Aloha Stadium won't OK Hula Bowl until past bills settled

<p>Aloha Stadium won't guarantee a date for the upcoming Hula Bowl until the college all-star game's owner settles unpaid bills for the last event.</p><p>The owner, Nick Logan of Atlanta-based Cornerstone Bancard, says the 2007 event will be staged on January 14.</p><p>But Aloha Stadium wants his company to pay some $50,000 to $60,000 dollars in outstanding bills from last season's game.</p><p>Logan says the Hula Bowl's previous owners are liable, not his company, Pineapple Productions.</p><p>"I've been trying to tell them they're asking the wrong person," Logan said. "We weren't the owners until the day before the game."</p><p>Stadium acting deputy manager Scott Chan said he wants to see the 61st Hula Bowl succeed, but not before payment is received.</p><p>"We have it penciled in tentatively," Chan said, "but we're not going to move forward until we get this resolved."</p><p>The Hula Bowl also allegedly owes other Oahu companies money.</p><p>Promotions and advertising company Hawaii Pacific Entertainment filed a Circuit Court suit in June asking for $103,560 in media fees, commissions and other expenses.</p><p>Overtime Sports Pacific, the previous ownership group, is also named as a defendant in that suit. Overtime principals Kenny Hansmire and Mark Salmans could not be reached for comment.</p><p>The Honolulu Star-Bulletin is owed $10,000 for advertising, vice president of marketing David Kennedy said.</p><p>"All I know is they're pointing fingers at each other, and we haven't been paid," Kennedy said.</p><p>Another $20,000 is owed Roberts Hawaii for ground transportation.</p><p>Chan said he spoke with Logan about the debt Thursday for the first time. He said an undetermined deposit will be required in addition to settling the last bill.</p><p>"This is an event that's been in Hawaii a long time. We're going to do our best to work with this client to resolve the issue and have the game back," Chan said. "We're hoping this is a step forward."</p><p>Chan said he did not impose a deadline for payment.</p><p>"I think we have enough time. As long as they fulfill the outstanding obligation, it will be fine," he said.</p><p>Financial and attendance problems are familiar to the Hula Bowl, which has struggled in a saturated market of college football all-star games dominated by the NFL-sponsored Senior Bowl.</p><p>A gathering of 7,065 saw the East beat the West in January. It was the first Aloha Stadium Hula Bowl after the game was played on Maui for eight years.</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x1cdbdb0)</p>