advisory member to one of our important initiatives, the Panaewa Hub Site focusing on the development of a polyforestry food forest, and community garden to grow our own food for self-sustainability and economic food security. We hope to engage the school students in these hands- on educational opportunities.