HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 1072.005 2016-2018 . Mowed
COUNTY CLERK COMM. (012
COUNTY OF HAWAII
From: Stephen Yundt
To: Council Testimony 2118 OCT 16 AFI 10: 114
Subject: re:resolution for commercial property relief
Date: Sunday,October 14,2018 4:29:49 PM
aloha,
my name is stephen yundt and i operate pele's kitchen in downtown pahoa.we have been operating there since
2012.i cannot remember a time that was tougher for local business.civil defense and the mainland media scared
away all the tourist industry with exaggerated safety concerns and refusing to allow a lava viewing area. probably a
third of our local clientele lost their homes and were forced to move. •
the devastating result is a ghost town called pahoa.
you could lay down in the main road and take a nap with no fear of being run over.
my restaurant has suffered a catastrophic loss in clientele,forcing me to borrow money for the last 6 months,since
the may 4th eruption changed our economic history.several local restaurants weren't as lucky and were forced to
close,like the ones on either side of mine,roy's thai and new york pizza.
•
giving tax relief won't help me,just my millionaire landlord.it might help businesses that own their buildings,but
they aren't as needy as the tenant-businessmen like me for instance.
what would help the entire town is an official lava-viewing area immediately.tour buses full of tourists parking in
downtown pahoa.
i live in leilani estates and although my home was spared by pele,i live scarily close to the still-active steam cracks
and sulphur banks.to drive down the devastated streets and see the now-famous fissure 8(i prefer to call it a
hawaiian name like pu'u leilani)is better than yellowstone national park on the mainland....its cooler than the entire
hawaiian volcanoes national park.it is safe and it has paved roads...tour bus revenue could really help revive this
neighborhoods financial woes,fixing their cracks,paying for new infrastructure,etc.this island would become
famous.
anyway,i support any resolution that can help this area recover from the worst economic disaster it has yet
experienced.
stephen yundt
owner/chef
pele's kitchen
the breakfast place
pahoa,hawaii -
Comm. N . 1012
Ref. To:Ti COUnci I
Ref. Date ULT 1,7 Za13