THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 10, 1995 TAG: 9508080108
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SCOTT McCASKEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
After surviving several contentious public hearings in the spring, Ocean View Watersports is up and running at full throttle.
The jet ski/watercraft rental facility opened in June at 1000 E. Ocean View Ave.. Many area residents had objected to the business, citing noise and safety concerns. Others complained that the required rezoning from residential to commercial violated a long-range plan to promote more residential development in Ocean View.
But the site has been well-received by the community, according to Ronald Boone Jr., owner of the facility.
``Business is very good, but I expected it or I wouldn't have gone through what I did to open here,'' he said.
Beginning in January, Boone made several presentations before the Planning Commission and City Council. The hearings attracted hundreds of people, for and against. Boone had a lawyer to assist him in the process. The project was given the official go-ahead in April in a 4-3 vote by City Council.
Don Williams, an Ocean View resident and planning commissioner, recently took a ride on one of Boone's jet skis.
``It was a ball,'' Williams said. ``I voted for this, and I'm glad I did. The noise concern is not there. It's an asset to the community and a first-class operation.''
The three-story, 3,800-square-foot structure cost $200,000 to build and is designed to resemble a Coast Guard station. The site is neatly landscaped and has a snack bar, restrooms and showers.
The fleet of 30 watercrafts includes jet skis, paddle boats, kayaks, windsurfers, a Hobie Cat and 14-foot motorized fishing boats. Crafts are launched directly into the Bay via a ramp. Patrons must follow a no-wake zone out to a buoyed course 150 yards off shore, where they can speed, cruise, sail or fish. Prices range from $5 an hour for a paddle boat to $45 an hour for a jet ski.
Boone's customers, ages 8 to 80, come from Ocean View, local cities and out-of-town. His fliers are in motels and hotels around Norfolk.
Bill Marshall, 15, who lives in the nearby Pinewell neighborhood, is a frequent jet skier at Ocean View Watersports.
``Last year I went to Virginia Beach, but I could only afford a couple of times because it was so expensive,'' Marshall said. ``I can come here every week with the money I make from cutting lawns.''
Boone, 23, an Ocean View native and Portsmouth firefighter, has a crew of paramedics and lifeguards on duty. He said that there have been no accidents since he opened. Boone said he gives basic instructions for all his crafts. Youths must be age 14 or older to operate a motorized vehicle.
But not everyone is happy with facility.
Susan Tesoriero, who lives next door, objects to the smell of fuel and thinks it's dangerous.
``I can't sit on my deck because of the fumes,'' Tesoriero said. ``There are a lot of boaters and swimmers out there, and someone's going to get hurt.''
Tesoriero's friend and neighbor thinks everything is fine, however.
``There's no problem here,'' Jim Sheets said. ``The place helps keep out the riffraff.'' MEMO: Ocean View Watersports will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily until early
November. Weekend operation will continue into the winter months,
weather permitting.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo by GARY C. KNAPP
Ronald Boone Jr., left, owner of Ocean View Watersports, guides
customers into the wave runner area of the Bay.
by CNB