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Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0595.004 2020-2022 1 neyFuk , Planning Consultant 100 Pauahi Street,Suite 212•Hilo, Hawaii 96720 •Planning•Variance•Zoning Telephone:(808)969-1522 Cell:(808)989-0640 •Subdivision•Land Use Permits E-mail:sidfuke@hawaiiantel.net ®Environmental Reports HAND DELIVERED February 18, 2022 Ms. Ashley Kierkiewicz9 Chair Planning Committee COUNTY OF HAWAFI 25 Aupuni Street , Hilo, Hawai'i 96720 , 3 _•1- Honorable Chair Kierkiewicz: Subject: The Waikoloa Foundation -Kumu Hou (Bill Nos. 112 and 115) At the Council Planning Committee, members sought more information regarding The Waikoloa Foundation. In that regard, please find attached a letter, dated February 18, 2022, from Ms. Cary Boeddeker Egan,president of The Foundation. Her letter discusses The Foundation's overarching mission, its more recent initiatives, as well as the composition of its advisory board. Ms. Boeddeker-Egan will be present at your February 22 meeting to elaborate on and answer any questions your Committee may have relating to The Foundation and its relationship to Kumu Hou. Thank you very much! Sincerely, SIDNEY M. FUKE Planning Consultant Enclosure Copy—All Councilmembers w/enclosure via email Ms. Cary Boeddeker-Egan, The Waikoloa Foundation w/enclosure via email Mr. John Plunkett, Waikoloa Land Company w/enclosure via email Comm. No. rob-4 Ref. To: Ref. Date WAIKOLOA February 18, 2022 Planning Committee, County Council, County of Hawaii c/o Ms.Ashley Kierkiewicz, Chairperson Dear Chair and Members of the Council: First, please allow me a moment to thank you for welcoming my thoughts on Kumu Hou at Waikoloa at the February 8th meeting. My passion for giving back to our community, preserving and protecting our island and educating our visitors is sincere. It is truly a privilege to devote my life to the realization of my family's vision for supporting the community of Hawaii Island. Doing so through the creation and perpetuation of The Waikoloa Foundation has been my dream, which is why the Kumu Hou project excites me so greatly. As my counterparts at the Waikoloa Land Company illustrated, building substantial and lasting community benefit into this project has been a priority from the very beginning. Rarely, if ever, has a developer committed resort property to affordable kama'aina housing and committed sales proceeds to so significantly endow a foundation. 1 took to heart your comments about what the community would be giving in approval of this request, and I believe that I may help assure you that the benefits returned would be extensive and enduring.To that end, 1'd like to share with you more information about The Foundation's mission, its members, some of the programs we have supported and/or participated in and, moving forward with the guidance of our advisory board, the kinds of programs we anticipate doing in the future. The Waikoloa Foundation is dedicated to serving the community based on a careful evaluationof needs. Important recent and forthcoming initiatives include: COVID Education for Hawai`i's Keiki.The Waikoloa Foundation was one of the first business partners for the Keiki Heroes campaign supporting COVID prevention in educational settings. Keiki Heroes is a Hawaii STEM Community Care project that encourages keiki to adopt healthy habits and to recognize signs and symptoms of COVID illness.The Keiki Heroes campaign launched in mid-August with the goal of empowering keiki to adopt healthy practices in an attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses. Virtual Field Trips for Environmental and Historical Learning.We have just finished ` =` our very first virtual fieldtrip experiences for students grades 2-5 island-wide, offering digital access to unique environmental and historical features of Waikoloa and the surrounding area. In 2022 these virtual field trips will cover different topics from flora and fauna to education on surrounding cultural sites and ocean discovery. Our goal is to produce approximately six field trips each year. (Click here to view 3 Food Basket Food Drive. In partnership with the Food Basket, West Hawaii Today and our partners at both the Queens' and Kings Shops',this past holiday season,we had our a I first annual Food Drive to restock shelves at t r: the Food Basket hit especially hard during the COVID pandemic. The Food Drive collected an I astonishing 1,000 pounds of food as well as a cash donations to assist island-wide communities. For every pound of food % .e collected, the Waikoloa Foundation also matched in a dollar for pound monetary contribution. Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative.We are pleased to announce our partnership with the I Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative to support and educate keiki about forest restoration and native plant conservation. In partnership with Waikoloa Dry Forest, we've already added more naupaka to the area, planted a wiliwili tree and continue to think through ways to protect and restore our native flora and forest and to conserve our water draw by planting drought- tolerant/resistant species. The Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative also partners with The Waikoloa Foundation on our virtual field trip experiences for local classrooms. i Development of Local Community Music and Arts Festival. Once we are able to return to normal gathering sizes, we are planning an island-wide multi-day local community music and art/craft festival at the Queens' Bowl at Waikoloa. This festival will be 100% locally sourced — from vendors to musicians to artisans — with the goal of creating a world-renowned destination event for our Hawaii Island community to showcase the creative expertise of our local artists. Only Hawaii Island vendors and artists will be considered for participation. Parker Ranch Recreation Building. {; i A pillar of The Foundation's legacy to I the community willbe the creation of the Waikoloa Cultural and Discovery x Center, converting and preserving in perpetuity the beloved Parker Ranch t I recreation building near Lava Lava Beach Club back intothe community hub it once was.The Parker Ranch building will be the new home for The Waikoloa Foundation and emphasize programming, education and historic preservation of the rich cultural heritage at Waikoloa and the surrounding area. The space will be a combination of our deep cultural past ' 3_ interwoven with technology to capture the stories of the past and help them live on forever. I� 1 These, along with other programs for the greater island community, will be continuously assessed. Enabling The Foundation's ability to remain connected to the community's timely and evolving needs is an advisory board deeply rooted in West Hawaii and keenly aware of the challenges that exist and opportunities where we can support them. Our eight advisory board members, respected leaders in our community, contribute ideas, perspective and leadership to The Foundation's mission of stewarding the precious cultural and environmental attributes that make Hawaii unique. With their guidance, The Foundation primarily focuses on protecting and restoring historical and cultural sites, preserving Waikoloa's natural resources, empowering HawaiTs future generations, leaders and change-makers through education and community initiatives, leading responsible tourism efforts on the Kohala Coast and encouraging sustainable development to protect HawaiTs unique ecosystem.Their support helps identify and determine The Waikoloa Foundation's giving priorities.A list of our board members is enclosed with this letter. Once again, 1 thank you for the opportunity to elaborate on the reach and impact of The Waikoloa Foundation and its activities.We all envision a thriving Hawaii, rooted in its rich history and reverence for the land. To the extent The Foundation can support neighbors, friends and future generations by preserving Hawaii Island's archeological and ecological resources and supporting advancement and education that benefits both the 'aina and `ohana of our community, we are honored to serve. Please do reach out to me with any additional questions and or comments. I look forward to seeing you again on February 22, 2022 Mahalo nui, c Cary j/Boeddeker Egan President The Waikoloa Foundation 69- 150 Waikoloa Beach Drive Waikoloa, HI 96738 Phone: 702-497-3102 Email: cboeddeker@waikoloaland.com www.waikoloabeachresort.com Join us by taking the Pono Pledge. It's all of our Kuleana. k= https://www.ponopledge.coml `i i The Waikoloa Foundation Advisory Board Composition Nani Lim Yap.Yap is an award-winning hula instructor of Halau Manaola and a renowned entertainer, hula dancer and teacher.Through music and hula, Yap shares her family's legacy and her aloha with the world.Yap's career spans over four decades, and for many years she's served on the advisory board of the Moku O Keawe Foundation. Margo Harumi-Mau Bunnell. Bunnell brings extensive experience in the hospitality industry. A Hawaii Island resident, she previously worked for the Mauna Kea Resort, Hilton Waikoloa Village, Hawaii Island Visitors Bureau, the Waikoloa Land Company and Roberts Hawaii. She remains highly involved in the community, volunteering on the committee for the Waimea Heritage Cherry Blossom Festival, Hawaii Island's Food and Wine Festival,Asian Fest at the Waikoloa Beach Resort and the Waikoloa Great `Ukulele Festival. She has also served on the board of the Moku O