HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0044.159 2020-2022 P f Coutic [
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PARADIS REED, MD
5400 Princeton Ave NE Seattle, WA 98105 1808-383-81 14 I paradisreed@gmail.com
114
February 2, 2021
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Honorable Members of the Hawaii County Council I --
25 Aupuni Street ' zrr-
Hilo, HI 96720
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Dear Honorable Members of the Hawaii County Council:
I am writing to express my deep support for Mr. Zendo Kern to be confirmed as Planning
Director. I am a former client of his consulting firm and would like to outline my experience
with him as he assisted us in creating a project to benefit Hawaii County seniors.
Although I currently reside in Seattle, I was raised in Hilo. I consider this my home. After
practicing Emergency Medicine for 15 years, my family decided it was time to give back to
our hometown. We developed a senior living community named Makamae House (please
reference our website at makamaehouse.com).
Mr. Kern saw the benefit to the community immediately and after our initial consultation to
ensure that we were truly looking to improve Hilo and not just "outsiders coming in to form a
business" he decided that our project was worth his support.
Once he did so, he threw his full efforts into making our dream a reality by applying for and
walking us through the process required to receive a special permit to build our community.
He was available to us at all times for questions. His knowledge of land use, zoning, permits
and required modifications was extensive and clearly based on experience. He was able to
marshall the necessary consultants and manage all of the required specialists in order to put
forward our application. As a supervisor, he completely handled the permitting process
without a single misstep. Any question I had during the process, he could answer-with
references based on the statutes and prior work he had performed. His roots in the
community guided his dedication to guiding this project forward. For that, we are grateful.,
Comm. No. 44'k%((l.�q
Ref. To: pRi
Ref. Date FEB 0 3 2021
When he testified to the planning committee for the special permit, he spoke about how
Makamae House would benefit our seniors, our community and grow the relationships
between neighbors and generations. I want to acknowledge and appreciate that as Mr.
Kern considers projects to represent, he has the good of the County in mind and represents
what benefits the whole, not the individual.
On a personal note, during our work together, Mr. Kern faced a personal tragedy that would
typically derail the most resilient of us. Nevertheless, he showed enormous professionalism and
perseverance as he balanced all the responsibilities he had with grace.
Thank you for allowing me to support Mr. Kern for Planning Director. I am available for any
and all questions.
Sincerely,
Paradis Reed, MD
CEO Makamae Holdings, LLC