The Aloha Stadium Authority is "recommending that the state invest in a new, slightly smaller stadium on land surrounding the deteriorating 42-year-old Aloha Stadium and seek ancillary development of the site to help fund the project," according to a front-page piece by Ferd Lewis of the HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER. The recommendations "came in the form of a resolution" voted on at Thursday's authority meeting. The vote was 5-0 with "four members absent and was timed in advance of next week’s opening of the Legislature, where the authority hopes to gain backing for its position." It will be up to Hawaii Gov. David Ige and the Legislature to "decide whether the process goes forward with the likely next step a request for proposal from developers." The Stadium Authority is recommending a facility with “30,000-35,000 permanent seats that is expandable to 40,000 for special events." The 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium, the state’s "largest outdoor arena, opened in 1975." The Stadium Authority did "not put a price tag on what a new stadium would cost, but some estimates have ranged" from $200-300M (HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER, 1/13).
