Bill would hike
rental fees for
Blaisdell Center
complex

It may lower costs for concerts
but raise costs for high schools

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By Crystal Kua
ckua@starbulletin.com

The Blaisdell Center complex may get more Broadway shows and big-name rockers like Elton John but fewer high school graduations and Honolulu Symphony concerts as a result of a City Council proposal.

A bill passed by the City Council's Budget Committee yesterday would:

>> Increase the rental fees by 100 percent to 200 percent at the Blaisdell arena, concert hall and exhibition hall.

>> Set up a sliding scale for rent, based on gross profits, so the Blaisdell arena could attract more big-name shows.

"These rates would again put us back in serious financial trouble," Steve Bloom, president of the Honolulu Symphony, told the committee.

Randi Porras-Tang, principal of Kalani High School, which uses the arena and exhibition hall, said in a telephone interview after the hearing, "I know it's a hardship time economically for the city and county, but the same thing for the parents and students, and it would force us to charge more."

The bill is slated for a public hearing before the full Council.

Barry Fukunaga, director of the city Enterprise Services Department, said the bill would allow the city to try to meet expenses. While the cost to operate the Blaisdell arena currently is about $6,600 a day, the city charges only $2,000 in rent and wants to raise it to $4,000.

"What we want to do is reduce that disparity, bring it closer to our actual operating costs," Fukunaga said. "That entails us having to raise rent closer to that."

But Fukunaga said the sliding-scale part of the bill could attract more lucrative events to the Blaisdell.

"What you're finding is that a lot of promoters are having difficulty because of the fact that there's high transportation costs in bringing events here, and in order for them ... to make that investment, they need an opportunity to recapture not only their investment, their cost of performance, but also the opportunity to realize some profit out of this," Fukunaga said.

Manuel Sanchez, of Ticket Plus, was helping an event's organizer whose transportation costs came to $38,000.

"That just wiped out whatever profits that they were anticipating and looking at and jeopardizing this organizer to come back this year," said Sanchez, who likes the bill for the break it would give big acts. "It is a heavy task that's on your shoulders, and it's on all of us in the community. How do we subsidize the arts and how do we subsidize the community without taxing us any more?"

Promoter Tom Moffatt said the sliding scale could help offset skyrocketing costs of putting on a major concert here.

"A dark building is a no-revenue building," he said. "I'd like to see the bill pass to bring in some of the big attractions I'd like to see come here."

Moffatt estimated that under the bill, he could save up to $60,000 if he were to bring back Elton John for a concert.

But schools and nonprofit groups, which pay one-third of the rental fee, could be hit hard with the increase in rent.

Bloom testified against the bill because it would mean a nearly 200 percent increase -- to $1,400 from $500 -- for use of the concert hall and an annual loss of more than $100,000.

Porras-Tang said an increase would be passed on to seniors, who already pay a $40 graduation fee, half of which is used to pay for renting the facilities.

"Holding it in the gym is OK, but it's really not appropriate," Porras-Tang said. "One thing about the NBC is that it gives (the students) the options to have their families come in."

Currently, the school pays $666 for the arena, but that would go up to $1,500 under the bill.

If approved, the rate hikes would not affect this year's graduation ceremonies.