THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 24, 1996 TAG: 9601240370
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: By KATRICE FRANKLIN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
Two Suffolk council members have called a short, unscheduled meeting for 5:30 p.m. tonight at Lakeland High School to discuss city plans for the former Naval Radio Transmitting Facility near Driver.
The council last week delayed voting on a proposal for the vacant 597 acres after some residents questioned why YES, a youth entertainment organization that is seeking part of the land for a camp, had been left out of the city's plan.
The council was not originally scheduled to meet today. It is supposed to meet at 6 p.m. at the high school on Kenyon Road with the Blue Ribbon Committee, which advises it on school building projects.
Council members Charles F. Brown and Richard R. Harris, who called the unscheduled meeting, said they want to see YES, formally known as Youth Entertainment Studios, included in the city's final plans for the Suffolk facility.
The Navy closed the base in 1993 and will make the final decision on who will get it.
Under the city's proposed plan, the land would be used for an environmental education center, to be run in conjunction with Old Dominion University; a Little League athletic field, and a city park that would include access to the Nansemond River. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would also receive some of the property to link two of its wildlife refuges.
``We feel as though all three entities that are involved in the land situation can fit in the plan,'' Brown said.
``We have enough land for all three. All of them are very important to improving the quality of life for people in the city of Suffolk.
``Right now, YES is my top priority. I'm hoping to get enough votes to send the proposal back to the consultants so they can rethink the plans.''
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Department of Interior and the city have all asked the Navy for portions of the property.
City officials hired a consultant last year to conduct a series of meetings with residents about what should be done there. Consultants, who presented the final plan to council in December were asked to base their recommendations on what Suffolk citizens wanted.
But Harold Young, president of Youth Entertainment Studios, said his organization was left out of the city's plan after some residents complained that it would not ``fit in the mix,'' after learning that at-risk youth would be living on the site in the summer.
YES, a three-year old organization located in Virginia Beach, asked for 50 acres of the land to build new headquarters and a dormitory to hold summer camps.
Once the council approves a plan, the proposal will be submitted to the Navy. City officials said Tuesday that they have asked the Navy for a 90-day extension to submit their plan.
It is unclear when the service will decide who gets the property. by CNB