Keawe Foundation, Hawaii Island Food Basket, KONISHIKI Kids Foundation and M.Y.T.H.Youth Foundation. Ed Teixeira.A Waimea resident,Teixeira has vast government experience, including 42 years of service in various leadership positions.Teixeira is a private consultant specializing in emergency preparedness planning and training. Since 1999, he has been a proud member of the Waikoloa Canoe Club, serving as the head coach from 2017 through 2020. David Honma. Honma is the senior vice president and Hawaii region manager at First Hawaiian Bank. Born and raised on Hawaii Island, Honma maintains an active role in the community, currently holding board positions with the Hawaii Island Economic Development Board, Family Business Center of Hawaii and Hawaii Leeward Planning Conference. Waikoloa holds a special place in his heart as he held his wedding on the grounds of`Anaeho`omalu Beach. Kanani Aton. Senior design specialist in Hawaiian Culture-Based Education (HCBE), Aton specializes in designing and executing professional development retreats and workshops rooted in HCBE. Her work benefits teachers, administrators, counselors and the private business community. Aton resides in the uplands of Hilo in Kaumana City. Kanani also serves as Community Liaison for Waikoloa Land Company. Scott Dodd. Co-founder of Lava Lava Beach Club and a 29-year resident of Hawaii Island, Dodd has a deep respect for the significance of Waikoloa. He is passionate about educating visitors on the importance of preserving the area. Rob Pacheco. Pacheco is the Founder and CEO of Hawaii Forest&Trail and Kohala Zipline. With extensive leadership experience dealing with Hawai`i's conservation challenges, land use issues and the tourism industry, Pacheco has spent three decades sharing his passion for nature with the community. He has a keen interest and appreciation for the abundant natural and cultural resources of Waikoloa. Judi Jennet. Jennet is the President and CEO of the locally owned and operated Ocean Sports. She is deeply committed to sharing her love for the ocean and Hawaii with residents and visitors alike. Jennet previously served on the board of directors for the American Red Cross Hawaii State Chapter. d F , 9 ! i I � w � x - r I I NATURAL RESOURCES KANAKA OPPORTUNITY Protecting the integrity of and our Uplifting our community begins with A stable future for island communities community's access to Hawaii our kanaka. Indigenous wisdom, requires exponential participation in Island's precious natural resources is cultural practices and youth affordable housing developments.We an essential priority. Our fresh water, engagement preserve thousands must also explore economic models oceans,native species,shorelines of years of irreplaceable tradition. capable of supporting emerging and open spaces are living and Concerted,collaborative efforts industries.As Hawaii Island works need our stewardship to survive. build greater capacity throughout our to recover from the pandemic-related Thoughtful discussion about renewal community,enabling deeper cultivation recession,our gaze must be on and conservation sets standards and of'6iwi leadership and access to opportunities and investments that inspires commitments,ensuring these cultural activities for the keiki of secure lasting impact for kama'aina resources exist in perpetuity. Hawai'i Island. families. i OUR PROMISE TO HA AI'l ISLAND Solutions begin with an understanding of unmet gaps which,when fulfilled,offer the most promise to our community.The Waikoloa Foundation,with its substantial endowment through Kumu Hou,recognizes the greatest good will result from invaluable insights offered by Hawaii Island thought leaders and changemakers. The Waikoloa Foundation commits to creating a community-informed action plan to address Hawai'i Island's most pressing challenges. By facilitating a community needs assessment,we envision a plan that bridges destination management and culture,something akin to a Destination Management Action Plan(DMAP)for cultural impact.This collaboratively-developed outline will guide The Foundation's activities to serve community interests and support homegrown solutions. Upon confirmation of its forthcoming endowment'and securing an executive director,The Waikoloa Foundation will initiate initiate immediate'plans in 2022 to create a community-informed action plan,led by our Advisory Council and other key local leaders and:cultural practitioners to identify the specific needs within our community. It is our hope this is the first of many regional partnerships between developers and the community.We wish to model the positive influence resorts can have when working with a heart of service,ensuring the future our community both wants and needs. WAIKOLOA Q S * ,. -