Glenn Wakai is very relaxed today considering he’s a politician in Hawaii. The state senator is running unopposed for re-election, in today’s primary as well as the general. "As long as I get one vote, I’m in," he said.

With no campaign to attend to, the Democrat representing Kalihi-Salt Lake-Aliamanu has had plenty of time to contemplate one of the biggest issues in his district, and one probably close to your heart if you read this part of the paper on a regular basis … or if you just care what is done with big chunks of taxpayer money.

Aloha Stadium.

Tonight it hosts its first games of the new football season, reminding us that many questions remain about the aging facility’s future — including how long that future should last.

To put it in political perspective, you could call it Rail Light. Not quite as expensive or contentious. But controversial nevertheless. Everyone’s got ideas, but there’s little consensus on how to proceed — especially with big public funds at stake.

Wakai is among those who want to privatize the area around the stadium, hopefully turning it into a focal point of entertainment and profit.

"There’s got to be a better public purpose for the stadium than hosting a few football games," he said. "Look at the parking area. There are 104 acres of asphalt that must be used better."

Former Republican State Senate Minority Leader Fred Hemmings shares some of Wakai’s vision.

"The state could contract via bid process the right to build a huge shopping mall with parking and a new stadium to be run by the mall operator. Of course, with a private operator the stadium would be kept as busy as possible."

Issues to work through include land-use agreements, partnerships such as that with the NFL, and continuing to service the facility’s biggest regular customer: the $4.3 million a year swap meet.

Unlike Hemmings, who calls the current stadium "a proven economic abyss and a liability," Wakai doesn’t see a need for a new one yet. He said the current facility has a "shelf life" of 20 more years after $160 million of recent improvements and refurbishments.

State House Speaker Calvin Say is in general agreement on that.

"To this point, the stadium is in good shape. I don’t see it as an issue. I don’t know if we have the resources (to build a new one)."

Say added that perhaps a commitment should be made to start building a new facility in 10 years. Spending $250 million to do so now would be "a big white elephant if it doesn’t host other events."

He suggests yet another study, and that seems to be what Gov. Neil Abercrombie has in mind, too. The governor "is in the process of selecting an informal advisory group to devise options," Abercrombie spokeswoman Donalyn Dela Cruz said in an email Thursday.

And it sounds as if Abercrombie might not want to wait a decade to get started on a replacement for the 37-year-old facility.

"Points of concern to the governor are the ongoing repair and maintenance costs of Aloha Stadium and its facility limitations," Dela Cruz said. "(He) believes that a new stadium may be a better option from a cost-savings perspective as well as the creation of a state-of-the-art facility that can be a venue for a variety of sporting and entertainment events. The governor would like a stadium that is an economic driver that allows for small businesses to flourish around it."

Abercrombie has advocated turning the stadium over to the University of Hawaii. UH vice president and acting athletic director Rockne Freitas said the school is open to the idea.

"We’ve been talking about that off and on," Freitas said. "We’d like to engage in a conversation that would be productive for all parties involved."

Wakai said simple logistics make it impractical.

"That would make sense if the stadium were next to UH. But it’s 15 miles from campus."

Part of running the stadium is contracting entertainment events, as the Stadium Authority board does now — and, in the future would be done on an accelerated scale as Abercrombie and others envision. Convincing anyone that UH is fit for such duty at this point would be a difficult sell, considering the school lost $200,000 last month in a botched attempt to book a Stevie Wonder concert on campus.

The most pressing question remains Aloha Stadium’s suitability right now for football games.

"If I had my druthers there’d be a new stadium on campus, but there’s no site available," Freitas said. "There should be a new stadium next year. But the field on the old one is 50 yards wide and 100 yards long. And I’m convinced the facility is safe. That’s good."

Everyone is in agreement on one thing.

"Nothing’s going to happen overnight," Wakai said.