Every government-supported project deserves to be debated before it is implemented.
But when it comes to building a replacement for Aloha Stadium, that time has passed. After years and years of suggestions, counter-suggestions, and political zig-zagging, all the arguments have been heard. There is available money, a bidding process in place, and interested parties willing to build on the Halawa property that Aloha Stadium has occupied for nearly five decades.
There is no time for an 11th-hour “on second thought …”
This is the 12th hour.
Yet lawmakers recently proposed a measure that would scrap the Halawa plans and re-direct a portion of that money to retrofit an already retrofitted Ching Complex on the University of Hawaii’s Manoa campus.
It is a noble intent. Lawmakers are tasked with trying to address needs with a limited budget. And the state has many, many needs. The list will continue to grow.
But turning the 15, 300-seat Ching Complex into the permanent home field for the UH football team is not the answer. Ching’s usage was meant to be a temporary fix after officials announced in December 2020 that Aloha Stadium — where the Rainbow Warriors had played 45 football seasons — would be condemned for spectator-attended events because of structural problems.
With only months to retrofit Ching ahead of the 2021 season opener, bench stands were installed instead of individual seats, and portable lavatories were brought in to complement the six bathrooms at Ching and the ones at neighboring Les Murakami Stadium. Seat-backs eventually were installed in some areas, but the leg room still was too tight. And while the games and promotions are entertaining, few — including the visiting teams — would describe the accommodations as awesome.
The thing is, other than taking out the metal stands and starting anew, there is not enough space to match the 25,000 seats proposed on the Halawa site. The footprint on the Lower Campus is too small. Because of on-going construction projects, the track-and-field team is practicing at high schools. The soccer team also will be practicing off campus through the coming fall semester. UH is the only FBS school without a grass practice field for its football team.
To transform Ching into a permanent football facility, it will take more bathrooms, a locker room for the visiting team (which currently uses part of the concourse at Les Murakami Stadium), zoning approval and expanded parking. For the Friday game against Stanford last year, UH canceled classes that day to ease the parking.
Ching’s seating limitations already are causing scheduling problems. Several power-conference schools are not interested in playing in Ching’s modest setting. Oregon bought its way out of the 2024 opener.
UH’s revenue potential also is limited. Setting aside 3,000 to 4,000 tickets for UH students, players’ families, the visiting team and sponsors, it makes little difference in ticket availability if the Warriors bring in a marquee opponent or FCS team.
Of the seven home games this season, the Warriors will play host to two FCS teams. Ching also is not suitable for concerts, Pro Bowl Games and international rugby tournaments.
As for the Halawa site, a change in plans would take more studies, tests, meetings and, yes, money. And it still would leave Hawaii without a large venue for concerts and sporting events.
There is a recruiting phrase — “stimulate the action” — in which a prospect is encouraged to make a public commitment to a school. Because leaders did not stimulate the action with, say, razing Aloha Stadium to show a commitment to building a replacement, we might not have heard the last of the “on second thought …” proposals.