I am Tricia Calhoon, a middle school teacher at Lanai High and Elementary School and I am testifying in support of Maui Economic Development Boardʻs Economic Development Grant under the Maui County Office of Economic Development.
I have benefitted from STEMworks through numerous free professional development opportunities, free materials and access to the STEMworks lending library to enhance the learning in my classroom.
STEMworks provides a valuable resource for all teachers but particularly for science teachers. I have borrowed technology tools, taken classes on coding, and been connected to a community of other teachers in Hawaii who have a shared interest in making their instruction more rigorous and interesting for students. This is particularly important for secondary teachers here on Lana'i because we teach in silos and have a limited community of professionals.
Aloha from Lana’i! My name is Jennifer Riel and I moved to Lana’i over 16 years ago. I have 3 children and 2 of them have been involved with the Lana’i Academy of Performing Arts (LAPA).
My older daughter, Elena, is now a freshman in high school. She was involved with LAPA from first through fifth grades. Elena was always a naturally shy child but was and still is very athletic and involved with sports from a young age. However, it wasn’t until she started with LAPA that she found her voice and became more outgoing. She now successfully holds down a part time job, sports all year round and almost straight A's in school. I attribute quite a bit of her success to the LAPA foundation, its directors and its parent volunteers. I have seen their commitment to the children and their mentorship; school work comes first, participation in other activities is encouraged and time management becomes a focus from early on.
My younger daughter, Ava, is currently in first grade. She became involved with LAPA in kindergarten and has just thrived. She is also naturally shy but had her first role as a narrator in the Winter Program, put on for the parents. With the younger age group, there is a focus on story telling, play and reading skills.
Both of my younger children have benefited tremendously from the performing arts opportunities with LAPA. LAPA is the only organization of its kind on the island and is a welcoming home for all children, offering a variety of activities over the years. There has been screen writing, theatrical makeup, singing, acting and other various workshops as well as travel to see other plays and workshops from other experts.
Lana’i is a small island with a tight knit community. Fundraisers happen from pre‐school through 12th grade for all activities and sports. The community tries to support all children, but frankly, there is only so much to go around. I ask for any support that can be given to ensure that Lana’i as an island and especially our children, can continue to benefit from all that LAPA has to offer.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Riel
Jennriel508@gmail.com
610‐247‐3844
Matt Glickstein
P.O. Box 631903
Lanai City, HI 96763
lanaiacademy@gmail.com
April 12, 2023
Yuki Lei Sugimura, Chair
BFED Committee-Maui County Council
200 S. High St., 7th Fl.
Wailuku, HI 96793
RE: Lana’i Budget meeting, 4/13/23
Dear Chair Sugimura,
Aloha, my name is Matt Glickstein, and I’m the Executive Director for the Lanai Academy of Performing Arts (LAPA). I co-founded LAPA in 2013, and we became a 501(c)(3) non-profit as of September 2016.
A little about LAPA:
Since 2013, LAPA has put on 13 productions for the Lanai community, including Lion King Jr, Frozen Jr, and two original musicals. During COVID, we adapted our programming to performing arts classes (virtual and outdoor), with classes in dance, filmmaking, songwriting, improvisation, and special effects makeup. This year, for the first time since 2020, we are getting back on stage with two different live productions: The Claw, for grades K-8, and Bad Auditions by Bad Actors, for grades 6-12.
LAPA employs a staff of five people, and yearly we have from 80-100 students involved in our programming. For reference, Lanai High and Elementary School has around 550 students. For students to be in our live productions, we charge only $100, whereas programs on Maui charge between $800-$1000. LAPA is heavily reliant on public and private grants and donations to keep our tuition affordable for families on Lanai. Due to the nature of the community, there is only so much fundraising we are able to do, and our main source of income has been our live shows, which have been cutoff the past few years. We are grateful for the continued support of the County, State, and other Hawaii foundations.
