2015-10-22 Leeward Exh A (SMA 15-060)

Home

C. TAUPU: Okay. My name is Cheryl Grace Taupu. Like Tava said, I’m his wife. We thank you for giving us this opportunity to testify in support of Kamehameha Schools’ Kahalu‘u Ma Kai project. My husband Tava is a cultural practitioner. His expertise is in Polynesian sailing, and he is a master carver of canoes and ki‘i. He is the master at the project now. You see two of his work standing there. Tava’s whole thing is passing the knowledge. We support this project because in the end we will have children coming in in safety where he can, or one of his apprentices can, teach them the knowledge. So we strongly believe in and support Kamehameha Schools’ proposal for Kahalu‘u Ma Kai in its entirety. This plan includes adequate public access and management, ensures the valuable cultural resources are cared for and the safety of our children who will be learning on the site. We humbly ask that you the Planning Commission support the recommitment of Kahalu‘u Ma Kai as a cultural educational center for Hawai‘i Island in its entirety. Mahalo for the opportunity. UNGER: Mahalo. HAMM: Aloha. My name is Kalani Kahulamu Hamm. And we support Kamehameha Schools’ vision for Kahalu‘u Ma Kai. It will benefit learners of all ages and background. It also allows the international community to participate in the cultural exchange. Just recently we had a Resident Chief Priest, Reverent Yoshida, of the Shinto Shrine of Japan, participating in a ceremony here along with his members, did an exchange of chants. Unbelievable experiences, just watching them and their faces on Hāpaiali‘i. Watching the sunset off the, in the west, because in Japan it just rises in the east, they don’t see the sunset. So when he was on Hāpaiali‘i that experience that he experienced was unbelievable. I’d like to see Kahalu‘u Ma Kai restored to the place of intellectual engagement for our community and all Hawai‘i. Kamehameha Schools host numerous meetings to provide updates and all this Kahalu‘u Ma Kai vision. Based on Kamehameha Schools’ transpiring behavior and statement provided in their Special Management Area Use Permit application, SMA, I trust that Kamehameha Schools will remove the hotel and redevelop Kahalu‘u Ma Kai with utmost care and respect for the surrounding environment and cultural resources. I also support the specific plan Kamehameha Schools has developed to manage public access through the property and along the shoreline. Kahalu‘u Ma Kai property requires that we look at shoreline access from a different perspective. It is in this outdoor environment that our learners are able to participate their science, technology, engineering and arts, etc. And the future presence of a large number of school children, like we just had, the winter break about 130 young students on the site, on the property, has developed a plan, so Kamehameha Schools has developed a plan regarding walkthrough traffic. I ask the Hawai‘i County Leeward Planning Commission to approve Kamehameha Schools’ application for the SMA permit to remove the former Keauhou Beach Hotel and redevelop an educational facility and Kamehameha’s plan for a specific public access path to the shoreline, which will be to the border of the facility. This access is also important to preserve the natural resources and ecosystem that are restored to the area. Thank you so much. NAKOA: Aloha gentlemen. Mahalo for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Walter Kaleo‘okalani Nakoa. I live in the Ahupua‘a of Hōlualoa. My mother is Kilauea Marciel; her mother is Cecilia Trask; her mother is Anne Kaili Travis. Our koko goes to the vicinity of Kealakekua, pre- western contact. But as I said, I live in Hōlualoa Ahupua‘a today. Thank you for the opportunity, again, to be here. I wear a couple of different hats here in the community. I am a kumu for the Na Pe‘a program, which presently is a privileged and blessed to be 11 EXHIBIT A