Protect Windsurf Schools on Maui, sample email, SEND IT

[geohaye]

2 minutes to protect watersports schools on Maui.
Copy & paste the comment letter (included below), address it to the email addresses listed (below), and SEND IT!

I. EMAIL ADDRESSES:
Please email to all of the following individuals:

Address List Updated March 03, 08:

charmaine.tavares@co.maui.hi.us, tamara.horcajo@co.maui.hi.us, sentsutsui@Capitol.hawaii.gov, zachary.helm@co.maui.hi.us, jo_anne.johnson@mauicounty.us, michelle.anderson@mauicounty.us, alan@hstwindsurfing.com, suziej@maui.net, parks.dept@mauicounty.gov, charmaine.tavares@mauicounty.us, mayors.office@mauicounty.gov, kelii@mauivb.com, parks.dept@co.maui.hi.us, kelii@mvb.com

The testimony could be sent before 5pm HI time Tuesday February 26, 2008 (prior to the next meeting), but it will still be effective as long as it is sent prior to April 8, 2008.

II. COMMENT LETTER
The following statement originally written by David and Suzie Dorn (of Action Sports Maui) has been edited (by me) a fair amount and now can simply be copied and pasted as a public-comment email. Writing your own, or at least adding a quick 1 or 2-sentence paragraph at the start to personalize your public comment will make your contribution to this cause far more effective. But if you are pressed for time, do your copy & paste and just send it!

For your reference, a copy of the Proposed Rules are here:
http://216.70.100.159/www/MC10-102.pdf

A word from Alan Cadiz of HST Maui: We are working hard to maintain your access to quality, affordable lessons here on Maui. Unfortunately, the proposed rules go too far and are a seismic threat to the viability of watersports instruction businesses. Your support and positive comments about the status quo at Kanaha Beach Park, Maui, would be invaluable at this time.

*SIGNATURE: Please "sign" this email with your full name and full mailing address.
*EMAIL SUBJECT: Please protect watersports schools on Maui

To Honorable Mayor Tavares, Parks Director Horcajo, Senator Tsutsui,
and all decision-makers who are witness to this testimony,

The Maui County Parks Department's new rules could force most of the existing watersports schools out of business. Surf, windsurf, kitesurf, scuba, snorkel, and kayak schools and instructors are all at risk.

Please do not enact these overly-restrictive regulations because they would harm local individuals and families living and doing business on Maui (many for several decades). Also, the regulations would strongly discourage many forms of healthy recreation on the island -- something that our health professionals all agree we need more of, not less.

Surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, scuba diving, kayaking, and snorkeling. These are healthy activities enjoyed by Hawaiian families and visitors alike. These activities lead to healthy lifestyles based on outdoor activity and physical exercise.

The new rules proposed by the Parks Director are so restrictive that they pose an imminent threat to the watersports schools. These school operators need a County issued permit called an ORAP: Ocean Recreation Activity Permit. The County's new requirements are effectively impossible for watersports schools to comply with.

Just one example is Proposed Rule 10-102-22 which would prohibit schools from having more than two instructors working at one time. This will eliminate most group lessons, including kids camps and high-school programs, and would make all kinds of lessons less available to students. This would likely put the vast majority of watersports instructors out of work, and many schools may go out of business.

Many of these schools are family-owned small businesses which employ numerous local instructors and staff. These schools provide important lessons on water safety and ocean awareness. Most of these schools have been serving the community for a decade or more, without any problems. Kanaha Beach Park is one of the key locations where these important classes take place.

These watersports schools provide instruction to local families, high school, and elementary school groups. Watersports education teaches the students to respect the ocean and gives them fundamental and necessary skills.

Beginners entering the ocean for the first time are the most vulnerable group of ocean users. They require guidance. With some fundamental instruction they begin to develop a sense of safety in the ocean. This is a benefit to all the water users. ORAP Schools provide an important safety net for inexperienced ocean users and as such they provide an important service for our community.

