“Even an estimated timetable for replacing the rusted 46-year-old Aloha Stadium is undetermined.” — Honolulu Star-Advertiser article, Oct. 13
“Keep priorities right on Stadium” — Honolulu Star-Advertiser headline, “Our View” editorial, Oct. 18
With the retirement of Aloha Stadium’s long-time manager Scott Chan, an era has come to an end. The time has come as well to say goodbye to the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District (NASED) in Halawa, which we believe will be a financial sinkhole for Hawaii’s taxpayers and a walk-away disaster for any developer.
As the Oct. 18 editorial made clear in terms of priorities, the University of Hawaii is not even mentioned, let alone the Rainbow Warriors football team. In fact, of the “state officials in charge … only the Stadium Authority and the Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS) are cited.” UH is nowhere to be found.
It goes on to say: “ … most of the details will be filled in by the winning developer … ”
The editorial is merely stating the unfortunate facts. To our knowledge the UH has been effectively completely left out of the NASED equation.
The University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) on the other hand has, under the able leadership of Athletics Director Dave Matlin and the UH system administrative team led by CFO Kalbert Young, proved it can respond to the stadium challenge with dispatch, efficiency and quality. The Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Complex (CAC) was built to standard in less than a year with a minimum of bureaucratic static and a maximum of cooperative on-time, on-budget success.
>> RELATED: Meanwhile, state advances ball at Halawa
The Legislature has approved $350 million to construct a new stadium. It has approved between $170 million and $180 million in general obligation bonds to be spent as a “share” of the cost of a new stadium at Halawa.
We believe UHM could and should build a new collegiate level stadium at the Ching Athletic Complex in Manoa for a fraction of the $350 million already allotted, and build it in a fraction of the time it will take the Halawa Stadium project to unfold.
We propose:
>> That a collegiate level stadium at the Ching Athletics Complex become the permanent home of Hawaii’s Division I football team, the Rainbow Warriors.
>> That the athletics complex have a 22,000- to 27,000-seat capacity (Utah State has 25,000; San Jose, 29,000).
>> That the UH system administration and the UH Athletics Department be charged with preparing and implementing a construction and management plan for a Division I collegiate level stadium at the Ching Athletics Complex area in Manoa.
>> That the $170 million to $180 million in general obligation bond authority be reallocated to UHM in support of the Ching Athletics Complex, pending final cost projections.
>> That the existing Stadium Authority be dissolved and a new stadium be removed from any resulting new plans for Halawa.
>> That NASED be dissolved and a New Halawa Housing Authority be charged with drafting a request for proposal for the entire 98 acres for residential development, with appropriate commercial/retail elements emphasizing workforce and affordable housing with further emphasis on rentals.
Summing up: We believe a collegiate-level stadium in Manoa will bring renewed, reenergized interest in and support for the University of Hawaii and its campuses statewide.
Our Rainbow Warrior Division I football team cannot survive if it has to wait for years for a new stadium to even begin construction. Recruitment capability will disappear. The health and safety of players will be jeopardized as the team becomes less competitive.
We believe developer dollars at Halawa should go where they are desperately needed: housing.
We are not questioning the good intentions or the sincere commitment of state officials to this point. All three of us have advocated for a stadium/housing combination of some kind in past years, working with many of the same good people now associated with NASED efforts.
But we have concluded what might have been possible or desirable a decade or more ago is no longer feasible or in tune with present reality.
What we propose is sensible, practical, timely and easily understood by the public. The University of Hawaii has proved it can go from concept to construction to completion in record time in Manoa.
Time to do it — again!
The authors are former Hawaii governors: Neil Abercrombie, 2010- 14; Ben Cayetano, 1994-2002; John Waihee, 1986-94.
