Thursday morning's Stadium Authority meeting in Hālawa was the first for Chris Sadayasu in his new role.
In January's Stadium Authority meeting, Aloha Stadium manager Ryan Andrews announced he was stepping down in order to take a position as the University of Hawai‘i's director of recreational services.
Sadayasu, who was previously Aloha Stadium's deputy manager, stepped into the interim manager role shortly after Andrews announced his resignation.
Sadayasu, who was reared on the Big Island, has stepped in during a time where negotiations between the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District (NASED) and Aloha Hālawa District Partners (AHDP) are ongoing ahead of a June deadline to execute a contract.
In his first Stadium Authority meeting as Aloha Stadium's interim manager, Sadayasu briefed attendees with updates on the current stadium and surrounding area, including the final concert held in the parking lot, which drew approximately 6,000 people.
Stadium Authority chair Brennon Morioka also noted during the meeting that Sadayasu is currently doing the work of two people since the position of deputy manager has yet to be filled. Board members voted to adjust Sadayasu's salary accordingly, approving a pay bump to approximately $149,000, comparable to the approximately $156,000 Andrews was making prior to his resignation.
"It's been great so far," Sadayasu told Aloha State Daily of his first month in the interim role. "Ryan Andrews did a really good job transitioning us to this, and we've had a continuation of our negotiations with the developer. We've had legislative hearings and we have a good staff. It's been a challenge and it's been tiring and exciting at the same time."
When AHDP held its first public meeting on Feb. 4, Stanford Carr of Stanford Carr Development mentioned that an agreement between NASED and AHDP could be made as soon as April.
"If we can get it done earlier, even better," Sadayasu said, noting demolition is targeted to begin in late June or early July. "It gives us more time to get everything moving."
If the contract between NASED and AHDP is agreed to by the June deadline, one of the first steps towards building the new stadium is demolishing the current one, which is estimated to take 10 months.
Sadayasu projects demolition being done "a piece at a time...(an instant) demolition, including explosives, wouldn't be prudent at the time," noting the amount of steel in the current stadium.
Were everything to go according to plan, a signing ceremony with the various entities involved towards the new Aloha Stadium project would be held.
Also noted in Thursday's meeting was the application process towards the new Aloha Stadium manager position, with applications projected to go live in a month or two. Sadayasu said he is hoping to apply, but his decision to do so will depend on the demands of the position and if it will be tailored for the stadium or the entire entertainment district surrounding it. The permanent stadium manager is projected to start in the summer.
"I'm hoping to [apply], but it might go into more the executive director type versus stadium manager," Sadayasu said. "As the chair mentioned, it depends on the skill set, which is not stadium management, because that's what was happening prior to the closure of the stadium, right? So it would be more redevelopment, and so it depends on what skill set it asks for. But I'd be interested in seeing [what it entails], and working with the chair."
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
