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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, December 22, 2005

Alcohol ban gets little public resistance

By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer

A proposed alcohol ban in the Aloha Stadium parking lot for University of Hawai'i football games drew little public testimony yesterday, leading a key official to say the proposal is on the "right path."

A total of 13 people submitted testimony or spoke at the final public hearing at Aloha Stadium. Nine were against the proposed alcohol ban.

"I would think that we might be on the right path in the banning of alcohol in the parking lot," Aloha Stadium Authority chairman Kevin Chong Kee said after the hearing. "If more people came and testified that we shouldn't do it, we would take that into consideration.

"Seeing the amount of people who did show up, I feel that we might be on the right track of what we're trying to achieve," Chong Kee added.

Four of the five people who spoke in opposition to the alcohol ban were college students. They said the proposal was too hasty and would scare away fans.

The Aloha Stadium Authority could vote as early as today on the proposal, according to Chong Kee. However, Stadium Authority member Nelson Oyadomari said he doubted a vote would be done so soon, and he needed more time to digest the testimony.

The Stadium Authority meets today at 10 a.m.

Katie Barry, an officer with the Associated Students of UH-Manoa, called the proposal "a fast choice, but not the right choice."

Barry, 25, said she doubted security would be able to enforce the proposed policy, and added the ban is not needed because fans have behaved themselves since the proposal was floated.

Chris Carroll, 21, also of ASUH, said a ban would decrease student attendance at UH home games.

ASUH is the elected body that represents more than 10,000 full-time classified undergraduate students. Barry said 53 percent of those students are age 21 and older.

"I think it's going to hurt ticket sales," Carroll said. "You're going to deter students away from doing that, and that's going to hurt school spirit."

Four people favored the proposed ban at the public hearing: Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona; Carol McNamee, founder of Mothers Against Drunk Driving-Hawai'i; Alan Shinn, executive director for the Coalition for a Drug Free-Hawai'i; and Elsa Honma of MADD. Aiona was not present at the hearing, but submitted testimony.

"Any action to decrease the chances of putting a drunk driver behind the wheel is good for the community as a whole," said Honma, who added the fallout from an alcohol-free pregame will never compare to people killed and injured by drunk drivers.

The Aloha Stadium Authority in November approved a recommendation to ban beer and alcohol consumption in the stadium's 8,000-stall parking lot before, during and after regular-season collegiate sporting events.

However, beer, wine and mixed drinks will still be sold inside the stadium.

The proposed ban is on track to be enforced at UH football games in 2006.

Aiona has spearheaded the alcohol ban and has called it a "monumental statement" for public safety and curbing underage drinking and alcohol-fueled misbehavior at the stadium.

Reach Brandon Masuoka at bmasuoka@honoluluadvertiser.com.