I’m submitting written testimony to both advocate for funding for LAPA students to travel to Maui and do an exchange with the Maui Academy of Performing Arts (MAPA), and for a future facility in the 115 acres Maui County is planning on developing.
LAPA has collaborated with the Maui Academy of Performing Arts (MAPA) between 2016-2019, holding several MAPA/LAPA days where students from Lanai would travel to Maui for a day of theatre games and sharing performances with Maui Academy of Performing Arts students. Several students from LAPA have also participated in MAPA’s summer camps and performed in MAPA’s productions. Because there are no other performing arts groups or opportunities to watch live theater on Lanai, one of LAPA’s main objectives is to expose the Lanai students to other theater programs and performances. Most times, when Lanai kids go off island, it is for shopping, not for arts and cultural experiences. During COVID, LAPA was not able to travel to Maui. In 2023, we would like to hold a LAPA/MAPA day and also watch the summer MAPA musical performance of “Finding Nemo Jr.” with LAPA students. LAPA would like to take up to 30 students and at least 10 chaperones over to Maui on the weekend of July 7-9. In addition to watching MAPA’s performance, the Iao Theater (Maui OnStage) is doing a production of “Something Rotten,” a recent Broadway hit, which we would love to also take students to. In past years, LAPA has seen several productions at Iao Theater, including “Guys and Dolls” and “Monty Python’s Spamalot” and they have been extremely well done and professional.
Here is the estimated cost break down for two nights on Maui, which would include attending both “Finding Nemo Jr” and “Something Rotten.”
If Maui County is able to fund at least $10,000 towards this event, the cost per person would be only $62.50. At the full cost of $305 per person, we would not be able to get enough participation, making the trip impossible. In the past, LAPA students have been able to sleep at Seabury gym, which was on the same campus as MAPA’s performance venue. However, that is not the case this year. Unfortunately the high cost of Maui overnight accommodations make off island trips extremely difficult. Students on Lanai are very isolated from arts and cultural experiences such as live theater—there is no way to access the magic of live theater other than traveling off island. Having LAPA kids see and meet other kids and theater professionals can make a huge impact not only on the LAPA program, but on the development of Lanai kids as individuals.
Over the years, LAPA has rehearsed mainly at LHES school and performed in the cafeteria. We have tried almost every other conceivable location for rehearsals and performances. While we are grateful for the space, some of our main challenges are:
—the stage is small, our cast size is completely maxed out at 35-40 kids, not much room for expanding beyond that.
—we are unable to store our sound equipment/costumes long term
—any major performances really need to be done when school is out of session, otherwise we have to do a complete set up and breakdown of sound/sets/costumes every rehearsal and performance
—all of the sound and lighting equipment has to be brought in, whereas a space designed to be a theater has all of that already there
—acoustics are not ideally suited for live performances, with the room being very “live”
—on windy/rainy days there is a lot of extra noise and complications
—backstage space is extremely small for kids to wait
It has been a dream of mine since beginning the program to have a consistent facility we could call home, and to have our students be able to perform in a high quality theater space with proper lighting and sound built in without having to go off island. In 2019, LAPA students and families traveled to the Junior Theater Festival in Sacramento, CA, which is a yearly gathering that brings over 2000 other students from around the world. LAPA presented a 15 minute adjudicated performance and won several national awards. It was gratifying to be recognized, but it just confirmed what I already knew: kids on Lanai deserve a theater facility. Ideally, anything built would be a multi-use community center and be open to any other organizations and be able to host community events, as well as off island guest performers. The proposed building area is within walking distance for students, which also makes it an ideal location for LAPA.
Recently, Pulama Lanai has opened up the Lanai Ocean Theater, which is an extremely nice venue. However, for every use, the stage has to be setup and taken down and specialists need to be flown in to run lights and sound, which makes it very expensive. The first couple of events have been great, and offered free of charge to community members. Still, there is no venue in Lanai City that is designed to be a live performance space. I feel there has been a need for one since I moved to the island in 2007. Building a facility in the 115 acres being considered for housing would be a huge benefit to the island of Lanai.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I would be happy to provide more information or answer any questions at the meeting.
