HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0645.037 2020-2022 Pf� 1i �.f FCS
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From: Natalie PoseyCOUNTY CLERK
Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2022 9:30 AM COUNTY To: Council Testimony RECEIVEDSubject: Letter of testimony Tm 0, By
Date a 1 3 2022
Aloha Council Members,
I am writing to you today as a mother,wife, daughter, Kona resident, business owner and sponsor of youth sports in
Kailua Kona. I am hoping that after you read this letter that you will take the time to help the local community of
Kailua Kona and our youth swim community.
We at the Kona Dolphins swim club, along with the rest of the swim community, are tired of our kids not having the
opportunities to safely better themselves because of a massive lack of the county's resources and support.
Over the past 4 years, the Kona "Community" Aquatic Center pool has declined from its once former glory as one of
the fastest pools in the state,to the point that it is a public embarrassment and a black-eye for our entire community.
We are appalled at the community facilities in Kona and by the county's inability to maintain its upkeep in even the
most basic capacity. Our kids are constantly at a disadvantage to all other clubs in the state and county because we do
not have proper working facilities and the pool is rarely open. These kids used to swim 5 days a week, host swim
meets and host huge states competitions. Now,they are only allowed to train 3 days a week when the pool is open and
must travel away from Kona for every single meet. By shirking its responsibility towards maintenance of our facility,
the county is actively shunning our kids outright, denying them even a chance to develop at the same pace as virtually
every other swimming facility on island and throughout Hawaii. Not only is this hurting their futures as possible
collegiate or even professional athletes, it hurts the future of Kona as a whole, since this facility is also used for other
significant events like Ironman, family time and youth swim lessons.
Sadly, the issues at the Kona Community pool go beyond just it's disrepair. The staffing levels at the Kona pool for
lifeguards have been the same for 20 years. With the constant growing population in Kona, this is not sustainable and,
frankly, it's just irresponsible. Furthermore, we have been told by the county that in order for a new life guards to be
hired, they have to plod through red rape and offer the position internally, only to the county, for a minimum of 2
weeks and sometimes it is even upwards of 3 months... for every single position. This kind of centralization
hamstrings our lifeguards, who are putting in excessive hours just to try and keep up with the demands of the pool.
Consequentially, our swim clubs, keiki, Kapuna and the entire Kona community are left with shorter pool hours that
are hindering the advancement of these kids' college scholarships. These swim clubs are having to turn away children
from swim lessons because they simply cannot get pool time. These same swim clubs offer scholarships to swimmers
who cannot regularly afford them,just to make sure some of them can have a fighting chance and being something
great. While we understand such heavy influxes of pool users seems like a burden, the days of being told the swim
teams monopolize the pools needs to be over. Instead, we are actively seeking ways to hopefully work together with
the county to get swimming more accessible to our kids and community as a whole. Not only make it safer by having
organized and monitored pool access, it keep kids off of the streets, in a sport and in school.
I think we can all agree that during this pandemic the kids have suffered the most and are continuing to suffer because
of the lack of planning and staffing from the county. With the staffing shortages it is forcing our already financially
stricken clubs to give up coaches in order to afford its paying for more after hours lane space. In fact, our club
recently is currently being asked to now pay a whopping additional $1,400 per month for the "additional" morning
time that we were already using. Instead of paying the previously agreed upon $300-$400 per month, it now suddenly
skyrockets to $1,70041,800 per month for the "additional"private time. This is more than pre-covid, when we had
access to the pool 5 days a week. Just think of the optics of this situation for a moment from a commutnity member's
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point of view. We're all aware of rising inflation, but a 467% increase in permitting fees just feels like borderline
extortion.
As far as the pool maintenance issues are concerned, there were serious discussions in 2015 with the county to fix the
starting blocks at KCAC. They were unsafe then and should have been fixed well before that time. The pool filters
were a known problem before they failed and the pool was closed for 8 months due to sourcing issues of needed
equipment for repair. The bulkhead walls (sides the kids turn on) are supposed to last 10-15 years. They're about 25
years old now, with no plan in sight to replace them. The facilities have seemingly never been properly maintained by
the county which is what brings us to the state they are currently in. We have gone to the county with multiple
proposals and have been turned away each time. The last quotes we received lead us to need a minimum of$200k for
the project. It is frustrating to need $200-250k, knowing this project could have been fixed during the past 7-10 years
and yet seemingly zero-effort has been made, forcing the clubs to try and raise the money on their own. Recently, we
were fortunate to have the opportunity to sit down with Representatives Inaba and Villegas to discuss the issues at
KCAC and were given some hope when they said that the county will amend its budget to help us with the remaining
money to fix the pool. The infrastructure issues, however, are just the tip of the iceberg in this situation, as we need to
also get the Kona Community pool staffed correctly so it can claim back its pre-covid operating hours and to stop
vilifying the community for wanting to actually use the facilities that are luckily afforded to us.
As beautiful as the East side of Hawaii is, it is time to start bringing some of the county's money back into the Kona
community so we too can look as nice as our counterparts on the other side of island. It is hard to believe the county
could not find $200k in its budget during these last 7-10 years to help fix this. While I understand the need for other
pools needing their own allocations for refurbishment, few come close to the caliber of KCAC in both size and use.
The amount of extra work these coaches and families have contributed, as well as the money from sponsors and
businesses only makes families, coaches and business owners burn-out. It is heartbreaking to see these kids working
their butts off, with the only chance at a reward being their having to travel elsewhere for a meet. We even have an
athlete who is on track to try out for the Olympics and he doesn't even have a fully-functioning pool to swim in. Can
you imagine the publicity the Big Island will be getting in the next two years because of this athlete? Or how about
the lost revenue for Kona because of the meets we no longer get to host?
We are just asking that the county find the time to seriously look into finally fixing our pool, take the time to cut the
red tape and allow the aquatics division the decentralized command it needs to hire when and whoever they see fit.
Kona is slowly falling from its revered status as a shining beacon of safety and competitiveness, turning into
something completely unrecognizable. Our kids deserve more. Our community deserves more. It's time to bring the
Kona Community Aquatic Center back to its former glory, serving the community and making it available for all to
enjoy.
I want to thank you for taking the time today to hear us and look forward to working with you in the future.
Sincerely,
Natalie Posey
Goose's Edge Inc.
ngustayson@goosesedge.com
808-283-8335
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