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we’re you know, we take responsibility. If there’s an issue, we’re gonna deal with. Leaving it
<br />alone and not doing anything with it—had I not bought the property, you know, you would still
<br />see the five containers of junk on the property that I’ve been cleaning up. You know, we spent a
<br />lot of money trying to get the property cleaned up. It was, it was a mess. Most of it was just
<br />scrap metal thrown everywhere.
<br />
<br />So, we’re, you know we’re conscious of—of making this a clean and beautiful project as we’ve
<br />done on other projects.
<br />
<br />HENKEL: One final question. I know you’ve been, removed some invasive species and stuff
<br />too. How long had that property sat neglected before you started working with it?
<br />
<br />SHROPSHIRE: You know, that’s a good question. The a—the commercial buildings have been
<br />occupied on and off, primarily by the former owners that they had after the gas station closed, I
<br />believe it was in the eighties or nineties. There’s a, you know, it’s been used for commercial
<br />storage, but it, you know, it’s been actively used, the property, the gas station and the homes and
<br />so forth have been occupied since the—I believe it’s the 1930’s or 1940’s. You know, as a
<br />land—my background is in landscaping, and as a horticulturist, you know, I’m well aware of the
<br />fact that in Hawai‛i that you know the invasive species will, if allowed to take over, will take
<br />over, and that’s exactly what happened to this property. People talk about view planes—you
<br />couldn’t see three feet into the property when I purchased it. It was a complete wall of 60 feet
<br />of, of Albizia, African tulip, and various other, you know waivi. It was completely, you couldn’t
<br />walk three feet into the property. It was a chokehold. So, we have gone, you know, that’s one of
<br />the goals, is to, is to open view planes and create view planes from the highway. Because of the
<br />topography of the land, the homes will be, you know, primarily below, there’s a slope below the
<br />highway so I think with our height limitation, this, our project will be a net benefit in terms of
<br />coastal views and opening of coastal views. But, the property, I believe it—I would say decades
<br />that the results of that overgrowth of invasive species has been decades, unattended for decades.
<br />
<br />HENKEL: Thank you. That’s all the questions I have right now.
<br />
<br />SHROPSHIRE: Thank you.
<br />
<br />MIYASATO: Commissioners, any further questions? Thank you.
<br />
<br />SHROPSHIRE: Okay, do you mind if I say just a couple quick things? Do I have time to do
<br />that?
<br />
<br />MIYASATO: If it’s pertaining to testimony that was given today.
<br />
<br />SHROPSHIRE: Absolutely.
<br />
<br />MIYASATO: Okay.
<br />
<br />SHROPSHIRE: Okay, so I guess what I want to remind you know each of us is that you know,
<br />there’s just a general tendency for people to you know basically, once, once someone comes in
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