2019-02-07 Hearing Transcript - Christian Liberty Amend SPP 925

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off all of our debt so that the property is completely debt free, and then everything that we do after that, we have to raise the money—the Board will not let us build until we raise the money in order to build. And, so we slowed things way down. Part of that is, is so that we can keep our tuition low enough so that we can minister to the people of Puna, which we all know is an economically depressed area. And, then the other thing is we don't want to be an economic burden to the community or create a bad situation where we get ourselves, spend too much money and not have enough to pay it back, and not be able to pay our faculty and things of that nature. So, that's why we've taken our time over the years, to be able to raise the money as we go, so that we can maintain that status of being debt free. Keeping our tuition low so that we can help the people of Puna. KERN: So, like I said, overall it's a relatively straightforward application. I'd be happy to answer any questions, and I humbly ask for your support. CLARKSON: Did you read the Planning Director's recommendations, and do you agree with them? KERN: Yes, we do. RIMEL: Yes, sir. CLARKSON: Any questions for the Applicant? IKEDA: Yes, I have. You know, I'd like tothere's two questions I want to ask. Why did it take you 22 years to ask for an exemption for that asphalt, you know, the berm? RIMEL: Why it took us that long? IKEDA: Yes, because I mean according to the initial permit, it was six months after the Bypass Road was built, and you never built it. RIMEL: Well, it's an interesting story. When they first, when we first started building down there, the road was not paved at all, and actually, we didn't even know because our access would have been top of Milo Street by the gas station all the way down. And, so when the application originally went in, they didn't even know where the Bypass was going to cut across, there was still a lot of speculation. And, so, we were responsible for paving Milo Street all the way down to the corner where it meets Railroad as well as the 8-1/2 Mile Camp frontage. During the course of the construction, we asked for an extension on that because they started to build the Bypass, they cut off our access, and then they said okay, we'll give you an extension. After that, we went out one day and someone was doing the centerline survey on the road. And—and, so we went out and talked to him, and they said the State of Hawaii is paving all of Milo Street all the way around to the papaya factory as well as the 8-1/2 Mile Camp Road. So, we didn't have to pay for it. So, when we went back into the County, you can go back and look into the records, it was right around Christmas we were asking for the extension on the paving and the berms and EXHIBIT A 5