Stadium Authority waives UH’s rent

The university saves close to $350,000 in costs each year, but will still pay operating expenses

Football season is more than four months away, but the University of Hawaii can put one in the win column -- of the accounting ledger.

The Aloha Stadium Authority voted yesterday at its monthly meeting to waive rent for UH football home games. A Stadium Authority committee recommended the move to the rest of the board at last month's meeting, and the board passed it yesterday with two votes against.

UH paid close to $350,000 in rent each year to the stadium (the greater of 7 1/2 percent of gross sales or $10,000 per game). Critics, including Gov. Linda Lingle, have said one state agency should not be paying another rent. The university athletic department will still be charged for stadium operating expenses (around $500,000 per year).

Still, the rent waiver represents a significant boost to the UH athletic department, which has operated at a deficit the past four years.

"We certainly appreciate the support we received from the Stadium Authority," UH athletic director Herman Frazier said in a prepared statement. "Moving forward, we feel there is a new spirit of cooperation and partnership between the University of Hawaii and Aloha Stadium."

The support wasn't unanimous, though.

Board members Alvin Narimatsu and Gilbert Kimura voted against the rent waiver.

"It's not so much right and wrong, but who makes the call," Kimura said. "I want to be assured the Legislature is in full agreement with this. If anyone can tell me the Legislature is in full agreement, I'll vote yes."

Authority chairman Kevin Chong Kee and other board members have been lobbying the Legislature this session for $129 million for repairs and enhancements over the next five years.

State comptroller Russ Saito said the Legislature has tentatively agreed to provide half of the $25 million the stadium has requested this session for immediate repairs and upgrades.

"About half of that is for design work and half for Americans with Disabilities Act concerns," Chong Kee said.

Authority board member Howard Ikeda emphasized that the stadium will have enough money to meet long-term expenses despite waiving UH's rent.

"Based on our projections, yes we can," Ikeda said. "We still have the back door. We can still go in with the $10,000 or 7 1/2 percent (in future years), only if we have to."

Swap meet vendor David Chinn spoke against the UH rent waiver, pointing out that the stall rental fee for vendors increased last year, and admission fee for the swap meet may be doubled to $1.

"We're here every day, rain or shine," Chinn said. "And we don't have a voice."

In other stadium news:

» Lingle's nominees for two upcoming openings on the board, Kathy Inouye and Ken Marcus, attended the meeting. They were expected to be confirmed today and begin serving July 1.

» Interim stadium manager Kenny Lum also reported that a promoter has requested use of the stadium for Major League exhibition baseball games next spring, but the stadium has not received any information from Major League Baseball, or the teams in question, the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians.

Chong Kee said if a credible proposal is received, it could influence whether the stadium is locked into football configuration as is currently planned.

"If there's guaranteed money, it's something we'd have to look at," Chong Kee said.

A public hearing is pending on the configuration issue.

» The authority will try to increase the manager's salary, which is now $80,000 per year.

"Maybe we should increase the pay and attract more people," Chong Kee said. "It doesn't make sense to go national and not do so."

The board had hoped to have a replacement for Eddie Hayashi in place by now (Hayashi retired last fall), but after interviewing finalists last month decided to expand its search.

Chong Kee said the request to increase the pay will go before next year's Legislature.