2018-11-07 Hearing Transcript - Friends of the Volcano School of Arts & Sciences USE 18-077

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CLARKSON: You maybe seated. KERN: Thank you very much. CLARKSON: At this time, we have two members of the public who are wishing to testify, Lorna Larsen-Jeyte and Sophia McQueen or Sophia McQueen? Excuse any mispronouciations, please. Would you please come forward if you wish to testify? Please raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth on this matter before the Planning Commission today? LARSEN-JEYTE: I do. MCQUEEN: [Nodded yes. ] CLARKSON: Please introduce yourself, and when you begin speaking. LARSEN-JEYTE: Okay. Hi, I'm Lorna Larsen-Jeyte, and my husband and I have lived in Volcano for 32 years. We started Kilauea Lodge 32-33 years ago, and we just recently retired. And, I'm a former school teacher from Oahu, public high school. And, it's a comment, I lived across from Koko Head School when I was raising my children on Oahu, and I could hear those children, and it was happy sounds. It was, it filled our house with joy. Anyway, my testimony. This letter is in full support of obtaining a Use Permit for the Keakealani School Campus located in Volcano Village. Up to now, the school has been using the Old Volcano Road Campus, which is deteriorating, because it was never intended to be a permanent site. It makes total sense to build a new facility at Keakealani as that site was donated by Peter Lee decades ago to be used as a school and, in fact, was used as such for many, many years. From the thirties, I believe. The community, our community in Volcano, recognizes and supports the need for a school to service the upper Puna area and Ka`u, as well as Volcano residents. Volcano School is a successful school in terms of student and parent satisfaction. Learning through Volcano's unique nature and cultural resources, through the participation of our community artists and scientists, inspired by the volcano and the flora, and the bird life of the region, I have never seen in all my years of teaching, I have never seen a faculty so fired up about teaching, and I am a 25 -year school veteran as I say. Please consider a yes to granting this Use Permit. Mahalo. CLARKSON: Thank you. Any questions for this testifier? No? Would you proceed, young lady? MCQUEEN: Hello, my name is Sophia McQueen. I am nine years old, and this is what I have to say. Dear Planning Commission, we are here today because we want a school that was designed to be a school. We want to be able to build some new buildings so that we can all be together as one school on one campus. We want to play [inaudible] on the basketball court. We EXHIBIT A 8