The Aloha Stadium Authority yesterday agreed to study a proposal to ban alcohol in the stadium and its parking lot during University of Hawai'i football games, but officials indicated it may be weeks until a final decision is reached.

The proposed ban, endorsed by Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona and UH interim President David McClain, had been pegged for the Sept. 3 season opener against two-time defending national champion Southern California.

In a meeting that drew little public testimony, the nine-member authority yesterday approved a resolution to "consider" a total alcohol ban, but also moved to find alternatives and said it needs to study its contract with stadium concessionaire Centerplate before banning alcohol sales in the stadium.

The authority said it would form a three-member task force to conduct the study and report back at the authority's next meeting, Sept. 29.

In addition, a move to ban alcohol in the stadium parking lot would require a minimum 45-day process for public hearings and other steps, state Comptroller Russ Saito said.

"Let's say you start on Sept. 29, you've got 45 days (for the rule-changing process to be completed), so the season's almost over," Saito said.

The UH football team hosts Utah State on Nov. 12, Wisconsin on Nov. 25 and concludes its regular season by hosting San Diego State on Dec. 3.

Saito said the process could take longer if the proposal affects small businesses, and if so, would require a meeting with the Small Business Regulatory Review Board.

Alcohol-related misbehavior at Aloha Stadium is the driving force for the proposal that would put Hawai'i in line with a national trend toward "dry" stadiums. In June, USC agreed to end alcohol sales at its home football games, joining the rest of the Pacific-10 Conference teams. The Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference also have banned alcohol sales in their stadiums.

Aiona said he remained hopeful a ban on alcohol inside and outside the stadium could be adopted during the 2005 football season.

"I'm still optimistic that it can happen this season," Aiona said. "I will continue to push for this. It is the right thing to do; it's for the benefit of the entire state and especially for the young people of Hawai'i."

Aiona said the drinking ban in the parking lot could be in place by mid-November, and contractual renegotiations with stadium concessionaire Centerplate "could happen in two days, (or) it can happen in one year."

Centerplate attorney Michael Bird declined to comment on Centerplate's position on the proposed alcohol ban.

"Centerplate has a good working relationship with the Stadium Authority and will fully cooperate with their investigation (into the contract)," Bird said.

McClain called yesterday's meeting encouraging, and said the authority's willingness to confront alcohol-related misbehavior was promising.

"As I said in my testimony, I'm interested in results and it seems to me the authority has approved a motion, as I recall the wording, to consider a ban on alcohol and to investigate all the other alternatives that go with that ban and come back," McClain said.

Aloha Stadium Authority chairman Kevin Chong Kee said the delay in implementing an alcohol ban will give the authority time to further assess alcohol-related misbehavior at this season's UH football games.

"This year will show us," Chong Kee said. "Are some people going to continue their bad behavior in the parking lot or inside the stadium? These behaviors will really determine what way to move."

Five of the eight people who offered public testimony yesterday opposed the total alcohol ban.

Those opposed were Associated Students of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa officers Grant Teichman and Katie Barry; vendor James Von Rohr; Chad Hoffmeister, the vice president and general manager of Anheuser-Busch Sales of Hawaii; and Dirk Soma, a former UH baseball player.

Those in support were Alan Shinn, executive director for the Coalition for a Drug Free-Hawai'i, Carol McNamee, found-er of Mothers Against Drunk Driving-Hawai'i, and former Hawai'i first lady Vicky Cayetano.

Hoffmeister said prohibiting beer sales at Aloha Stadium will do nothing to stop alcohol abuse, and could actually make the situation worse.

He said Colorado State University experimented with banning beer sales at its football stadium in 2004 and "failed miserably." He said the campus police chief said alcohol consumption increased, and people were coming to the stadium "more intoxicated" than before.

Hoffmeister said the stadium's concessionaire has an array of alcohol awareness programs in place that includes training for alcohol servers aimed at preventing alcohol-abuse situations.

Vendor Von Rohr, who owns the Poke-To-Go food stand at the stadium, said an alcohol ban would be "catastrophic" for his business.

"Prohibition is not the answer," Von Rohr said. "If the problem is people coming into the stadium drunk, then why wouldn't we stop alcohol outside the stadium? Let the vendors operate inside the stadium succeed and sell their products."

But Shinn said, "The proposed ban on alcoholic beverages in Aloha Stadium and the parking lot is good, common-sense prevention. As adults, we often don't see the connection between adult use of alcohol and how it influences our children and their normative beliefs about alcohol.

"By banning alcohol at Aloha Stadium, we address the health and safety issues of stadium fans, we prevent negative alcohol related behaviors and preserve our sporting event as wholesome family entertainment."

Aloha Stadium has taken several precautions to curb alcohol abuse, according to Aloha Stadium spokesman Patrick Leonard. Currently, alcohol sales are stopped after the third quarter, or earlier, if alcohol-related misbehavior gets heavy. Patrons also are restricted to one alcoholic beverage purchase per person, and vendors are trained to refuse service to intoxicated patrons, he said.

The stadium's concessionaire sells 12 types of beer or wine, Centerplate said. Centerplate has exclusive rights for all food and beverages in the stadium. Centerplate secured the contract with Aloha Stadium in 2001 and its contract runs through 2011.

Reach Brandon Masuoka at bmasuoka@honoluluadvertiser.com and Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com.