Upgrades planned for Maui athletic facilities

By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau

KAHULUI, Maui — Mayor James "Kimo'' Apana says he wants to bolster Maui's draw as a sports tourism destination by upgrading the island's athletic facilities.

Apana, speaking to the Maui Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, said that in the next year he wants to make improvements to the Lahaina Civic Center, site of the Maui Invitational college basketball tournament, and War Memorial Stadium, site the Hula Bowl Maui college all-star football game and this season's University of Hawai'i-Montana football game.

In addition, he wants to acquire a large piece of land somewhere on the island to develop a complex of athletic fields.

Apana told chamber members there's great potential in sports tourism on the Valley Isle, already the location of a couple of major golf tournaments as well as the college basketball and football contests. He said it has been estimated that last month's Maui Invitational was worth $8.5 million to Maui.

Apana said he wants to expand the Lahaina Civic Center, which is the size of most high school gyms, and install air conditioning. Maui Invitational coaches, players and fans have complained about the warm conditions in the gym.

At War Memorial Stadium in Wailuku, the turf needs to be replaced, Apana said. The condition of the stadium's grass became an issue before the UH-Montana game, forcing the county to hire NFL turf consultant George Toma to make last-minute fixes.

Apana said the county should be able to afford the improvements because the local government is in good financial shape, despite the calamity of Sept. 11.

The county's main source of income — real property tax — has not dropped, he said, and while a $3.5 million shortfall in hotel tax revenue is expected, that deficit can be made up by reserves and savings in other areas.