HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0466.001 1996-1998 PO Box 605
Volcano, Hawaii ';;7 15 ~ , _
96785
Sunday, 14 Septemt(~ 1997
Councilman John Santangelo COU~JI
Hawaii County Council
Aloha,
t wish that I could be present to support the need for a covered
recreational facility in Volcano. I especially regret that I cannot be there
due to the fact that 1 must be in a very hot classroom in Hilo during your
meeting. As a teacher, 1 see the energy levels of our youth and teenagers
build up on those days when they can not get out to exercise due to
inclement weather in Hilo, where it only rains a bit over 100 inches per
year. In Volcano, there are few positive alternatives to capture the
attention of our youth, and so many more rain days.
As Facilities Director of the Volcano Community Association, I wish to ask
for your support for our community in the form of a covered court.
Volcano has built on the solid foundation of community spirit and County
assistance that helped build the first increment of Cooper Center. As a
new arrival a bit over 10 years ago, I had the privilege of working with
several of the community leaders who were adding a covered lanai to our
highly utilized community center. A few years later, through the work of
more than a hundred volunteers, I participated in erecting the Fuhrman
Firehouse, which now houses our volunteer fire department. With the
volunteer efforts of many more members of the community and the on-
going support of the County Parks and Recreation Department, funds
have been raised internally to provide our community with an expanded
parking lot, a playground and most recently the expansion and grading to
provide a space for the covered facility. This combined facility, built
essentially by local volunteer efforts, receives daily use from a wide
cross-section of our population.
For the past few years, the Volcano Community Association participated
in developing a long range plan for community development. Two of the
goals accepted by the VCA involve Recreation.
t.~ Provide for the recreational needs of people of all ages in the
Volcano area.
z.> Coordinate the efforts of various resident-groups in Volcano
with existing public and private providers of recreational
activities.
Transportation Goals include a decreased number of car trips between
Volcano and other communities. tea. )Ka 516=~
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The Public Safety Goal is to "Encourage a responsible community where
people of all ages feel safe."
It is my opinion that construction of a covered facility will have an
immediate and positive impact on all of these goals. The recreation goals
are most obvious, since our youth are often seen shooting baskets at
individual nets in the community center parking lot. Providing them with a
proper space, with protection from the weather will help fill a void in our
current level of services provided to the community. The nearest covered
play facility, at Mountain View School receives a great deal of use by
Volcano families. Adding those who drive farther to use facilities in drier
areas, who might be more inclined to utilize a local court we might assist
with the transportation issue. The addition of a Police Sub-station within
the facility will provide both a service to the community at large, and
guidance for more of our youth. The combination of increased
recreational opportunities and proper guidance from Parks & Rec.,
Police, and volunteer youth leaders can help reduce youth crime and
increase the level of safety for all of our residents.
A recent news article in the Star-Bu!/etin placed our population at "3,600
plus", far in excess of projections made in our long-range plan, even for
the year 2020. Our village has grown, in part because of the feeling of
community engendered by our many volunteer groups. I believe that the
growth will be enhanced by the addition of ahigh-quality recreational
facility, and that both the immediate community and the County at large
will receive benefits from its timely construction.
Once again, 1 urge you and your colleagues on the County Council to
support the construction of the proposed multi-purpose recreational
facility at Cooper Center. Thank you for your considerate attention to this
matter.
es ectfully s mitt d,
W."Steve" St~ienson