Mahalo,
Matt Glickstein, Executive Director, Lanai Academy of Performing Arts (LAPA)
I am writing this on behalf of Coach Coop and the Red Cabin Foundation. When Coach moved to Lana’i he didn’t just retire, or take it easy like many people in his shoes would do. Instead he embraced his new community and did something quite admirable. He wanted to build a facility for kids and gather the necessary support to do so.
Initially it was slated to be a batting cage, but after getting a pulse of the community it became clear that its needs were even greater. He then decided to help create a multipurpose facility that could accommodate more than just baseball.
Not long after, he reached out to our family to help provide the various sports equipment that could be used for this special place. Seeing his passion and care to do something special, we felt that this was an important project to help support.
Also the county joined in and helped build this unbelievable structure that will help the children of Lanai. Unfortunately during design, some decisions were made that need to be corrected for the structure to be able to stand the test of time.
One of the things that is important to us and other donors is that any equipment purchased would be well maintained and cared for. Coach Coop is the best person for this job, since he has consistently shown that he is all about doing what is right, is a man of great faith and ethics, and is so personally committed to this project.
I do not know how many years it has been since Coach Coop began his effort to make this project a reality, but it is disappointing that it has taken so long and been such an unbelievable effort by so many to create something that is clearly in Lanai’s best interest. I worry that many people that do not share Coop’s passion and dedication would have given up long ago. When our own processes inhibit doing good deeds, I believe the entire community suffers.
I know that you are all very busy, and also care deeply about the children of Lana’i. I hope that you can help Coach Coop and the community finish the project that they deserve.
BUTCH GIMA
P.O. Box 630400
Lanai City, HI 96763
Bg325@hotmail.com
April 5, 2023
Yuki Lei Sugimura, Chair
BFED Committee-Maui County Council
200 S. High St., 7th Fl.
Wailuku, HI 96793
RE: Lana’i Budget meeting, 4/13/23
Dear Chair Sugimura,
I am submitting written testimony as I will be on Oahu from April 12 to April 17, and will miss your hearing on the 13th.
Please accept and consider my following testimony:
1. Subdivision of the County’s 115 acres
Please budget accordingly to have the County’s 115 acres subdivided, something that’s been long overdue and contributed to the delay in developing the County’s Affordable Housing Project.
The parcel, per Mayoral commitments, must be subdivided into a 50 acre parcel for the SOH/DOE and the remaining 65 acres for the County’s Affordable Housing Project.
2. 5th Street Infrastructure Extension
Please set aside up to $25,000,000.00 of county and federal infrastructure funds for the 5th Street Infrastructure extension. The extension will serve the County’s Affordable Housing Project, Phase II of DHHL’s residential project and Lana’i High & Elementary’s Master Plan school expansion.
It is expected that the SOH/DOE and DHHL will provide their pro-rata share of the extension costs.
The 5th Street Infrastructure extension is necessary for the Affordable Housing Project to come to fruition.
3. Lanai Ave. Speed Tables
Speed tables have been approved by the Department of Public Works at 2-3 locations on Lana’i Ave. The Department has not provided me specific costs for the project but indicated it would be less than $50,000.00. Accordingly, please include this in your budget.
Thank you for considering my testimony. Please let me know if you need more information and/or clarification.
Sincerely,
/s/
Butch Gima
559-9566
C: Gabe Johnson, Council Member
Jordon Molina, Director
Rick Bissen, Mayor
Written testimony received at Lanai meeting 04-13-2023
I am Tricia Calhoon, a middle school teacher at Lanai High and Elementary School and I am testifying in support of Maui Economic Development Boardʻs Economic Development Grant under the Maui County Office of Economic Development.
