Posted on: Monday, July 19, 2004

EDITORIAL
UH construction plans add to future health

Two important construction programs recently boosted by the University of Hawai'i Board of Regents will add considerable luster to our state university.

Both projects were part of the long-range thinking of Evan Dobelle, who was recently fired by the regents. It is to their credit that they were able to look past their dispute with Dobelle to the enduring value of the projects.

The first project is a proposed cancer research center in Kaka'ako near the new medical school. If the center goes ahead as planned — and if it is built with enough room for clinical work — it will have a major synergistic effect with the medical school.

The other project given a modest go-ahead was for a new four-year university campus in West O'ahu at Kapolei.

The regents are exploring an innovative proposal (again, first broached by Dobelle) that would have a private developer build the campus in exchange for the lease or sale of some 170 acres of state land in the area.

If there is sufficient interest by private developers, this would allow the university to get a new campus up without any capital expense.

The West O'ahu project is important for several reasons:

• It will relieve some of the pressure on overcrowded Manoa.
• It will fulfill a promise made years ago that the rapidly growing west side would have a campus of its own.
• It will be another important step in making Kapolei a true second city, where people work, study and live.

The regents have taken important steps toward making these two key projects a reality. The task now is to keep the momentum going.