HĀLAWA — Faces, roles and names have changed, but the goal has remained the same.
On Oct. 31, 2024, Aloha Hālawa District Partners (AHDP) was selected as the new developer for the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District (NASED). The objective for both sides was to execute a contract by late June 2025 and begin construction on a new Aloha Stadium that would open in time for the University of Hawai‘i football team's 2028 season.
Although the self-imposed deadline for contract execution was recently moved to mid-August, the contract delay is not expected to postpone planned construction, which would begin with the demolition of the current Aloha Stadium in late August.
Unless the date interferes with a holiday, the Aloha Stadium Authority board meets on the final Thursday of every month. In the months since AHDP was selected as the developer, multiple positions for involved parties with a vested interest in the new Aloha Stadium have seen turnover. Craig Angelos was publicly ousted as UH-Mānoa's athletics director on Nov. 19 and officially departed on Dec. 1. In Stadium Authority board meetings from December to June, acting AD Lois Manin served as UH's representative.
Additionally, former Aloha Stadium manager Ryan Andrews stepped down in January, with Chris Sadayasu taking over as the interim manager. Then in June, Brennon Morioka's eight-year term as Authority board chair came to an end, handing off the title to former vice chair Eric Fujimoto.
In its July 2025 Stadium Authority meeting held Thursday morning, Fujimoto was confirmed as chair following a motion from Stadium Authority member Walter Thoemmes. Additionally, Andrew Pereira will step in as vice chair.
Morioka was present at Thursday's meeting in his new role as special advisor. He was presented with a lei and orange Aloha Stadium seat and thanked for his services as former chair. Also in attendance for his first Stadium Authority meeting was new University of Hawai‘i athletics director Matt Elliott, who officially began on June 30.
The main talking point of Thursday's meeting was the looming Mid-August deadline between AHDP and NASED to execute its contract. During the meeting, Hawaiʻi Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS) special projects manager Chris Kinimaka made a football analogy, saying the agreement was so close that it could be compared to a first and goal.
Despite no longer serving as chair, Morioka continued to be active in negotiations. He is fully confident no more delays will occur leading up to the mid-August deadline.
"We've gone through all of that," Morioka said following Thursday's meeting. "The last two days, we had major marathon sessions, 10 hours each day. We've had a few of those over the course of the last two weeks, and so we went through everything (Wednesday). We're pretty much done now. It's just a matter of making sure that the final language reflects what we agreed to in the last couple days."
The Stadium Authority will continue to meet at the end of each month — its next meeting is set for Aug. 28. A special meeting will be called for the execution and signing of the contract in mid-August.
August 2028 remains the target for completion of the new Aloha Stadium and surrounding entertainment district, but that could also change due to factors such as tariffs and supply of materials needed to build the stadium.
Said Morioka: "That's always been and still remains to be always our target. It's just, is that going to be realistic at this point? Do we want to be aggressive and then not hit an aggressive target? Or do we want to be a little bit more realistic with something that we're all more comfortable in hitting?"
While Fujimoto steps into his new role at a critical time in the process, he vows to take a simple approach.
"I think for me, the chairperson role is a collaborative one," he said. "My job is to just not screw up, right? There's leaders that have come before me that have led the way. ... Just kind of honor the spirit, keep it moving. Trust your team."
Elliott's first meeting was also a commemoration of his first month on the job. Stadium Authority members gave him lei and congratulated him.
"Just wanted to be here because it is a big part of our future for the athletics department, for the university," Elliott said. "I love to get to meet the folks who are putting all their time and passion into this. I do believe it matters a great deal."
During Elliott's first stint living in Hawai‘i in 2006, he attended a game between Hawai‘i and Oregon State with his future wife, Allison.
"It's one of the first times I really experienced college football at the highest level," Elliott recalled. "It really imprinted on me what it means to come together in those groups. It's not just being in the stadium, but it's that tailgating experience. It's the fun of sitting in traffic because the anticipation is so high, right? You're going there, it takes a couple hours to get there sometimes, but that's OK, because you know you've got the tailgate coming, you've got being there with your family and friends, and you get in the stadium.
"Everybody knew this was the place to be on that Saturday morning, and then to be there for that rest of that day, and then to see the fans, to see the visiting fans there, that's so exciting, right? You're dominating the stadium but you see the patch of the other color across from you, that's college football. ... To go back to that moment really brought back tremendous memories, and I can't wait to have those recreated for everybody in our community. "
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
