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<br />Just by way of background, as you probably all know, the Hawai‘i Island Humane Society is a
<br />non-profit entity and their current operation is right by the former rubbish dump in Kealakehe.
<br />Obviously, that area is not really conducive for their overall operations. First of all, it’s too small;
<br />it’s under just about an acre in size. The location is at almost sea level, so it’s not really good for a
<br />lot of the animals that require care, let alone the employees that work there. So what -. And I guess
<br />the third reason is that it’s not really like central because this is, you know, they wanted to find an
<br />area that was a little bit more central, find an area that was a little bit larger, and an area that was
<br />environmentally a little bit more conducive, rather than be next to an abandoned dump. And
<br />fortunately, early part of this year there was a donor that stepped up to the plate and they, through
<br />the auspices of that donor, they were able to get the subject property, which I think Maija did a great
<br />job in explaining the location and what some of the different components are. As some of you
<br />know, primarily those who live in Kona, this used to be the former Tanaka quarry. And
<br />subsequently there were several Special Permits issued for the project; one was for the Fuku Bonsai
<br />and there was an amendment to that for a coffee processing and visitor center, and most recently for
<br />a self-storage facility, but the self-storage facility never did get off the ground. And so it’s that
<br />property that the Hawai‘i Island Humane Society wants to do.
<br />
<br />Now, the other reason why the property is also very conducive for their purpose is it’s not only the
<br />size, the location, and some of their ability to convert their existing facilities for their purpose
<br />without much significant cost, there is really no major infrastructure issues. The waterline is there;
<br />there is an existing 1-inch line, and we’ve already had a study done by a registered civil engineer
<br />basically attesting that the water capacity and the meter size is sufficient for their purposes. There
<br />is, as you can see by the photo, the access is really fully improved and has excellent sight distance.
<br />And this is all kind of collaborated by the various agencies where there is the Police, the Fire, the
<br />Water Department, and none of those agencies have registered any objections to the property. The
<br />site also, they found out, was not in a flood zone. And because it was previously used for the most
<br />part as a quarry, there are no cultural or archaeological kind of issues.
<br />
<br />Much to the applicant’s credit, what they have done is they’ve met with a number of the
<br />surrounding property owners. And I think attestment of their outreach is reflected by the, I guess,
<br />65-plus favorable testimonies that you have received. And there also was a letter from an adjoining
<br />property owner that provided favorable testimony on the project. So I think that all things
<br />considered, you know, we feel that the project meets the test for the issuance of a Special Permit,
<br />and we respectfully request your favorable consideration.
<br />
<br />The other board members, I mean, Donna is the executive director and Scott is a former president
<br />and board member and Mrs. Ruddle is the current president, so they are here to answer any
<br />questions that you may have specifically relating to their planned operation of the site.
<br />
<br />IOKEPA: Thank you very much, Mr. Fuke. Commissioners, any questions? Okay. Hearing none,
<br />are you okay with the conditions set forth in the -.
<br />
<br />FUKE: Yes. The applicant has reviewed all of those conditions and found them to be acceptable,
<br />reasonable and acceptable.
<br />
<br />IOKEPA: Very good. Thank you very much. We have a list of testifiers. You can go back to your
<br />seats. Thank you very much. And I believe, Susy, are you one of them?
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<br />EXHIBIT A
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