Amid all the frenzied preparations for the World Conservation Congress this week, let’s all take a moment to send good thoughts to the maintenance crew at the Neal Blaisdell Center (NBC).

Most of the WCC events will take place in the sunlit splendor of the Hawaii Convention Center. But when talk emerged that President Barack Obama might appear at Thursday’s opening ceremony, making the Secret Service skittish with all those glass ceilings, the NBC was seen as the more secure location. Gulp. NBC has a special spot in the hearts of kamaaina — but, well, it has a certain lived-in look, right?

Now comes word that Obama might not be attending the WCC opener, after all. Ah well, if it all got the NBC spiffed up a bit, no complaints.