Fast-tracked medical center will give a boost

University of Hawai'i President Evan Dobelle swept into the Islands last year with a formidable to-do list, and already one momentous task can be checked off.

Construction of the new Kaka'ako medical school is expected to begin in the fall. A citizens advisory panel has selected the Hawaiian Dredging/Kajima Joint Venture as the first-phase contractor team.

That's swift progress compared to former days when many UH projects were plagued with political meddling and cost overruns, and had to go through the state Department of Accounting and General Services. With these initial hurdles cleared, Dobelle should have little problem raising the other half of the $300 million needed to complete the complex.

Clearly, we can credit the autonomy voters granted to the university in 2000 for the efficient bidding process. We can also thank the state tobacco settlement fund. Some $150 million worth of bonds secured through that fund will finance the first phase of the project, which includes a Cancer Research Center.

This project will be an immediate boost for the local economy. But more broadly, there is a pressing need for a world-class medical institution that will promote UH's research profile and add luster to our long-term economic prospects. The project is expected to provide at least 600 desperately needed construction jobs. Once built, the center is expected to bring nearly 3,000 jobs and $100 million in research money.

In these lean times, it's a miracle that this ambitious project is taking off in a timely manner, and we wish it smooth sailing.