2016-02-04 Hearing Transcript - Arrow SPP 09-076 & Rodrigues SPP 15-178

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HEAUKULANI: Thank you, Mr. Vitousek. Commissioners, do we have any questions for Mr. Vitousek? Nothing? Thank you, sir. Mr. Rodrigues, Mrs. Rodrigues, you guys are on. You’ve got 20 minutes. RODRIGUES, D.: Good morning. I’m David Rodrigues. This is my wife, Laura. I would like to thank the members of the Planning Commission and Planning Department for coming to Ocean View and meeting some of the people who live and work in the community and also visiting our quarry. I’ve made that drive daily for many years so I’m kind of used to it, but I know it’s a long drive from Hilo or Kona. I hope you enjoyed the trip and found it useful. At the orientation in Ocean View, the Planning Commission listened to public testimony from members of the community supporting the quarries. We thank you for taking the time to do that. We hope this testimony, combined with signatures and letters supporting the quarries, shows the Planning Commission the need for these quarries. The cinder and rock from the quarries are used for driveways, house pads, the installation of septic systems, water tanks, planting, and landscaping—all helping the people of Ocean View to develop their properties. By having the materials available locally, the people of Ocean View can not only purchase materials at a much more affordable cost, but the chance of nasty weeds and other invasive species being introduced to Ocean View are a lot less then when material is brought in from other areas of the Island. As far as I know, these are the only cinder and rock quarries in the entire District of Kaʽū. Cinder used to be available from Kahuku Ranch but that stopped many years ago, and now that Hawaiʽi Volcanoes National Park has taken over the ranch, the chances of that happening again doesn’t look very good. There was a rock quarry in Nāʽālehu for a while, but that was closed also. So, without these quarries, all cinder and rock would need to be hauled from Kona, Waimea, Hilo, or Puna which will not only increase the costs of the materials, but the chances of invasive species being introduced also will be increased. My father always believed that the cinder in Ocean View should be for that community and because of this, most of our deliveries are in Ocean View to lot owners who pay road maintenance fees to not only access their property but to also have materials delivered to their property such as concrete, lumber, water, and cinder or gravel, materials that are crucial to developing their property to make it livable and comfortable while also increasing the value of their property. Since receiving our letters of violation in October of 2014, we have been trying our best to follow the orders in the letters to become compliant. We immediately stopped all excavating, cleaned up, and with the help of Mr. Dahlberg, applied for a Special Permit. Mr. Dahlberg submitted a plan for our quarries that will ensure the safety and integrity of the slopes, recommending 15-foot cuts with 8-foot benches instead of 20-foot cuts with 8-foot benches. His recommendation for 8-foot setbacks meet County Codes and are similar to the grading permits that were approved in 1992 and 1994 for three of the five acres that we are applying for a Special Permit. He has agreed to be our engineer of record, and will conduct site inspections and evaluations as required. 9 EXHIBIT D