I have benefitted from STEMworks through numerous free professional development opportunities, free materials and access to the STEMworks lending library to enhance the learning in my classroom.
STEMworks provides a valuable resource for all teachers but particularly for science teachers. I have borrowed technology tools, taken classes on coding, and been connected to a community of other teachers in Hawaii who have a shared interest in making their instruction more rigorous and interesting for students. This is particularly important for secondary teachers here on Lana'i because we teach in silos and have a limited community of professionals.
Mahalo,
Tricia Calhoon
Aloha from Lana’i! My name is Jennifer Riel and I moved to Lana’i over 16 years ago. I have 3 children and 2 of them have been involved with the Lana’i Academy of Performing Arts (LAPA).
My older daughter, Elena, is now a freshman in high school. She was involved with LAPA from first through fifth grades. Elena was always a naturally shy child but was and still is very athletic and involved with sports from a young age. However, it wasn’t until she started with LAPA that she found her voice and became more outgoing. She now successfully holds down a part time job, sports all year round and almost straight A's in school. I attribute quite a bit of her success to the LAPA foundation, its directors and its parent volunteers. I have seen their commitment to the children and their mentorship; school work comes first, participation in other activities is encouraged and time management becomes a focus from early on.
My younger daughter, Ava, is currently in first grade. She became involved with LAPA in kindergarten and has just thrived. She is also naturally shy but had her first role as a narrator in the Winter Program, put on for the parents. With the younger age group, there is a focus on story telling, play and reading skills.
Both of my younger children have benefited tremendously from the performing arts opportunities with LAPA. LAPA is the only organization of its kind on the island and is a welcoming home for all children, offering a variety of activities over the years. There has been screen writing, theatrical makeup, singing, acting and other various workshops as well as travel to see other plays and workshops from other experts.
Lana’i is a small island with a tight knit community. Fundraisers happen from pre‐school through 12th grade for all activities and sports. The community tries to support all children, but frankly, there is only so much to go around. I ask for any support that can be given to ensure that Lana’i as an island and especially our children, can continue to benefit from all that LAPA has to offer.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Riel
Jennriel508@gmail.com
610‐247‐3844
Matt Glickstein
P.O. Box 631903
Lanai City, HI 96763
lanaiacademy@gmail.com
April 12, 2023
Yuki Lei Sugimura, Chair
BFED Committee-Maui County Council
200 S. High St., 7th Fl.
Wailuku, HI 96793
RE: Lana’i Budget meeting, 4/13/23
Dear Chair Sugimura,
Aloha, my name is Matt Glickstein, and I’m the Executive Director for the Lanai Academy of Performing Arts (LAPA). I co-founded LAPA in 2013, and we became a 501(c)(3) non-profit as of September 2016.
A little about LAPA:
Since 2013, LAPA has put on 13 productions for the Lanai community, including Lion King Jr, Frozen Jr, and two original musicals. During COVID, we adapted our programming to performing arts classes (virtual and outdoor), with classes in dance, filmmaking, songwriting, improvisation, and special effects makeup. This year, for the first time since 2020, we are getting back on stage with two different live productions: The Claw, for grades K-8, and Bad Auditions by Bad Actors, for grades 6-12.
LAPA employs a staff of five people, and yearly we have from 80-100 students involved in our programming. For reference, Lanai High and Elementary School has around 550 students. For students to be in our live productions, we charge only $100, whereas programs on Maui charge between $800-$1000. LAPA is heavily reliant on public and private grants and donations to keep our tuition affordable for families on Lanai. Due to the nature of the community, there is only so much fundraising we are able to do, and our main source of income has been our live shows, which have been cutoff the past few years. We are grateful for the continued support of the County, State, and other Hawaii foundations.
I’m submitting written testimony to both advocate for funding for LAPA students to travel to Maui and do an exchange with the Maui Academy of Performing Arts (MAPA), and for a future facility in the 115 acres Maui County is planning on developing.
