2013-39 Way Testimony re SPP 1122

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sustainable again. Grants are great, but in these tough economic times, there are fewer and smaller grants available and the competition to get them is higher. We want to be able to sustain ourselves with reliance on grants but we can't do that without the performances. without performances, our community could lose the other vital services that we provide. I'd like to address a few of the specific issues raised in your draft letter to the county planning director: Noise from proposed events at SPACE: Upon reflection and discussion with our SPACE Advisory Committee in April, we decided to reduce our special use permit amendment application request noise limits. In the draft that you reviewed, we proposed to voluntarily reduce the noise emissions from SPACE from the legal limit of 70 dba to 65 dba averaged over a 24 -hour period. In our new version, we will be limiting ourselves to 45 dba for workshops, rehearsals, etc. and 55 dba for performances and fundraisers, with no averaging. Also, we have secured a grant of $30,000 to use for noise reduction measures for the SPACE pavilion, which we will receive as soon as the Planning Commission approves our amended Special Use Permit. We feel certain that the combination of the lower decibal limit and the noise reduction for the pavilion will alleviate one of the major inconveniences for our nearby neighbors. Number of events at SPACE: I've seen testimony with people referring to us as "requesting a weekly night bazaar for an additional 52 events per year." We are not requesting to hold a Night Bazaar. In our original amendment, submitted in Oct. 2010 to the Planning Department, we did ask for it, but that application was rescinded. when Uncle Robert's started their highly successful Wednesday night market, there was no longer a community need for us to hold one and we removed it from the application that we submitted in Sept. 2012. However, there was one place in the document where a reference to a Night Bazaar slipped our notice and was left in. So, to clarify, we are not requesting to hold a Night Bazaar. The mistaken reference remaining will be removed when we resubmit the application with the lower noise limits. I hope through this written testimony that I have been able to show you a different side of HV C and SPACE. My intention has been to communicate some aspects of our organization and our situation that you may not have been aware of I would love to see all of you down at SPACE. Please come down and see for yourselves what we're about. Mahalo nui loa, Jenna way Executive Director Hawaii's Volcano Circus Seaview Performing Arts Center for Education