Enterprise Services emphasizes urgent arena, golf and zoo capital needs and new revenue strategies

The Department of Enterprise Services (DEES) told the Honolulu Budget Committee on March 12 that deferred maintenance and immediate public-safety concerns at the BlazeDel arena require expedited action while the department pursues new revenue strategies to soften losses from the arena’s closure.

Why it matters: The BlazeDel arena is a large revenue and event asset for Honolulu; DEES said immediate repairs and design work for sewer and roof issues are necessary for public safety, and the department proposed repurposing planned renovation funds to address those urgent infrastructure needs.

Director Dita Hollyfield presented DEES’ FY27 request and said much of the operating budget is supported by special funds (golf, Honolulu Zoo, special events). She told the committee the department discovered major arena repairs and had already redirected CIP funds originally intended for concert-hall front-of-house work to address a failing sewer line and imminent roof repairs. "We pivoted... and instead use those funds... to start repairs for the sewer line running underneath the arena, and of course the arena roof," Hollyfield said, specifying an immediate safety repair estimate of $465,000 and a larger estimated arena need of roughly $10 million for near-term work; prior full-replacement estimates discussed in the hearing ranged from $750 million (older study) to $1–1.5 billion for a new arena.

DEES requested additional contract staff (zookeeper, concessions/contracts support, and a golf administrative position) to manage growing concession contracts, oversee six golf courses (137 positions), and support zoo animal welfare in the mammal division. The department also listed roughly $820,000 of above-ceiling equipment requests for aging mowers, a super hauler for the zoo, and a lift to support arena and golf operations.

On revenue, Hollyfield outlined mitigation plans: increased use of the concert hall for shows, new concession and ticketing partnerships, social-media-driven marketing (a golf show reaching hundreds of thousands of viewers), and cross-department ticket bundling (Hanama Bay ticket buyers to receive Honolulu Zoo admission), a partnership DEES expects could bring about $500,000 in incremental zoo revenue in a typical year. The department also emphasized sponsorship and naming-rights efforts to attract private funds when the arena reopens.

Council members asked whether the department could repurpose spaces (sports, esports, trade shows) and explored timeline and booking impacts. Hollyfield said she expects the arena closure to start late next winter (DDC’s target), and the department is actively reshaping the calendar to relocate events and pursue new promoters.

What’s next: DEES will follow up with council members on specific CIP timing and will continue coordination with DDC for design and bid schedules for repairs and longer-term planning for the arena campus.

Sources: Presentation and Q&A with Director Dita Hollyfield and Deputy Director Jocelyn Don, Department of Enterprise Services (March 12 Budget Committee meeting).