THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 16, 1995 TAG: 9502160367
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TONY WHARTON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
A $100 million project to rebuild and protect the Oceanfront against killer hurricanes - a project now threatened by a federal budget-cutting proposal - is vital for the city's tourism and safety, city officials and resort business owners said.
But the prospect of losing federal funds for the project raised a question: Does the city want the project enough to raise the money from local and state treasuries?
Tom Fraim, chairman of the Virginia Beach Erosion Commission, said the project is vital, however it is funded.
``When you think about the city, we are beaches,'' he said. ``Erosion is the enemy of beaches. Tourism is a major industry, and we need the beaches to support that industry.''
Yet, Rick Anoia, chairman of the Resort Leadership Council and owner of the Windjammer Motel, said that if the federal money is lost, this project should not be the first to get state and local funding. Expansion of the Pavilion and development of more golf courses ought to be top priorities, he said.
``The seawall is not a major priority of the council,'' Anoia said. ``Whether we would pursue other avenues of funding, I don't know. The seawall ranked perhaps ninth or 10th on our list.''
For 25 years, the city has worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build a new seawall and boardwalk, improve storm drainage, and double the width of the beach. The massive project would improve the beach as a tourist magnet and protect Oceanfront properties from the deadliest Atlantic hurricanes.
Last week, President Clinton proposed restructuring the Army Corps, including drastically shrinking the amount of federal money for Virginia Beach's hurricane protection plan. The Corps would have contributed up to 75 percent; Clinton's proposal would cut that to 25 percent. The difference in this case could be at least $40 million.
No one seems to have a problem with the project if the federal government continues with full participation. Many said the project needs to be completed somehow even if the Army Corps reduces its role.
``I think that frequently people look at federal government participation in projects and they think, `Pork barrel,' '' Fraim said. ``Should it take 25 years? No, but that's the reality. It is not a boondoggle.''
Fraim said he understands the questions raised about the project. For instance, he said, ``The north end of the beach has a wonderful dune line, and people behind that feel pretty good. So people think, maybe we don't need the project.''
The North Virginia Beach Civic League had already invited an Army Corps representative to speak in April, said league president Roger Visser.
``We have some concerns that we maybe don't need as much as what they're planning, particularly in some areas,'' Visser said. ``Sometimes federal money entices you to do things you might not do, because it comes from up there, as if it's free money. But it's not really free. Somebody's paying for it.
``I personally think local communities know better how to spend the money than the federal government.''
Yet the project probably is necessary, Visser said: ``People always get complacent when they haven't had a big storm.''
The project is designed to protect against a ``100-year storm,'' a storm so large it typically happens only once a century. The Oceanfront needs that level of protection, many people said.
Phill Roehrs, a coastal engineer for the city of Virginia Beach, said, ``We remain exposed to significant hurricane damage along our resort beach. Also, as one component of the project, we were replacing the boardwalk and seawall. It has degraded quite a bit since it was built in the 1920s.''
KEYWORDS: EROSION BEACH REPLENISHMENT BUDGET CUT U.S. ARMY
CORPS OF ENGINEERS HURRICANE PROTECTION by CNB