THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 18, 1996 TAG: 9601180004
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 40 lines
The cities of Hampton Roads need to do a better job of selling the area instead of selling their cities.
I have been living in this area since 1987 and have watched many good opportunities to further advance the area go by the wayside because of the invisible brick wall around each city.
One of many examples was the lack of support by neighboring cities for a new stadium in Hampton Roads area to support the Tides. Look what Harbor Park has done for the Norfolk downtown area!
It was defeatist for the area to have two cities submit proposals for a horse track in the area. Did each proposal take away from the other, causing the area to lose the economic benefits of a racetrack in Hampton Roads?
The most recent episode, ``Beach balks at joint CFL effort'' (news, Jan. 11) is another example. Instead of providing assistance which would benefit the whole Hampton Roads area, the Beach will not take the step toward unity by pledging support. I agree, many questions do need to be answered about the Pirates and whether the area should support the move of the Pirates into the area. However, a little conditional support from the Beach to support Norfolk could reap many benefits. Instead the Beach added another row of bricks to the wall between the two cities.
Maybe a little Beach support would be reciprocated by Norfolk in support of the Lake Gaston pipeline. How novel, working together!
I hope in the near future all the cities of Hampton Road will tear down the wall they have erected, or each city may be devastated when the wall crumbles and smothers those who built it.
JIM RANKIN
Virginia Beach, Jan. 13, 1996 by CNB