Stephanie Bath testimony AC 5118 CLER

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Stephanie Bath P.O. Box 457 Kea'au, Hawai'i 96749 April 26, 2018 PCDP Action Committee Testimony May 1,2018 Testimony relating to agenda business item 2:Upper Puna Emergency response plan. Aloha Chairperson Brown (Larry) and Action committee Members, Thank you for your unceasing commitment as you represent Puna residents in the implementation of our PCDP. Having served on the PCDP steering committee, and having had a part in overseeing the creative process of the plans transportation theme, actions, I am more than aware of the time and energy it takes. This commitment is critical for the realization of our PCDP. Mahalo!!! Connectivity in Puna encompasses more that a way to get from point A to Point B without using highways 11 and 130. Connectivity and the realization of connectivity locations (CL) being created, provides communities of both upper and lower Puna with road redundancy as well as options for implementation/overlaying of other actions of the plan. They create ways our understaffed emergency responders can lessen the time response it takes to provide life and property saving services. Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) can use these locations to transverse their communities. You may recall that in the recently shared and long awaited County Mass transit Plan (draft) that proposed CL have been included as projected routes for feeder buses. This provides a currently non existent level of service to folks. Linear parks are in alignment with CL creation ... and on and on. You know the PCDP document and goals. I was recently present at a meeting with CD Bill Hanson, Hannah Hendrick and others as the UPERP was discussed. We need this kind of focus. I am so grateful that Hannah was placed on the agenda. The mayor formed a committee to address Connectivity and ER. Yay! At the same time, have a concern as this committee agendas, minutes and general accessibility by the public is not transparent on the County Web site. For this reason it is most important that the AC be a place where the public can have a voice. I appreciate one or two of you stepping up to keep this dialogue viable in this most critical implementation phase of our CPD. I am unable to attend the AC meeting however I am available should you want to talk story in more detail about CI's, and health and safety issues of our PCDP and the history. Again Mahalo for you service, Warmly, Stephanie Bath Kurtistown/Mountain View