2014-07-03 Hearing Transcript - Scott Watson Amend SMA 450

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MIYASATO: We have testifiers. Would you please come up? John Dalton and Virginia Alderson. Virginia Alderson, would you please come up? ALDERSON (from audience): At the same time? MIYASATO: Yes. Could you both raise your right hands, please? Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth on this matter now before the Hawai‘i County Planning Commission? DALTON: Absolutely. ALDERSON: Yes. MIYASATO: Okay, state your names and your residence and you’ll both have three minutes each to testify. ALDERSON: Okay, Virginia Alderson. I live at 31-318 Old Māmalahoa Highway, Hakalau. MIYASATO: Go ahead. ALDERSON: I just wanted to speak to the public access. Mr. Watson mentioned that my husband Richard Alderson and I purchased the property in 2002 by contract from Continental Pacific, and we subsequently sold it to Mr. Watson and Mr. Olympia in about 2008. One of the things that always bothered me about this site even though it was quite beautiful and very, you know, very special and unique, was the shoreline access, because the way that the Agreement between the Continental Pacific and the County Planning Department Director at that time had come up with this access that was marked on the property, and it basically cut the property into two parts. We really like the building, the old buildings on the property, and one of the buildings was on the other side of the access. Also, at the time, it was very overgrown, and it didn’t look like you could even get down there anyway. So, we didn’t know quite what to do with it. I think that the solution that Mr. Watson has come up with is really a good solution and better access for the public. And I know that the public access in this case is real important to the County and to the community. MIYASATO: Thank you. Commissioners, you have any questions? Thank you. You can go ahead. DALTON: John Dalton, 27-102 Lali Street, speaking on behalf of the owners of Lot 23. The first time I went to look at Lot 23, it looked like downtown Baghdad after invasion day. It was just a total mess. There was another gentleman down there. We were both looking. We had heard there was ocean access, so we crawled and climbed down the sea cliff there and found water at the bottom and remarked what a remarkable fishing spot this would be if you could access it. Now you can go to that site. It’s paved. There’s a grass road between the sea cliff and the ocean that has now been restored. People are coming back. They’re fishing. Students in my classroom, I’ve told them about this fishing spot. They’re so amazed that they got their own secret spot now. They can carry a raft down there. They can dive from there. They can fish 18 EXHIBIT E