The decision to back-burner a planned remake of the Neal S. Blaisdell Center (NBC) was the right one, but it’s clearly long overdue.
Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s announcement that the major renovation of the 22-acre campus, pegged to start this year, came on Monday, with concerns about the coming burden of rail operation costs as the primary reason.
Of course, that reason has been on the horizon for years now. Coming to this reality check a lot sooner could have avoided the expenditures already made — a total of $16.9 million, including a master plan, feasibility study and other preliminary planning and design costs.
That said, it should be possible for the city to move ahead to budget for the critical rail costs and to scale down the Blaisdell renovation considerably, as the mayor now proposes, without entirely abandoning the concept of a revitalized arts and entertainment district.
The sticker shock for the full-scale Blaisdell project was the real stopper. Planners estimated the pricetag at $773 million in their draft of the environmental impact statement. That would have involved demolition and replacement of the arena, exhibition hall and parking structure, with the complex to close for about three years starting in November.
That kind of investment is on the same immense fiscal commitment as the rail operations budget, which still must be hammered out in the coming months.
Right now, there are far too many pending questions about the rail to add another weight on the scale. There is the initial 10-mile segment to complete and to put in place, enabling paying commuters to ride. The fare schedule still must be settled, and the systems finalized for the running of the trains.
There are all the questions surrounding the completion of the final segment, of course — oversight inquiries by the federal authorities and the issuance of a final construction contract that must come in on budget. Although these issues don’t directly affect the plans to run the partial service by year’s end, they certainly are on the minds of the City Council members controlling budgets.
Setting aside the rail concerns, there are other reasons for a more measured approach to NBC upgrades, which had been envisioned as a full overhaul, featuring new sports and exhibition spaces as well as the performance facilities.
One is the demand for venues, and how that can be met with existing, and already planned, facilities. One project better positioned to fulfill larger-scale entertainment and event needs would be the redevelopment of Aloha Stadium.
Last year lawmakers advanced that plan by appropriating $350 million in bond money, including
$20 million in general funds, to kick off the stadium project. The redevelopment, which will entail construction of residential towers and commercial properties, will be served by rail and has the potential to accommodate larger events and crowds.
It’s rational to at least ask whether Honolulu can afford to enlarge two such event complexes at this juncture, and to sustain them over the long term.
However, there is call to update the aging NBC complex, and it’s good that the city intends to pursue a more-limited facelift there. City officials should settle on a plan for equipment and cosmetic fixes suited to requirements for current bookings, with an eye to tie the NBC complex with the Honolulu Museum of Art and Thomas Square.
Ultimately transit-oriented development around NBC could be planned to complement an energized arts district, even supporting a larger renovation, and revisiting Caldwell’s master plan, at the right time. That time, though, is not at hand.
