The saga of the Hawai‘i Convention Center and its need for repair continues, in an uncertain year and era for the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the agency charged with its operations.

This time around, amid rumblings of defunding the HTA altogether, Hawaii’s Legislature chose to shine off a request for $64 million to rebuild, repair and shade the convention center’s roof.

Instead, the Legislature allotted $15 million for a basic fix that will seal the roof, but leave it unusable for public events.

On its face, this is a foolhardy move, since it limits full use of the center — plus a prized rooftop venue and view — while full repair costs are only projected to rise. That’s unacceptable.

Meanwhile, another path may be percolating: HTA is considering redeveloping all or a part of the Hawai‘i Convention Center, with $500,000 allocated to the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) to explore this.

A “redevelopment” in the form of a convention center district could generate additional money to rework the roof and for other uses. But the parameters and goal remain vague: How long might that take, for instance, and what will happen in the interim?

HTA’s intent is stated in Senate Bill 3334, which establishes DBEDT’s CEO, or an appointee, as a member of HTA’s board. That bill, incidentally, also transfers Hawaii’s Stadium Authority, overseer of the stadium development district, to be under DBEDT, away from the Department of Accounting and General Services.

For the convention center, the emerging talk for a new development district around the center is another twist in a history of what-ifs that have bogged necessary roof repairs.

Problems with the structure, in particular the rooftop terrace, became evident even before the $200 million structure opened in 1998. Roof leaks and necessary repairs were identified over the years, but were not addressed. As fixes were postponed, costs ballooned.

About 10 years ago, the HTA began to consider adding a Center for Hawaiian Music and Dance atop the convention center, contemplating a roof retrofit in conjunction with that project. In 2014, HTA awarded an $850,000 contract for a business plan and design study to WCIT Architecture and subcontractor DTL Hawaii, spending more than 10 times the amount allotted by the Legislature.

In 2015, WCIT delivered a plan for a $98 million, 40,000-square-foot center with open-air seating, a performance stage and hula space. But resistance developed to the costly plan, and there was little progress over the next decade. Meanwhile, rooftop maintenance was deferred.

Ultimately the state Legislature reversed course and withdrew legislation requiring that a music-and-dance center be built at the convention center. Repairs could now move forward — and they should.

Past performance, however, doesn’t instill confidence. Mike McCartney, then-CEO of the HTA, presided over planning for the music-and-dance center. Currently, McCartney heads DBEDT, which will helm planning for the convention center’s redevelopment district concept.

As for the center’s deferred maintenance, the situation grows more urgent. A 2021 report found that unless leaking is stopped, significant repair will be needed for makai-side meeting rooms, the children’s courtyard and parts of the lobby. Two stairwells are already so damaged that they might need to be closed as fire exits.

There should be no more delays in making necessary repairs to avoid further deterioration. That must be a priority.

As HTA board member Fred Atkins told the Star-Advertiser, “Next year is the best year to do (the rooftop terrace deck repair). If you wait to 2026, you don’t really have a working convention center.”

In October 2021, the Star-Advertiser reported that the rooftop repair estimate had more than doubled in four years, from $27 million estimated in 2017. HTA and the governor need to find the money now, to finally fix what’s broken — before it gets worse.