On Politics: Enough talk, talk, talk about new stadium; build it

What should we talk about? How about building a stadium? Instead of turning a shovel and breaking ground, we apparently adore endless debate instead of immediate construction.

For a state that has just one major university, possesses just one major athletic venue, no major professional sports team and can go years without a major national, let alone an international entertainer starring in Honolulu, Hawaii devotes months — years — to worrying about where to host whatever may someday happen.

Back before the late former Mayor Frank Fasi even was on the Honolulu City Council, he was making headlines by his alternating support or opposition for building a new stadium. From 1926 to 1975 we made do with Moiliili’s old, wooden Honolulu Stadium, which held 25,000. Despite old-timers’ fond recollections about the “Termite Palace,” the best thing about Honolulu Stadium was that it actually existed, was used and was not condemned. Today’s Aloha Stadium exists, isn’t used and is condemned.

So what to do — build a new one? How to build it, where to build it, who to build and for how much are all the questions still to be answered.

Gov. Josh Green is the person to answer the queries because his support for a new stadium has been constant.

The construction plan does not appear to be nailed down, but the project now belongs to Green, from the Jumbotron to the artificial turf.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser last week reported that a “new stadium along with about 25 acres of land (will be) leased to a private partner willing to design, build, operate and maintain a new stadium in Halawa for 30 years.” The change is intended to “replace a long-standing plan to have a private developer design, build and maintain — but not operate — a new stadium.”

Before taking office, Green said “I do intend to build a stadium … The question, of course, is what we have around the stadium. We have some financing questions that linger. There’s $350 million or so already appropriated and costs are high and the state of Hawaii has to have a stadium.”

If Green is of one mind about building a new stadium, the 76-member Legislature has at least that many opinions about building a new facility.

This is why the University of Hawaii is wise to continue work on expansion of the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, to more than 15,000 seats for the 2023 football season. Although it is a small increase, the expansion is expected to cost an extra $30 million — but will allow for the apparent essential of allowing UH to play football.

Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays. Reach him at 808onpolitics@gmail.com.