The Hawai‘i Convention Center completed a $225,000 exterior camera installation project just in time to catch footage linked to the shattering of one of its soaring glass windows, worth about $25,000.
Teri Orton, general manager of the convention center, told the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority Board that the incident, which took place at about 2:15 a.m. Feb. 12, was reported to the Honolulu Police Department. Orton said exterior camera footage captured the make, model and license plate of a vehicle that was outside the center at the time of the crime.
“We were able to see someone winding down the window in the passenger side and something orange sticking out of the window,” Orton said. “We couldn’t make out what it was, but at the same time … the glass shattered on our building.”
Orton said vandalism to the center has been a recurrent problem over the past two years with recent incidents totaling almost $200,000. In 2022 a lobby window and corner exhibit hall also were damaged.
Orton said the center does not know whether February’s incident is related to past ones.
“It started when the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) was in-house, and we weren’t sure if it was tied to the claims that are still in the process of being handled,” she said.
In the latest case, Orton told the board that it appeared that “somebody was driving past our building and slinging 1-inch metal ball bearings into our windows.”
She said the center turned over footage from the upgraded security system to the Honolulu Police Department but was told that “there isn’t enough evidence for them to really accuse and open and close this case.”
“Hopefully, we can push this along to at least create awareness that we were aware that this individual drove past a building,” Orton said.
HPD spokesperson Michelle Yu said the incident has been classified as first-degree criminal property damage.
‘The investigation is ongoing and will include a review of video footage of the area,” Yu said. “There has been no arrest as of this time.”
In the meantime, the center added another window replacement to this year’s list of repair, maintenance and replacement projects.
Orton said replacing each window costs anywhere from $20,000 to $25,000. She added that the sheer size and height of the windows adds to the challenges.
“The higher up it is the more expensive it is because you need cranes to replace it,” Orton said. “These windows are 500 pounds each.”
She said the center looked at solutions such as putting security window film on the windows to help them resist breakage; however, it decided not to proceed.
“If there is a film put on it and someone shatters the window, it will fall in one piece and it’s more dangerous than just shattering, so we are leaving it as is,” Orton said.
The exterior security cameras, which added more views in addition to a complete upgrade, were just one of about $1 million in repair, maintenance and replacement projects completed at the center since the start of the year.
Mari Tait, Hawai‘i Convention Center director of operations, shared with the HTA board Feb. 29 that the center also completed $400,000 in water damage repairs, spent $200,000 to replace the wallpaper in the main fourth-floor ballroom, and another $131,o00 on a transformer replacement.
Hawai‘i Tourism Authority Board Chair Mufi Hannemann said the vandalism is especially frustrating given the breadth of center improvements. Since 2020 about $24.6 million in projects has been completed at the Hawai‘i Convention Center. That list included a 2022 expenditure of $1.56 million for new security cameras and access control.
“These kinds of incidents shouldn’t happen at any time, but in this instance we have been demonstrating that the (Hawai‘i Convention Center) is an excellent revenue generator for the state. We know that this is a key component of trying to expand upon our economic recovery at a time when we need it most,” Hannemann said. “We also have some interesting initiatives going on not only moving forward with repair and maintenance, but with the naming rights — which is something that the convention center has wanted to do for a while.”
The latest version of Senate Bill 3006, which would allow a corporation or other entity to pay to place its name or logo on the convention center in spite of an existing general ban on outdoor advertisements, passed out of the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Friday.
An initial analysis performed by ASM Global, a venue management company, valued the naming rights for the Hawai‘i Convention Center at up to $500,000 in the first year, escalating to a 20-year agreement value of over $13 million.
Hannemann added, “It’s just unfortunate that there are people out there that would take it upon themselves to create these acts of vandalism for no good reason. I wish they would stop. We certainly are going to take every step that we can to apprehend these folks.
“Priority ought to be given to send a strong message that when you commit a crime on a public building that a lot of people use, it’s inexcusable and cannot be tolerated within the city or state.”
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Hawai‘i Tourism Authority Board Chair Mufi Hannemann said the vandalism is especially frustrating given the breadth of center improvements. Since 2020 about $24.6 million in projects has been completed at the Hawai‘i Convention Center.
