Deferring to the wishes of the late U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye’s family and addressing transparency concerns, the University of Hawaii is slowing the process for pursuing a planned center to house his congressional papers and has dramatically cut the state funding it is initially requesting for the project.
The university’s Board of Regents on Thursday approved seeking $5 million in state bond financing as a way to demonstrate UH’s commitment to the project — a commitment that proponents said was needed to help in efforts to raise more private funds.
The UH administration had planned to ask the regents for the go-ahead to pursue an expedited plan for a proposed $27.5 million facility, including $15 million in state general obligation bonds and $10 million in federal funds.
Instead, the administration only asked for approval for the $5 million bond request and dropped the federal funds component. Inouye’s family supported the funding change.
Jennifer Sabas, Inouye’s former chief of staff, who spoke to the regents Thursday on behalf of the family, asked that UH take more time to get public feedback and to obtain more accurate information on the size and cost of the project.
Inouye’s widow, Irene, and his son, Ken, also attended the regents meeting.
"After much soul searching and thinking about the senator’s legacy to the people of Hawaii and our nation, and about what he would have wanted, on behalf of the family I reached out to the UH leadership to respectfully request that we slow the project down to allow for a longer period of time for the design process and to receive additional input and comment," Sabas said in written comments to the regents.
Fueled in part by Honolulu Star-Advertiser stories, the project had come under heavy criticism because of the speed in which UH was pursuing it — Inouye died in December — and the price tag. The newspaper reported the estimated $25 million in construction costs would make the proposed 15,000- to 20,000-square-foot facility the priciest building on a square-foot basis that UH has pursued in years.
Not long after Inouye’s death, UH leaders, "in good faith and with much emotion," developed the $25 million proposal, using an engineer’s best estimate, Sabas said. "It was heartfelt and sincere," she wrote of the proposal.
But Sabas noted that questions have been raised "because the process was so fluid, and there were not ready answers, which in turn led to additional questions of transparency and accountability."
THE PROJECT was being rushed in part because of what UH said was a need to have an adequate facility to house Inouye’s papers once they are processed in roughly three years. The expedited design and planning process also was expected to aid in the fundraising effort for the center, which is expected to include exhibit, research, classroom and other space.
UH is working with the Hawaii Community Foundation, the Inouye family and members of his former staff to raise money for the project, and the first year of such campaigns is considered critical.
"While there is a risk involved in slowing down the effort, on balance, it is the right thing to do," Sabas wrote.
In an interview with the Star-Advertiser, Sabas said she would expect the eventual price and size of the building to be around what has been proposed thus far. But she said she likewise would expect that as a result of the slower, more inclusive planning process, more in private funds will be raised toward the construction tab and the cost to operate the building.
A foundation fund established to raise money to help preserve the late senator’s legacy already has committed to donating several million dollars to UH.
Sabas said she hopes more public support for the project will be generated because of the more inclusive process.
Interim UH President David Lassner told the regents that construction would not start until a formal plan is in place and all the needed funds are in hand.
The regents approved the funding change without any objections. It was included as part of UH’s supplemental budget request, which was adopted by the board and will be sent to the governor and Legislature.
Although the federal funding component was dropped from the request, a UH spokeswoman told the Star-Advertiser that the university eventually will seek federal funds for the project.
Asked whether UH eventually will seek more state funding, she said such details won’t be available until the plan is completed.
Bob Cooney, an associate professor of epidemiology and environmental sciences at UH-Manoa, said he was pleased the regents decided to slow the process.
"The way they were rushing it was absurd," Cooney said.
But he questioned whether the upper Manoa campus, given its lack of sufficient parking, is the right location if the aim is to make the facility easily accessible to the public.
"I don’t know how people would get to it," he said.
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Star-Advertiser reporter Nanea Kalani contributed to this report.
