Lawmakers consider
longevity of stadium

Building a new one might
cost less than continued repairs

---

By B.J. Reyes
Associated Press

House lawmakers want to know how much longer Aloha Stadium will last and what it will cost to maintain the state's biggest center for public events. Some lawmakers say they want to determine whether a new stadium might save money in the long run.

Star-Bulletin Legislature Database Star-Bulletin Legislature Guide (PDF, 2.4 MB) State Legislature: Bills & Hawaii Revised Statutes

A resolution approved by a House panel yesterday asks the state Department of Accounting and General Services to conduct a longevity study on the 50,000-seat stadium and report back to the Legislature next year.

Rep. Alex Sonson (D, Pearl City-Waipahu) said he wants to know whether building a new stadium would be cheaper than pouring more money into the facility that was completed in 1975 and may only last another 10 to 15 years.

The state spent $88 million on stadium repair and maintenance from 1989 to 1995, with another $23.5 million anticipated in the next three years alone, according to the resolution. Last year, the state and the National Football League, which stages the annual Pro Bowl in the stadium, spent $1.3 million to replace the stadium's artificial turf.

"Look how much it's costing," Sonson said. "It's really bothersome that we've spent gazillions of dollars."

The resolution originally called for a study on both Aloha Stadium's longevity and the cost of building a state-of-the-art stadium, complete with reception and meeting areas and "diamond suites," box seats reserved for wealthy patrons.

The Committee on Tourism and Culture amended the resolution to limit examination to the existing structure, noting that a cost study on a new stadium could be ordered once the prospects for Aloha Stadium are determined. The committee also requested that a study be done on how much revenue is being generated by the stadium.

State Comptroller Russ Saito said a cost analysis on a new stadium would require more time, adding that the price tag for a replacement could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

"When somebody tells you how much it's going to cost to build a brand new stadium, there's going to be sticker shock," Saito said.

A new stadium would have to be built on a new location, Saito said, because demolishing Aloha Stadium and building there could take years and leave no venue for the swap meet, college and high school athletics, concerts or other events.

Infrastructure such as sewage and electrical systems also would have to be studied, he said.

"Those things can often cost more than the structure itself," he said.

The resolution doesn't appropriate any money for the Department of Accounting and General Services study.

Saito said the department has $300,000 previously set aside by the Legislature for design and planning of a new stadium that could be used for the study.