Please do not enact these new regulations because they would have harmful effects on: public health, the lives of a large number of hard-working citizens, and the local economy.

Thank you for your time.

[hstwindsurfing]

It is import to point out that we all lose when these schools are forced out. Most people don’t care when a business goes under, but when it is business that they frequent or intend to take advantage in the future then it everyone’s loss when that business is gone.

Maybe you never needed instruction, maybe you never voted but if your option was taken away you have no choice.


Alan Cadiz

[geohaye]

Yes, and: the future of windsurfing (and kiteboarding) -- in terms of number of riders as well as open beach access and availability of gear -- is intimately tied to the strong presence of schools. Maui being one of the prime meccas.. it goes without saying that we need to protect the schools.

[geohaye]

For your reference, a copy of the Proposed Rules are here:

http://216.70.100.159/www/MC10-102.pdf

[geohaye]

Now they moved the file with the Proposed Rules due to extraordinary numbers of folks downloading it.

Send me a "Message Center" message using the Forums here if you'd like me to email you a copy. I have the PDF file saved on my computer.

[geohaye]

And now the emails to the Mayor and County appear to have started bouncing. Mailboxes full? Good thing we also sent these testimony emails to Suzie and Alan. Suzie just told me she's printing all of them.

I've added 3 new email addresses to the long list in the alert message, above.

[actionsportsmaui]

The CORA situation Explained. (MC 10-102), 2/27/2008
Maui February 2008: Water sport school’s and instructors are facing a crisis. New rules are coming that will force many to close and many instructors will lose their jobs. These rules are extremely Restrictive and Punitive. These rules affect Surfing, Windsurf, Kitesurf, Scuba, Kayak, and Snorkel Schools, instructors and guides. Here is some information to help you better understand the situation.

What is CORA?Watersports schools on Maui need a permit to operate on County beaches.
Windsurf and kitesurf, surf schools (& scuba, kayak, snorkel) are called “CORA”, Commercial Ocean Recreation Activity.

What is an ORAP?The Orap (Ocean Recreation Activity Permit) system ensures that each CORA has got insurance and operates responsibly. This system has functioned adequately since its inception 16 years ago. (please note that some SCUBA operators have been teaching on Maui for 32+ years, and some Windsurf Schools have been teaching for 23+ years, well before this system was introduced.)

New rules are restrictive:
The new rules contain many restrictions that are “deal breakers” for most Cora schools. For many schools the most damaging new rule is the cap on the number of instructors, which is two (2). This may (in itself) not be as devastating to a small scuba instructor with one or two instructors. but totally devastates any school with more than two instructors.

For Example;
This means that if a school has 8 instructors, six will lose their jobs. (and the schools loses ¾ of its capacity).

Beach Reductions; If a school had three different beaches to choose from, they now have to pick just one. That means no matter which way that wind is blowing, or where the surf is that day, they are restricted to go to only one beach. This also means that the instructor has no discretion where to teach, even if there are better safer conditions on another beach.

Available area is reduced;On the most popular beaches, the area available for Cora has been cut in half.
Kitebeach (Kanaha beach), cut in half, Kanaha Windsurfing beach, cut in half, Kalama park for surfing, cut in half. Reducing the available areas increases crowding. And reduces ocean safety.

Why are they doing this?
(at the Cora meeting 2/26/2008) We asked Tamara why she is doing this, and she quoted Maui County Code Chapter 13.04 x, which says, our job is..“To fairly and effectively regulate commercial ocean recreational activity to ensure the beach parks and other county property are utilized for the community’s maximum recreational environmental and economic benefit.”

These rules have the opposite effect:
These rules run contrary to the Parks Department’s mandate. And the have the opposite effect than their “intended’ purpose.
We could argue that it is not fair to regulate the operators out of business.
Or to the many instructors who will lose their jobs. Not fair to schools with more than two instructors. Not fair to schools with more than one activity.
This is not effective regulation when responsible permit holders who have abided by the system for 16+ years are suddenly devastated by one set of rule changes.

