HONOLULU (KHON2) — After 47 years, Aloha Stadium is getting ready to close. And you can own a piece of the iconic property.
After football games, concerts and memorable venues, there will be one last chance to tour the space and buy memorabilia from the stadium.
Oahu Auctions and Liquidations will be holding an online auction starting in early October. According to the Aloha Stadium, seats, turf, office and restaurant equipment and other items will be available to be bought.
You can register here for the auction.
In 2023, the Aloha Stadium will be offering self-guided and guided tours for a limited time. Fans will be able to see areas that are usually off-limits like locker rooms, the field and other areas that are filled with memorabilia.
Meanwhile, the Aloha Stadium Authority met on Thursday, and there are conflicting beliefs on whether the governor’s plan to take a new direction will actually speed up the process.
In the Aloha Stadium Authority’s first meeting since the governor revealed that he wanted to go in a different direction in building the stadium, board member and The Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism Director, Mike McCartney, said it’s best to take the $350 million approved by the state legislature and just focus on building a stadium.
“To keep it simple, build a stadium. The other things that are out there that have been talked about are good pieces of work, like the entertainment district or the housing. But those are things that are to be done later on,” said McCartney.
He added that there are so many things that can go wrong with a major construction project.
“We have to be sensitive to cultural issues. I’m very sensitive about that here too because from Halawa ahupuaa all the way down,” McCartney said.
“It makes absolutely no sense. We spent three years and $25 million in consultants to get us to where we are today, everything from environmental impact studies to renderings,” said Sen. Glenn Wakai, chairman of the Senate Energy, Economic Development and Tourism Committee.
Sen. Wakai said the state seems disinterested in actually building a new stadium. He said the state asked University of Hawaii to take over the project but UH wasn’t interested in taking over the responsibility.
“They are very lukewarm to that idea they don’t really want to take on the responsibility of being the point persons or point entity for the construction of a stadium,” Wakai said.
Wakai added that the $350 million will likely not be enough to build a 35,000-seat stadium. And with delays more likely because of the new plan, the state will need more money.
“Cost escalation is usually six to 10% every year. So with $350 million, we’ll get a 20,000-seat stadium and with every month of delay we’ll get a smaller and smaller and smaller stadium,” said Wakai.
The governor’s spokeswoman said she will announce more details on his plan in about three weeks or sooner. UH said it is premature for them to comment.
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For more information on tours, you can visit their website.
