Posted on: Wednesday, August 6, 2003
Turf war will delay opening at Aloha
By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer
An apparent contract dispute with the installation company has delayed completion of the new turf at Aloha Stadium.
The delay will force the University of Hawai'i football team to reschedule practice and has prompted the state to withhold $300,000 in payment until the turf company finishes the job.
Workers with FieldTurf walked off the job three weeks ago without installing the goal posts, leveling the field, training staff on painting the field, and other detail work, according to Lloyd Unebasami, the Hawai'i Tourism Authority's chief administrative officer.
"We knew that the job was not done in accordance to the contract," Unebasami said. "Last week, it was determined that (the workers) were going to come back and finish up the project."
FieldTurf workers were scheduled to return to the field yesterday, but they were no-shows. The only arrivals were some air freight cargo with supplies, said George Toma, an NFL field consultant.
FieldTurf CEO John Gilman yesterday refused to give a reason why his workers left the job unfinished. He said workers were en route to complete the project, but offered no time frame for the project's completion. Unebasami said the work is expected to take about a week.
"My guys will have to do what they have to do," Gilman said. "When it's ready, it's ready."
The delay forced UH to move Sunday's scheduled football practice to the Manoa campus and left the state with an unfinished field for an ESPN broadcast Sunday about playing fields.
"That's one reason why I want this field to look good," said Toma, who will be interviewed for the ESPN show. "I want it to look good for all the world to see. I want it to look like an Augusta golf green."
In June, Unebasami said the state balked at paying FieldTurf a "little more than $200,000" for "various change orders" for the project. The amount included more than $10,000 in travel costs, Unebasami said.
"We responded to the various cost items that they wanted to increase the cost of the contract," Unebasami said. "We denied each of their claims, saying it was part of the original contract."
Unebasami said HTA paid its $440,000 share of the $1.3 million contract. He said the NFL is responsible for $560,000, and that the state still owes $300,000.
"We won't release that ($300,000) until the entire project is done," Unebasami said.
Unebasami, who is filling in for HTA Executive Director Rex Johnson (in Japan on business), said he plans to consult with Johnson if nothing happens today.
Unebasami said he doubted that the delay would affect the high school football Father Bray Classic on Aug. 23 or the UH football season opener on Aug. 30.
"There is no way we would allow that to occur," Unebasami said. "This thing was supposed to have been done in early summer."
The FieldTurf surface — in which blade-like material is stabilized by sand-and-rubber infill — has replaced AstroTurf.
The turf was originally scheduled to be ready by the Pro Bowl on Feb. 2, but concerns over rushed construction, an unfinished contract and weather unpredictability prompted Gov. Linda Lingle and the NFL to delay the installation between April and May.
Replacing the AstroTurf was a key issue in keeping the NFL Pro Bowl in Hawai'i. The NFL prefers natural grass or FieldTurf because its players have complained about injuries suffered on AstroTurf. The replacement turf was part of a contract in 2000 between the HTA and the Pro Bowl to keep the annual all-star football game here.
