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Bidder pitches
fees on Waipio
soccer park

The $20-$25 fees would go
for maintenance and upkeep

By Harold Morse
Star-Bulletin

One scenario for the new $11 million Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park: Make it self-sufficient by charging user fees for teams to play soccer and seek advertising and sponsorship to help pay for maintenance and upkeep.

"It's going to take education on our part," said Alex Smith, president of HI-5 Sports, one of several entities interested in managing the soccer complex for the city.

Smith told the Waipahu Neighborhood Board last week he would approach it on an entrepreneurial basis.

But he would also view it as a nonprofit operation -- with any extra money generated plowed back into the complex with a portion perhaps going to the city.

Smith, a certified public accountant, hopes to combine sports with business.

Mainland soccer interests are looking at the new facility for prospective tournaments -- and as soccer players come in from out of town, hotels could also get involved, he said.

After initial city management, he said he hopes he could take over.

"The support of the local community is very important. That's why I'm here today," Smith said.

And, Smith said, the new complex will also provide jobs.

He said he would seek overall control of concessions in the main contract and then subcontract out to concessionaires.

But he said outside food should also be allowed.

Smith envisions heavy use of the soccer fields on weekends, and less use on weekdays, which means the community could use the fields during the week. Parking would be free.

Some board opposition emerged to kids' soccer teams paying to use the facility.

Other board concerns were how the complex could be kept up to national standards with the city spending as little tax money as possible on groundskeeping.

Smith, who wants a five-year contract, said fees might run in the vicinity of $20 or $25 for two hours on a field, with the cost split between the two teams, which would mean about $1 a player.

The closing date for submitting bid proposals to manage the complex has been extended from July 11 to July 31.