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Home My WebLink About05-27-2022 Applicant Response to PD Recommendation Report Roy and Stephanie Bath P.O. Box 457 Kea'au, Hawai'i 96749 RE: PL-SPP-2022-000010 WPC hearing date 2 June 2022 Aloha Kakou, Mahalo for the favorable recommendation. What great news! These recommendations and requirements are reasonable and aligned with the vision we have to provide a level of health care service to our community. There are two items we request an adjustment to. 1.Hours of operation It is requested that hours be adjusted to 0:700-19:00. These hours should not adversely affect the community. In fact they will enhance the convenience for them. Some clients/ patients work in Hilo. With current traffic issues occurring on Highways 130 and 11 commuting time makes it unreasonable for them to be on site for treatment before 17:00 I have seen this challenge while doing home health treatments. The only option would be to see them on Saturdays. Saturday and Sunday are family/project days for many. It's the Sabbath for some. I am hoping that Saturday hours are limited to the occasional exception and/or emergency treatments. I don't do business on Sundays which is our Sabbath. In our Ag community folks are generally up and about well before 07:00. They are commuting, getting keiki to the bus and school, tending to chores, and/or tending to nursery/farm operations. Regarding the 07:00 start up time for my practice, generally 07:00-08:00 is used for patient prep, administrative tasks, writing doctors reports, etc. Occasionally there is a request for an earlier session to say, accommodate someone reintegrating back to work after an injury, or an early bird senior. The 07:00 start up time is reasonable, doable and above board. I want to emphasize the nature of this low profile business is quiet. The morning choir of birds will be more audible than the sounds of me working with a client, and I might add, enhance the experience of the client. 2. Signage size Stephanie Bath Licensed Massage Therapist By appointment only will not fit on a 12" x 18" sign and be easily readable from the roadway. I think it's important to include "by appointment only" so folks don't randomly drive down the driveway. I do not take walk-ins.There has been some vandalism occurring in our neighborhood. We want to be able to inset the signage on the parcel where it is readable from the roadway and safe from tampering. We are not talking about a 8' X 4' sign.We will be happy to sketch out the sign and submit it for your consideration. We will then submit a photo of the completed sign (with dimensions) to the planning department for approval prior to posting. I have a question about the County being able to drop in to check out the business during business hours. How is this done? If I am in the middle of a session with a client/patient it will be a distraction and disruptive to stop to answer the door. There are also HIPPA issues to consider. There may be days when I don't have anyone scheduled and will be doing Ag.Am I required to accommodate a County visit at this time?What protocols are in place to remedy these concerns? I run my business by appointment only. When I am not doing a treatment I do other things. Page 2 of 2 RE: PL-SPP-2022-000010 WPC hearing date 2 June 2022 Issues sited in the background recommendation of the planning department Although these issues won't impact the special use of the parcel we wanted to share some insight. Regarding neighboring parcels right to farm. We wholeheartedly support effort to do grazing of animals, or whatever farming operations neighbors choose to do in accordance with the "Right to Farm." We have the right to farm as well and are hopeful there is a clear understanding of the laws in place which protects all right to farm. This can be realized with developing safe pastures for containing all farming/grazing operations to their parcels. As a matter of information not relating to the special permit,we want to take this time to share with the commission that the statement,"high agricultural yields without the intensive application of modern farming methods and technologies due to certain physical constraints such as soil composition, slope, machine tillability and climate.", is true, however more and more folks are doing traditional bio intensive planting practices. These give an amazingly good yield while building healthy living soil in areas which normally would not be useable. These planting techniques can use land unsuited for grazing or cultivation via composting, raised beds and terracing techniques. The mulch the County is creating is an implementable resource for this. We might not want to write off these lands for ag quite yet. And let's remember the honeybees who harvest from trees! As far as grazing practices in our community, we do agree that they are not suited for grazing in most areas without the use of heavy equipment to level the parcels. This can impact water run off if done without mindful plan ning.Aggregate must then be brought in for the safety of animals and establishment of grasses. It is unfortunate that all to often bovine, which are herd animals are seen singly tied up on these unsuitable overgrown parcels. We are aware of at least one who walked off a flat area and hung itself. These lands are all to often being given ag tax exemptions when in fact the parcels have not been prepared for safe/humane grazing or usability. As more and more residential applications are realized in our community, ag use, when done properly is encouraged. We need sustainable food production wherever it can be done. We will also need more levels of services nestled in community. Again mahalo for the favorable recommendation. We look forward to answering any additional questions and/or addressing the publics concerns relating to the special permit at the planning commission hearing 2 June at 09:00. Sincerely, Stephanie Bath (for Roy and Stephanie Bath-applicants)