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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0054.018 2000-2002 R,- . March 6, 2001 ~ ` ~ = . ~ ~ 1 - ~'~I 3 ~3 r~ Aaron Chung, Finance Committee Char and Council members County of Hawau 25 Apnea St Hilo, HI 96720 Dear Mr Chung and Council members, Thank you for approving the funding to initiate an investigation of the HIHS Thank you ,also, for your patience and focused attention on the testimony at the hearing on Wednesday, February 21 This letter is to address one point of concern as you select an organization to proceed with the audit I hope you have had time to review the letters and pictures given to you by concerned citizens on February 21 Animal care at the Kohala shelter has, apparently, needed help for a while now The Waikoloa and Waimea communities want to request that the procedures and pra ,c .c for ar of he mm is be ev lpate+d in ad i ion to how money is being spent by HIHC. Also, please share the letters we subrrutted to you with the investigating organization and ask that they Sp~_by telephone or in nercon to reaidentc of h W ikoloa nd W ,m a o m ,niti a ac n rt of to heir inv~gat,on There is a great concern that sernce to the animals rmght improve lust long enough for the investigation to be completed then go back to the way ~t was The county's money would have been wasted and the community and animals would be let down Also, please ask that the role of volunteers be taken into account Volunteers should be supplemental, not essential, to humane management of the Kohala animal shelter My brief appearance at the heanng on Wednesday left me with some idea of the challenges you all grapple with on a regular basis and with a feeling of respect for your commitment to your communittes and the County of Hawaii You're all tougher and stronger than I would be under such verbal assault and tension Thank you for being there and trying to do the nght thing rd~ Dr Pamela Warner P S On February 28, an orientation of 4 community volunteers was conducted at the Kohala shelter by Grayson Hashida I'm enclosing a letter sent to Mr Hashida and those in attendance Stl S Comm. N0. ll 77 N11e No. 1tN1. Ref. To: _ Ref. MAR 1 2 ZOQI The onentation was quite thorough Volunteers seemed willing to fulfill the requvements and begin helping at the shelter ASAP At the onentation, Mr Hasluda described the Waikaloa/Waimea/Honokaa areas as fast becormng the most challenging areas of the island to manage given the increase in the feral population and calls from the community regarding animal abuseJneglect and out-of-control animals Right now, it is the lowest staffed area on the island by HIHS Mr Hashida has quite a hard fob to do Being supportive of his sincere efforts but still holding him accountable for observed incidences of neglect at the shelter is a difficult, but necessary, balance to stnve for from the councd and community cc Grayson I-Iasluda, Kohala Shelter Volunteers -Mary Walker, Lenore Edme/David Bowman, Marlyn Van Kramm March 6, 2001 Grayson Hashida Hawati Island Humane Society 745225 Qucen Kaahumanu Hwy ICailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740 Aloha Grayson, I am back m Minnesota now and need to share a few thoughts with you about the orienta~on last week I will be sending my paperwork to you shortly Though my husband, Bruce, has taken the job on Maui and we will be moving there this summer, I want to continue to help improve conditions for animals on the Big Island Regarding the onentation procedure, I hope Mary Walker has visaed with you by now about having the videotapes, or copies, brought to the Kohala shelter so they can be checked out by volunteers for review at home This would help slot to get things under way Regarding the animals at the shelter on February 28, we were all so busy in our meeting that staff did not attend to, and no one spoke up about, the condition of the cat cages The cats were clearly in need of care and had to wait till our meeting was completed This was not right ANIMALS FIRST The polite attendant (sorry I don't know how to spell Kalaho correctly) should have been cleaning the cages during our meeting By saying he saved them to clean whde we watched so we could see what he faces every day he, and you, were showing some neglect We could all see the overwhelrrung task at hand ANIIvIALS FIRST should be posted all over the shelter Thank you for taking this feedback in the helpful way ii is intended I will be calling you soon I would like to donate adoption fees for a few of the wonderful animals on Mary's website that have been waiting a long time Co ~ y, Q~L-- Pam Warner ce Mary Walker, Lenore EdnielDavid Bowman, Marilyn VanKr County Council committee