Facility Notes

In Honolulu, Ferd Lewis notes work on a stadium master plan and environmental impact statement is "scheduled to commence" next month for a successor to Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. Hawaii Dept. of Accounting & General Services officials said that there is an "agreement in principle with an as-yet-unannounced firm chosen for the project, with work expected to begin when the contract is executed 'in the coming weeks.'" The legislature has appropriated $10M to "finance the studies aimed at finalizing a site for a facility to replace" the 44-year-old Aloha Stadium (HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER, 11/30).

MINIMIZING FOOTPRINT: In Newark, Brent Johnson notes the NWSL Sky Blue FC is "pulling its support of a proposed Ocean County sports complex that may have housed its new stadium, hours after environmentalists voiced outrage, especially with how developers plan to cut down thousands of trees." Sky Blue is listed as a "partner in Trophy Park, a 200-acre site proposed for a tract of land" in Jackson, N.J., near a Six Flags amusement park. Developer Allen Nau said that Sky Blue was in "'tentative' talks to rent space at the 200-acre site to house its headquarters there, use the facilities for practice, and play its home games at the complex's 6,000-seat stadium" (NJ.com, 11/30).

LOCAL BACKING: In Ottawa, Andre Marin wrote when Senators Owner Eugene Melnyk "planned a new 18,000-person arena actually close" to downtown Ottawa, Mayor Jim Watson and the National Capital Commission "should have pulled out all the stops to make it happen." Instead, the NCC "threw all the red tape it could find at Melnyk, while Watson and his troops stayed on the sidelines." It is time for Watson to "grow a spine and back up Melnyk, who remains committed to the downtown area, but not at all costs" (OTTAWA SUN, 11/29).