HONOLULU — The University of Hawaii and Aloha Stadium Authority are separately studying the prospects of future stadium developments in hopes of figuring out how to upgrade where the largest events in the state are held.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Wednesday that both groups are expecting results of their studies in about one month.
The university’s athletic director, Ben Jay, says he hopes to determine how much space would be needed for a 30,000-seat multipurpose stadium. The request is preliminary. Jay says the study will cost about $15,000, paid for with private funds.
“All we’re doing is taking a look at a concept, really, to get an idea of the cost more than anything else,” Jay said. “They are going to put together some schematics for me to look at, but I wanted to get an idea of how much this might cost and how much acreage it would take.”
Jay said he has heard too many estimates thrown around and wants more specificity.
Separately, the Hawaii attorney general’s office is spending $250,000 on an eight-phase study of Aloha Stadium. That plan would include talking with the university, tourism officials and others to determine the appropriate scope of a project.
The study is being completed by consulting firm Foley & Lardner, which helped Guggenheim Baseball Management buy the Los Angeles Dodgers and was involved in sales of the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs and Jacksonville Jaguars.
One of the phases of that study would be developing specifications to get quotes.