Pharmacy college finally going up in Hilo

If it gets built, will they come? That’s the $30 million question as the University of Hawaii-Hilo finally gets going on its College of Pharmacy.

Construction on a 45,000-square-foot facility — to include classrooms, laboratories and offices — is slated to start this summer, after monetary fits and starts since the program launched in 2007; courses held in temporary trailers and off-campus buildings enabled the pharmacy school to award its first degrees in 2011.

The latest hurdle came earlier this year, when construction bids exceeded the alloted $30 million, but was apparently overcome by reducing the scope of work and UH-Hilo reworking its budget to eke out more dollars. The now-$31.3 million job is expected to take 20 months. Tuition revenue is supposed to go toward repaying the building bonds — so more the reason to root for the pharmacy college’s success.

This could be an even bigger year for tourism

It’s always reassuring to see strong tourism numbers here; after all, what’s good for tourism is good for Hawaii’s economy. February was no exception — in fact, the month set all kinds of records for our hotel industry: for revenue, average daily rate and revenue per available room (RevPAR).

RevPAR, in particular, is considered the best measure of industry performance: On Oahu, that rose 4 percent to a record $193.74; on Kauai, it was $214.97, 10 percent up from last February; on Hawaii island, it was $195.11, up 2 percent; and on Maui, RevPAR was $288.74, up 1.9 percent.

All this means a great start to the year. And with at least two major boosts to come — from RIMPAC military exercises in the summer and the World Conservation Congress in fall — it could well become a full-fledged banner year.