2011-05-04 Windward Planning Commission Hearing Transcript SP 11-115

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Condition No. 8, the year it says fall of 2010 school year, that should be fall of 2011. And we’d also like to add a condition, and I’ll just read it to you. It’s one of our standard conditions. Okay, it would read something like this, “The proposed use shall be conducted in a manner that is substantially representative of plans and details contained within the application for a special permit and the representations made before the Windward Planning Commission. So we just want to make sure that what was represented in the application is actually carried out. The Commission also received several letters of support. I will just quickly go through and name them rd off. One was presented by the Board of Education dated May 3, Friends of Puna’s future dated ndthth Cynthia Albers May 2, dated April 28, GB Hajime dated April 27, Dawn Hawkins dated April ththth 27, Representative Faye Hanohano dated April 28, Laura Moses dated April 28, Heather Dodge no thth date, Celeste Barcia dated April 29, and Fred Blas dated May 4. And we also handed out another packet of letters of support this morning. And you also received a letter from the applicant’s th representative Ted Hong this morning dated May 4 with suggested changes to the conditions. Are there any questions? KERN: Any questions for staff? Seeing none, thank you, Maija. COTTLE: Thank you. KERN: Will the applicant or representative please come forward. Good morning. I’m going to swear you all in. Will you all please raise your right hand. Do you swear to tell the truth today before the Windward Planning Commission? REPRESENTATIVES: I do. KERN: Very good. With that you may begin. HONG: Good morning, Mr. Chairman, Windward Planning Commission, Planning Director and staff. We want to thank you for your patience and cooperation through this process, and especially the Planning Department’s professionalism. My name is Ted Hong. I represent the applicant. I ask for your forgiveness this morning. I just caught a cold that I inherited from my son, but will try and work through this. I have a few introductory remarks. And I’d like to introduce everybody, and then highlight some, a brief summary of their role and what their participation in this process has been. Being here this morning before the Planning Commission, and certainly the Planning Department before that, kind of reminds me of the Beatles’ song “Long and Winding Road.” This has been years in the making. This is our third submission to the Planning Department. And the Land Use Law concerning charter schools is finally settled. And let me note parenthetically the presence of Charles Toguchi, the former DOE Superintendent. I mean I don’t think when he was in the Department that he realized what education would evolve into in our state. We’re here today out of a great sense of accomplishment and appreciation for the assistance of the County in bringing us here. This morning with me is Gail Clarke, president of ASC, the nonprofit and the applicant; Steven Hirakami, principal of Hawaii Academy of Arts and Sciences; Paul Nash, civil engineer; Phillip Rowell, our traffic engineering; and I would also acknowledge the assistance of Sue Lee Loy from my office. With the permission from the Chair, we have distributed an amendment for consideration of the Planning Commission. And, again, as I mentioned, I know Ms. Clarke and Mr. Hirakami would like to make a brief statement. After I follow that, then we’ll take questions from the Commission. Let me provide some introductory remarks. In terms of our lives, in the course of our lives, we’ve had basically three educational alternatives. One is public school, one is private school and the third is the 3 EXHIBIT A