LAPA has collaborated with the Maui Academy of Performing Arts (MAPA) between 2016-2019, holding several MAPA/LAPA days where students from Lanai would travel to Maui for a day of theatre games and sharing performances with Maui Academy of Performing Arts students. Several students from LAPA have also participated in MAPA’s summer camps and performed in MAPA’s productions. Because there are no other performing arts groups or opportunities to watch live theater on Lanai, one of LAPA’s main objectives is to expose the Lanai students to other theater programs and performances. Most times, when Lanai kids go off island, it is for shopping, not for arts and cultural experiences. During COVID, LAPA was not able to travel to Maui. In 2023, we would like to hold a LAPA/MAPA day and also watch the summer MAPA musical performance of “Finding Nemo Jr.” with LAPA students. LAPA would like to take up to 30 students and at least 10 chaperones over to Maui on the weekend of July 7-9. In addition to watching MAPA’s performance, the Iao Theater (Maui OnStage) is doing a production of “Something Rotten,” a recent Broadway hit, which we would love to also take students to. In past years, LAPA has seen several productions at Iao Theater, including “Guys and Dolls” and “Monty Python’s Spamalot” and they have been extremely well done and professional.
Here is the estimated cost break down for two nights on Maui, which would include attending both “Finding Nemo Jr” and “Something Rotten.”
Round trip ferry tickets
30 students: $600
10 adults: $500
7-8 rental vehicles (2 days): $2000
2 nights hotel, 10 rooms estimated(cheapest available): $7000
Food cost (1 meal per day provided): $1000
Show tickets:
Something Rotten: $40/ticket average: $800
Finding Nemo Jr.: $15/ticket average: $600
Total estimated cost: $12,500
If Maui County is able to fund at least $10,000 towards this event, the cost per person would be only $62.50. At the full cost of $305 per person, we would not be able to get enough participation, making the trip impossible. In the past, LAPA students have been able to sleep at Seabury gym, which was on the same campus as MAPA’s performance venue. However, that is not the case this year. Unfortunately the high cost of Maui overnight accommodations make off island trips extremely difficult. Students on Lanai are very isolated from arts and cultural experiences such as live theater—there is no way to access the magic of live theater other than traveling off island. Having LAPA kids see and meet other kids and theater professionals can make a huge impact not only on the LAPA program, but on the development of Lanai kids as individuals.
Over the years, LAPA has rehearsed mainly at LHES school and performed in the cafeteria. We have tried almost every other conceivable location for rehearsals and performances. While we are grateful for the space, some of our main challenges are:
—the stage is small, our cast size is completely maxed out at 35-40 kids, not much room for expanding beyond that.
—we are unable to store our sound equipment/costumes long term
—any major performances really need to be done when school is out of session, otherwise we have to do a complete set up and breakdown of sound/sets/costumes every rehearsal and performance
—all of the sound and lighting equipment has to be brought in, whereas a space designed to be a theater has all of that already there
—acoustics are not ideally suited for live performances, with the room being very “live”
—on windy/rainy days there is a lot of extra noise and complications
—backstage space is extremely small for kids to wait
It has been a dream of mine since beginning the program to have a consistent facility we could call home, and to have our students be able to perform in a high quality theater space with proper lighting and sound built in without having to go off island. In 2019, LAPA students and families traveled to the Junior Theater Festival in Sacramento, CA, which is a yearly gathering that brings over 2000 other students from around the world. LAPA presented a 15 minute adjudicated performance and won several national awards. It was gratifying to be recognized, but it just confirmed what I already knew: kids on Lanai deserve a theater facility. Ideally, anything built would be a multi-use community center and be open to any other organizations and be able to host community events, as well as off island guest performers. The proposed building area is within walking distance for students, which also makes it an ideal location for LAPA.
