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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Wednesday, February 2, 2005

UH wants better deal, not control of facility

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer

The University of Hawai'i is "being choked around the neck" by its rent at Aloha Stadium but is more interested in getting a better deal than taking over operation of the 50,000-seat facility, athletic director Herman Frazier said yesterday.

Frazier's comments came after a bill that would have abolished the Aloha Stadium Authority and turned the stadium over to the school was deferred indefinitely in a state House of Representatives committee.

UH is charged approximately $800,000 a year in rent and does not share in revenue, while the Pro Bowl, which receives the stadium rent-free, will control parking, concessions and signage. High schools are not charged rent at the stadium.

UH is the only school in the 10-member Western Athletic Conference that does not control its own stadium.

Frazier said, "We're bringing in teams like (Southern California) and Wisconsin, so we're having a large impact on things but, at the same time, we're being choked around the neck from a financial standpoint.

"So, if we can get to the point where we either participate in some of the concessions, some of the parking and a reduced rate (for rent), then the university would be fine," Frazier said.

That represents a significant shift in policy from less than three years ago when football coach June Jones said UH could do a better job running the facility and needed control of the stadium to assure its future.

Yesterday, Frazier said, "We have a wonderful relationship with them (Aloha Stadium) ... and we're not adversarial against each other at all. But, by the same token, we would like to see some kind of money coming to the university. I think, maybe, we could work with the stadium authority on that."

State Rep. K. Mark Takai, D-34th (Pearl City, Newtown, Royal Summit), who introduced the bill but did not attend yesterday's hearing, said, "I have been very much concerned about UH athletics for a few years now because two years ago they lost $1.5 million, last year they lost $2.5 million and it is to be seen what they are gonna lose this year, if any.

"But the bottom line is for them to be able to compete on a level footing with some of these schools that we aspire to participate with like the Pac-10, (then) we need to provide the necessary tools to succeed."

Representatives of the Stadium Authority, Department of Education and Hawai'i Government Employees Association testified against the bill yesterday.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.