The deteriorating condition of Aloha Stadium has "led consultants to suggest building a smaller, more modern facility on the 104-acre property in Halawa," according to Lisa Kubota of Hawaii-based KGMB-CBS. A consultant report presented by firm Foley & Lardner "recommends a 30,000 to 35,000 seat facility be built adjacent to the existing structure." The new stadium could "expand to 40,000 seats for special events, and would have a hotel, housing and retail space." Aloha Stadium opened in '75 and "has 50,000 seats," but in the last three years only one UH football game has "attracted more than 35,000 fans" (HAWAIINEWSNOW.com, 4/6). In Honolulu, Ferd Lewis notes the appointed nine-member Aloha Stadium Authority is "not bound by the reports but they are expected to provide a baseline for helping the governor and legislature determine the future of the state’s largest entertainment facility and open the way to soliciting proposals from prospective developers." The facility opened with a $37M price tag. The report said that since '90, $87.9M has been "spent in additional construction." The report added that the new stadium would cost $324.5M and require 36% "less square footage, reducing operating expenses" (HONOLULU STAR ADVERTISER, 4/6). In Hawaii, Duane Shimogawa noted while the stadium has an artificial turf surface, the new stadium would have a "natural grass field with dimensions for soccer, rugby and baseball." A new stadium with property dimensions "could attract up to four soccer exhibition games and up to two rugby exhibition games each year" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 4/5).