The community’s maximum recreational benefit?: When the community no longer has the option to get surfing lessons at different locations, or when the choice of scuba school is reduced from 17 to 4. There is actually a reduction in recreational benefit when there are so few schools and instructors, there will not be enough lessons to go around.
There is no economic benefit to the community, when so many people will lose their jobs. When schools are forced to close down, and all the money that was pumped back into the community is lost. What is the economic effect on the community when a small family owned schools are shut down? Many local families will be left without any income, and their instructors and staff lose their jobs and will go on welfare. There is also a larger watersports community and local watersports industry on Maui that will be negatively impacted by the effects of MC10-102

Ocean Safety will be reduced:
We have not even touched on the topic of ocean safety. When there are no more lessons, there will be a severe deficit in common ocean awareness. Ocean safety will be severely reduced when there are no lessons available.

Point form,
Effects of Parks Dept rules MC10-102:Reduces total number of permits.
Reduces beach parks available for activities.
Reduces the days available to operate.
Reduces the times available to operate.
Reduces the number of activities per permit holder.
Reduces that number of instructors.
Reduces the number of students.
Reduces optional beach locations for an activity.
Increases fees, many times the current amount.
Increases certification requirements (burdensome).
Increased penalties for any non-compliance.

Other effects:
Puts instructors out of work.
Causes schools to close down.
Reduces access to watersports lessons.
Reduces locations where lessons are available.
Decreases Ocean safety.

Here are some numbers of what MC10-102 has taken away
(Since the CORA study in 2005):
Eliminated 43 surfing permits.
Eliminated 45 kayak permits.
Eliminated 50 scuba permits.
Eliminated 9 windsurf permits.
Eliminated 15 kitesurf permits.
Eliminated 34 snorkel permits.
*In 2005 there were 277 permitted activities, In 2008 it was reduced to 97.
This is a 65% reduction.
Eliminated 18 surfing beaches from any Cora activity.
Eliminated 14 Kayak beaches.
Eliminated 8 Scuba beaches.
Eliminated 18 Windsurfing beaches.
Eliminated 18 and a half Kitesurfing beaches.
Eliminated 17 Snorkeling beaches.

These are just a few examples of the problems with MC10-102.
Please do not let these rules take effect and devastate our hardworking Cora community.
Regards,
David Dorn

[actionsportsmaui]

please use these updated emails for Maui County.

• Executive director to the mayor Stan Zitnik Stan.Zitnik@co.maui.hi.us
• Public comments to Parks department parks.department@mauicounty.gov
• Tamara Horcajo, Maui County Parks Director, tamara.horcajo@co.maui.hi.us
• Zachary Helm, Deputy Director Parks, zachary.helm@co.maui.hi.us
• Mayor Charmaine Tavares, charmaine.tavares@co.maui.hi.us

[actionsportsmaui]

Maui schools and instructors still need your support, you can still send emails to MauiCounty, before our public hearing in April and then Right up until June 30th deadline.

To see some more examples of email testimony in support of Maui windsurf Schools, check out the
Maui Watersports Forum,
http://216.70.100.159/forum/viewtopic.php?t=116

[actionsportsmaui]

Parks director bypasses regulatory review board. Thursday, March 27, 2008

Parks Director Tamara Horcajo has decided to bypass the recommendations of the Small Business Regulatory Review Board (SBRRB). Mrs Horcajo said she will rewrite the Park’s Departments Administrative CORA Rules without further discussions with the CORA operators, and she also threatens to take them directly to a Public Hearing, without first taking them to the Review board for approval.

This goes directly against the recommendations made by the SBRRB review board on Oahu last week. The Small Business Regulatory Board is appointed by the Governor to be the watchdog of government overregulation of Small Businesses.

This cavalier attitude and disregard for the Board’s directives demonstrates Mrs Horcajo’s unwillingness to work with the schools to create fair and workable rules.

The CORA schools have requested an emergency meeting with the Mayor to get clarification on important issues.