The Aloha Stadium management has asked the HHSAA, which has maintained offices in the stadium for most of the past four years, to vacate as of July 15.
That's two weeks after Dwight Toyama replaces Ed Kiyuna as president of the HHSAA, and Toyama said finding a new headquarters will be tough.
Stadium manager Eddie Hayashi denied that the eviction of the HHSAA has anything to do with what has become a public feud between supporters of Kiyuna and Toyama. Hayashi said the reason the HHSAA is being asked to leave is because it is no longer affiliated with DOE.
"We don't want other independent associations thinking they can come in here," said Hayashi.
The HHSAA officially gained its independence from the Department of Education last July. Asked why he didn't tell the HHSAA to leave at that time, Hayashi said he spoke with Kiyuna about the situation but did not send a formal letter to him until two months ago.
"I wrote Ed Kiyuna a letter that they have to vacate the office because we need it for our own use, that is, for storage and for office space for licensees like the Pro Bowl, the Hula Bowl and the Aloha Bowl," said Hayashi.
HHSAA president Al Nagasako, asked if he thinks the eviction is related to the fact that Kiyuna has friends on the stadium board, said, "I hope it isn't. I'm more concerned with establishing a positive relationship with the stadium authority."
The stadium had charged no rent to the HHSAA, but Hayashi said he is confident the association can find new quarters with the corporate funding that its new leaders have been talking about finding.
But Nagasako said the association does not have the necessary sponsors right now to pay for new headquarters and Toyama said the HHSAA cannot afford the $20,000 or $30,000 that it will need to pay for rental space.
"Whatever we pay for rent is taking away from the kids," said Nagasako. "We want to make sure that more money goes to the school level."
Kiyuna was executive secretary of the DOE-affiliated HHSAA for 17 years and was appointed on July 30, 1995, to be the one-year interim executive director of the independent HHSAA.
Kiyuna's allies charge that Nagasako mishandled the selection and announcement of the new executive director.
In an April 25 letter, Kiyuna's administrative assistant, Sandy Tanaka, contends that Nagasako had no right to release the name of Kiyuna's successor and charged Nagasako with "unprofessionalism," "disrespect" for Kiyuna's accomplishments as executive director, and with promoting "mistrust and animosity" between HHSAA members and Kiyuna.