THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, May 9, 1995 TAG: 9505090004
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 43 lines
I have lived in Norfolk for the past 17 years. During those 17 years, I have always paid a higher real-estate tax than my friends in the other Hampton Roads cities.
This has not really bothered me, because I was getting my money's worth. The city of Norfolk has always provided excellent fire and police protection, lots of water to drink and a good school system to educate my four children. When I read in the newspaper that Norfolk was going to raise my taxes again, I was not really upset because of what the increase was going to help pay for, especially the new football stadium for Lake Taylor High School.
I have three children attending Lake Taylor High School. For the past two years I have had to attend Lake Taylor's home football games at Harbor Park. Harbor Park is an excellent place to watch a baseball game, but it is a terrible place to watch a football game.
I was shocked when I read in a recent sports page that the Norfolk Youth Soccer League is opposed to the new stadium at Lake Taylor High School. It is hard for me to believe that a group of people who are trying to make things better for children through sports would oppose the stadium. I also question the statement in the article about the number of soccer fields there are at Lake Taylor.
In today's society, athletics, whether in school or recreational, play a very important part in how children become adults. I hope everyone involved with this issue will not be selfish but will instead think of the whole community.
Students at the schools involved in the new stadium projects made sacrifices in the past. Now it is time to reward them. I hope the people from the Norfolk Youth Soccer won't block the new stadium at Lake Taylor High School.
JOHN A. HARKINS
Norfolk, May 2, 1992 by CNB