Quotes about the changes at Aloha Stadium

HA Note: "Anticipating heavier turnouts for University of Hawai'i football games this year, Aloha Stadium announced it has secured Ford Island as an additional satellite parking site for popular games. The Navy facility will add up to 1,000 parking spaces and be used for events where attendance is expected to exceed 30,000, said Scott Chan, Aloha Stadium manager."

HA Note: "Previously, Ford Island had just been used for overflow Pro Bowl parking, Chan said. He said UH will help underwrite the costs, which could reach $6,000."


About opening the lower Halawa parking lot at 1:30, an hour earlier, and not requiring 2 or more people in the car to use the lower Halawa lot, Chan said:
"But what we want to do is just get more vehicles off the road to ease the rest of the traffic." (HA)

HA Note: "As an incentive to get fans to use satellite lots, Chan said the stadium and UH will open up access to a special tailgate section in the stadium lot as well as provide shuttle service. Within the special tailgate area fans can watch other games on TVs, partake of live entertainment and purchase food at reasonable prices. In addition, Chan said inside the stadium plans are to provide a "sports bar-type atmosphere" near the spirals where televisions and other amenities will be provided."


Hapy with the efforts to make the stadium more fan friendly, UH Associate AD John McNamara said:
"We really applaud everything they have done so far and we know they have some other things that haven't been announced yet that are going to be viewed as positives by the fans." (HA)


About how stadium security will try to be more reasonable in dealing with fans and what they bring into the stadium, Chan said:
"I'm telling our security that we want to do this gingerly; we don't need to be the Gestapo at the gates." (HA)

HA Note: "Welcome — and overdue — moves all. But equally encouraging is that Chan, who has been in the top job less than 3 months, said he continues to explore the possibilities of moving the swap meet or working around it to better suit UH games. While you would hope something can be put into place this season in time for at least the more popular games, there is apparently action in the right direction."


About how Stadium people now appear willing to listen and work with UH, McNamara said:
"We have received nothing but an open ear and a chance to share our input and feedback on a variety of issues Everything we have passed along to them they have dealt with in an expeditious and urgent fashion." (HA)

HA Note: "Nearly 30 percent of the Aloha Stadium management team will have changed in the six months leading up to UH's Sept. 1 kickoff. Something else seems to be changing, too."