Dobelle’s ambitious
plans settle on
Kakaako site
Some lawmakers are wondering
about the UH president's resolve
to restrain spending
By Treena Shapiro
tshapiro@starbulletin.com
Saying the University of Hawaii is in an exceptional position to bolster the state's shaky economy, UH President Evan Dobelle announced a $700 million capital improvement program yesterday that includes a medical complex in Kakaako and a new West Oahu campus in downtown Kapolei.
Other plans would increase the potential for four-year campuses on the neighbor islands, as well as provide for systemwide maintenance and repairs.
Gov. Ben Cayetano has called on the state Legislature to make available $1 billion for capital improvement projects as a remedy for the state's economic downturn in the wake of the terrorist strikes on Sept. 11.
Lawmakers are expected to go into a special session targeted for Oct. 22 to address the recovery plan.
"The university is in an exceptional position to make a difference in both the short and long term -- and to make that difference today," Dobelle said at a news conference.
He said some of the projects could begin in three months.
Funneling money into university development could help the state in many ways, in part by opening up five years of full employment for Hawaii's construction trades, Dobelle said.
In addition, the projects call for building a first-class university from the ground up, nurturing information and biotechnology sectors, expanding the university to accommodate as many as 20,000 more students, providing a downtown anchor for Kapolei and developing the industrial site at Kakaako.
After considering 10 other locations for the John A. Burns School of Medicine, the university settled on Kakaako, the site recommended by Cayetano.
According to Manoa Vice Chancellor Karl Kim, site visits made it clear that Kakaako was most appropriate for a medical complex that would promote health and wellness throughout the state.
"Overall the Kakaako site would best meet the needs of the university and the broader community. The Kakaako site is in close proximity to area hospitals, it's large enough to allow for future expansion and growth," he said.
The land is available and much of the infrastructure is in place, Kim said. In addition, he said there are proposed bus rapid transit stations at the site, which would ease traffic congestion.
According to Dobelle, the entire medical complex, which includes new facilities for the medical school and Cancer Research Center and a new biotechnology center, would cost $300 million, half of which he said could be funded from the state's $1.2 billion tobacco fund and the other half to come from private fundraising.
Dobelle said more details of the $150 million UH-West Oahu campus will be worked out over the next few days. The proposed site is next to the Kapolei library, he said.
Establishing the West Oahu campus allows the university to build on the potential of its flagship Manoa campus, while also meeting the needs of the rest of the state's population, Dobelle said.
"The University of Hawaii-West Oahu captures not only the need today, but clearly, over the next 15 years, the extraordinary need that's going to be, with the population moving hugely into the West Oahu area," he said.
Lawmakers contacted yesterday said that they wanted to see details of Dobelle's proposals before offering opinions on the feasibility of his plans.
"I'm pleased that he has apparently come up with the site for the medical center," said House Higher Education vice chairman Nestor Garcia, D-Waipahu.
However, Garcia questioned how Dobelle planned to raise $150 million for the medical school.
In addition, he was concerned that the initial construction funds would be followed by a need to increase the university's operating budget. Dobelle stated on his first day on the job that he would not ask for a supplemental budget from the Legislature for 18 months, Garcia noted.
"When you request funds for bricks and mortar you need people to staff those projects and I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop," he said. "I would assume that he would ask us for money to pay for the staff of those buildings."
Senate President Robert Bunda, D-Wahiawa-Haleiwa-North Shore, said it would not be impossible to meet Dobelle's requests, but that lawmakers would have to determine whether it would be the most responsible thing to do.
"I would say there are a lot of challenges to funding some of his projects, but nothing that we can't overcome," he said. However, the Legislature may have other priorities.
"We have to work through a lot of the issues," he said. "A billion is a lot of money and we haven't come to consensus about how it's going to be spent."
Building a bigger university
The $700 million capital improvement project proposed by University of Hawaii President Evan Dobelle breaks down into two packages:
1
$150 million from the state's $1.2 billion tobacco settlement fund, matched by $150 million from UH fund raising, apart from the governor's proposed capital improvements budget. The $300 million breaks down this way:
>> $150 million for a new facility for the John A. Burns School of Medicine in Kakaako;
>> $80 million for relocation of the Cancer Research Center;
>> $10 million for a new Center for Biotechnology;
>> $60 million to renovate the existing medical school facilities at the UH-Manoa
campus for biotechnology and biology related fields.
2
$400 million would come from the $1 billion for construction projects Gov. Ben Cayetano is requesting from the state Legislature. It would include:
>> $150 million for the creation of the UH-West Oahu campus in downtown Kapolei;
>> $88 million for the construction of a multi-purpose arena at UH-Hilo;
>> $70 million for an addition to Kennedy Theatre to house the facilities for Information Technology Services and Information and Computer Sciences and the initial stage for a systemwide film school;
>> $18 million for Kauai Community College to create a student services, academic support and administrative complex;
>> Nearly $11 million for the renovation of the student services building at UH Maui;
>> $8 million for infrastructure development in preparation for the UH Center at West Hawaii;
>> $55 million for systemwide repairs and maintenance, including $25 million for UH-Manoa and $13 million for UH Hilo.
|
|
