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

Home

able to use the facilities that we are in discussion about today. Kamehameha Schools has been very generous and their foresight is very well respected in our organization. So we hope that you folks will support them and the vision that they have for the removal of the hotel. As a kālai wa‘a of the Hawaiian sailing canoe, Wa‘a Kinikini, I move up and down the coastline on a daily basis, or the black and yellow double-hull with the red sail that frequents the coastline here in West Hawai‘i. As we pass through the Kahalu‘u Ahupua‘a, the efforts over the last decade or so do not go unnoticed, and the cultural landscape in return to not only a visual impact but an emotional and many times intellectual impact is enormous. As a sailor moving up and down the coast, and seeing the progress being made in the ahupua‘a, I’d like to report to you folks that things are going well. And we hope that you will support continued efforts to return the area to the cultural landscape that it could be. And it’s up to you distinguished members of this board to make the decision, so please do that. Finally, I would like to say, representing myself personally, that the wahi pana on site should be, I feel, should be respected, and the decisions with regards to access to those wahi pana should be in the leadership of the lineal descendants of the ahupua‘a, as well as, you know, the leadership and the cultural practices for the site. The opportunity here is very much appreciated, and I hope you guys will support Kamehameha Schools. Mahalo. UNGER: Mahalo. Sarah Puna Kihoi, Jim \[sic\] Hutchison, Karen \[sic\] Ventura. HUTCHISON: Aloha everyone. My name is Vino Hutchison from the Ke Kama Pono program. Through them I’ve worked with Uncle Mahealani down makai on the hill, and that’s an experience that I feel in my heart and it’s, working with him is giving me knowledge and it’s helping me understand the necessities of protocol and what it, where our ancestors came from. And I think if Kamehameha Schools is trying to give an opportunity to the public to learn deeper knowledge, I think that’s a great opportunity, and I support them with that. But I also think that there should be some sort of respect from the public to keep things going, keep things good, you know. So thank you for listening. Thank you for letting me speak. Mahalo. VENTURA: Aloha. My name is Kanen Ventura and I’m a participant in the Ke Kama Pono, a family intervention program. I’m a student learner of Kia‘i ‘Āina Kualoloa, a cultural environmental stewardship program, and also Hui Kaha Pōhaku, a program that surveys and map the historic and archaeological landscape. I’m here to voice my strong support for Kamehameha Schools’ effort to remove the last remnants of the property’s resort use and recommit the future of Kahalu‘u Ma Kai as a cultural education hub for Hawai‘i Island. The cultural resources located at Kahalu‘u Ma Kai are related to permanent figures in Hawaiian history and played a significant role in pre-contact Hawai‘i’s social political landscape. Because of this, along with the adoptive reuse of these cultural sites for cultural education purposes, I encourage you to support the proposed public and managed access plan as submitted by Kamehameha Schools, as it ensures that the cultural and historic integrity of those resources are maintained. I believe Kamehameha Schools has balanced the need for shoreline access against the need to protect valued historic resources and the safety of children who will be learning on site. I support the Kahalu‘u Ma Kai project and feel that it will foster a sense of place for all members of our community through cultural education ‘āina-based learning and community engagement. It will serve as a twenty-first century facility for learning and provide a bridge between cultural practitioners, the academic world and the community. Kahalu‘u Ma Kai embodies a fundamental shift toward a learning and experimental destination that will have a positive 12 EXHIBIT A