Recently, Pulama Lanai has opened up the Lanai Ocean Theater, which is an extremely nice venue. However, for every use, the stage has to be setup and taken down and specialists need to be flown in to run lights and sound, which makes it very expensive. The first couple of events have been great, and offered free of charge to community members. Still, there is no venue in Lanai City that is designed to be a live performance space. I feel there has been a need for one since I moved to the island in 2007. Building a facility in the 115 acres being considered for housing would be a huge benefit to the island of Lanai.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I would be happy to provide more information or answer any questions at the meeting.
Mahalo,
Matt Glickstein, Executive Director, Lanai Academy of Performing Arts (LAPA)
I am writing this on behalf of Coach Coop and the Red Cabin Foundation. When Coach moved to Lana’i he didn’t just retire, or take it easy like many people in his shoes would do. Instead he embraced his new community and did something quite admirable. He wanted to build a facility for kids and gather the necessary support to do so.
Initially it was slated to be a batting cage, but after getting a pulse of the community it became clear that its needs were even greater. He then decided to help create a multipurpose facility that could accommodate more than just baseball.
Not long after, he reached out to our family to help provide the various sports equipment that could be used for this special place. Seeing his passion and care to do something special, we felt that this was an important project to help support.
Also the county joined in and helped build this unbelievable structure that will help the children of Lanai. Unfortunately during design, some decisions were made that need to be corrected for the structure to be able to stand the test of time.
One of the things that is important to us and other donors is that any equipment purchased would be well maintained and cared for. Coach Coop is the best person for this job, since he has consistently shown that he is all about doing what is right, is a man of great faith and ethics, and is so personally committed to this project.
I do not know how many years it has been since Coach Coop began his effort to make this project a reality, but it is disappointing that it has taken so long and been such an unbelievable effort by so many to create something that is clearly in Lanai’s best interest. I worry that many people that do not share Coop’s passion and dedication would have given up long ago. When our own processes inhibit doing good deeds, I believe the entire community suffers.
I know that you are all very busy, and also care deeply about the children of Lana’i. I hope that you can help Coach Coop and the community finish the project that they deserve.
Aloha,
Chad Goodfellow
BUTCH GIMA
P.O. Box 630400
Lanai City, HI 96763
Bg325@hotmail.com
April 5, 2023
Yuki Lei Sugimura, Chair
BFED Committee-Maui County Council
200 S. High St., 7th Fl.
Wailuku, HI 96793
RE: Lana’i Budget meeting, 4/13/23
Dear Chair Sugimura,
I am submitting written testimony as I will be on Oahu from April 12 to April 17, and will miss your hearing on the 13th.
Please accept and consider my following testimony:
1. Subdivision of the County’s 115 acres
Please budget accordingly to have the County’s 115 acres subdivided, something that’s been long overdue and contributed to the delay in developing the County’s Affordable Housing Project.
The parcel, per Mayoral commitments, must be subdivided into a 50 acre parcel for the SOH/DOE and the remaining 65 acres for the County’s Affordable Housing Project.
2. 5th Street Infrastructure Extension
Please set aside up to $25,000,000.00 of county and federal infrastructure funds for the 5th Street Infrastructure extension. The extension will serve the County’s Affordable Housing Project, Phase II of DHHL’s residential project and Lana’i High & Elementary’s Master Plan school expansion.
It is expected that the SOH/DOE and DHHL will provide their pro-rata share of the extension costs.
The 5th Street Infrastructure extension is necessary for the Affordable Housing Project to come to fruition.
3. Lanai Ave. Speed Tables
Speed tables have been approved by the Department of Public Works at 2-3 locations on Lana’i Ave. The Department has not provided me specific costs for the project but indicated it would be less than $50,000.00. Accordingly, please include this in your budget.
Thank you for considering my testimony. Please let me know if you need more information and/or clarification.
Sincerely,
/s/
Butch Gima
559-9566
C: Gabe Johnson, Council Member
Jordon Molina, Director
Rick Bissen, Mayor