The Aloha Stadium Authority is expected to hear sobering updates today of the deepening deterioration of the 42-year-old facility, the escalating cost of maintenance and why a consultant recommends that it be replaced by an adjacent, new, smaller stadium.
The 11-member authority is scheduled to receive the reports and view artist renderings of what a new, well-appointed facility on the rail line could look like at its morning meeting, according to the posted agenda. A press conference is to follow, according to a media advisory issued Tuesday.
The media advisory said the Stadium Authority will, “… share, for the first time, findings and conceptual renderings from a report commissioned to analyze property development opportunities and options to keep Aloha Stadium or build a new stadium.”
The appointed volunteer authority is not bound by the reports, but they are expected to provide a baseline for a committee charged with drawing up and soliciting requests for proposals from potential developers and provide updated information for legislators and the governor, who will decide the future of the aging facility.
The report, which is said to number nearly 500 pages including a structural review, is being presented by the New York-based firm Foley &Lardner, which was commissioned by the state Department of Accounting and General Services to provide a detailed assessment and recommendations.
The consultant, Irwin Raij, has been involved in the opening of the homes of Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins.
The studies come as the stadium prepares for a station on the new rail line and officials look into the possibilities for transit-oriented development to help defray costs.
Aloha Stadium, which opened in 1975 at a cost of $37 million, has a seating capacity of 50,000. In January the authority issued a resolution recommending consideration of a stadium with a seating capacity of 30,000 to 40,000 within the 98-acre parcel where the current stadium is situated.
A separate study commissioned by then University of Hawaii athletic director Ben Jay in 2014 recommended a 30,585 seat multi-purpose facility but was not site specific.
Estimates of the cost for a new stadium have run from $250 million to $350 million, depending on what it is built, the size and when it is shovel-ready.
Meanwhile, the state has been sinking millions in basic health and safety repairs into the rusting edifice until a final decision is made. The current biennial budget calls for $19 million in repairs over the next two years to keep the facility operational.
