The Aloha Stadium Authority might not have the money to continue fix the stadium

PBN = Pacific Business News


PBN Note: "The chairman of the Aloha Stadium Authority and the head of the state department that funds public works projects disagree on whether there will be sufficient financial support from the state to continue fixing the stadium. Authority Chairman Kevin Chong Kee said he believes only $125,000 will be available for health-and-safety repairs. But with at least another $100 million in work still on the drawing boards, he said he doesn't see how the improvements can get done."


Told that the state Legislature has appropriated $5.15 mil each for the next 2 fiscal years for stadium improvements, but nobody has told him, Authority Chairman Kevin Chong Kee said:
"Nobody has ever come to us and told us anything — we have the invitation open. We really don't know where they're at, or what their ideas are, or what they're trying to do." (PBN)


About how Gov. Abercrombie has not decided what he wants to do with Aloha stadium, state Comptroller Bruce Coppa said:
"The intent is get the committee together this year and give them some tools to start working with." (PBN)


About how the Stadium Authority has the support of his department, which asked the Legislature for more than $23 mil for the stadium but received little more than $10 mil, Coppa said:
"The stadium is being repaired to ensure that the health and safety of the stadium continues. We're not losing sight of that at all. Nothing has stopped in that regard." (PBN)


About how he doesn't feel that the Stadium Authority has the state's backing, Chong Kee said:
"We always had someone from DAGS who went out and lobbied for money, and this new administration, I don't think there's anybody there who would do that because they have different plans than what we were trying to do." (PBN)


PGB Note: "He said the authority is following a plan it adopted in 2004 to refurbish the stadium, rather than construct a new one. At the time, it was estimated that fixing the stadium would cost about $100 million, while the price tag for a new facility would be at least $250 million. Since then, the repair costs have escalated to at least $185 million and the cost to build a new stadium is estimated at a half-billion dollars.

By the end of last year, the state had spent more than $50 million to fix the stadium's crumbling roof, install hand rails and some new seats, and shore up the pedestrian walkways between the stands. But the authority had hoped to build elevator towers and additional restrooms in the stadium's four corners, as well as replace all of the seats. The towers, elevators and seats would cost about $200 million, with just the seat replacement estimated at half that amount."


About how they have no plans for further work on Aloha Stadium, Chong Kee said:
"After the next football season, I don't think anything is planned." (PBN)


About how the state has to spend the money on repairs since even if they want a new stadium it will take at least 10 years to build a new one, former Comptroller Russ Saito said:
"If they're balking at spending the money to refurbish the stadium, when they look at the price to build a new stadium, if you can't afford to refurbish it, you definitely cannot afford to build a new stadium." (PBN)


About why he refused to let PBN photograph the installation of the new artificial turf, Chong Kee said:
"We are telling all the media who have been calling that they will not be able to come in until Media Day." (PBN)

http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/print-edition/2011/07/15/stadium-repair-fundings-future-matter.html?page=all