THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 22, 1996 TAG: 9602200094
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SCOTT McCASKEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
Differences of opinion and rising tensions have led to a shakeup of the Colonial Place/Riverview Civic League and resulted in the formation of a new neighborhood group.
The president, vice president and several committee chairs resigned in early February after disputes over bylaws and rules of procedure between factions of the board.
As a result, on Feb. 12, the league elected Butch Christie and Jack Baker as the new president and vice president, respectively. New committee chairs will be selected over the next several weeks.
In the meantime, Dan Gentile and Anna Prather, the former president and vice president, have joined with other former league members to form a new group, the Colonial Place Citizen Partnership. The organization will operate to promote Colonial Place, separate from the civic league.
The resignations followed a Jan. 9 membership meeting that became somewhat of a shouting match between several longtime members of the board and some of the newer officers, prompting several members to leave.
Gentile said that the newest members felt that many long-timers on the board were set in their ways and not into trying anything new.
Jim Akers, a former president and now treasurer, said the other group wanted to work in a different format outside of the organization.
A flash-point issue was the new group's proposal of the Juvenile Offender Community Service Program, which would put non-violent, in-trouble youths in work projects around the neighborhood. In the wake of the resignations, the plan has been put on hold.
Immediately after the civic league's elections, Christie offered a kind of olive branch, saying he hoped the two organizations could come together.
``These are well-intentioned people, but there was disagreement, and they chose to resign,'' Christie said of the former board members. ``I personally would welcome them back to the league and the board in a heartbeat. I feel we could work these problems out with the bylaws and framework we have.''
Janet Farrar, a former civic league chairperson and now a member of the Colonial Place Citizen Partnership, said her group was ``currently under development and would soon hold a meeting where everyone would be welcome.''
The partnership, which is in the process of incorporating, has seven members, including trustees Farrar, David Block and Kathy Stark. As opposed to traditional civic leagues, the group will have no president, vice president or bylaws and will conduct community projects using teams, all in an attempt to minimize bureaucracy. The partnership recently conducted a survey of the neighborhood to establish a foundation of residents' needs.
``We will have partners, not members,'' said Farrar, who plans to remain a member of the civic league and says she welcomes all Colonial Place residents to join her group.
Farrar said that Riverview would not be included in the partnership because it is a separate neighborhood.
Christie said having one organization, including Riverview, is the better way to serve residents.
``My belief is there should be one voice,'' Christie explained. ``Fragmentation dilutes our impact and message at City Hall. We don't rely on downtown totally, but when we go to City Hall we need to go with one voice.''
The Colonial Place/Riverview section is involved in several projects with the city. The area is pursuing historic designation status and is part of the Tri-Corridor Development program, a study to determine improvement and developmental strategies in the interlinking areas south of the Granby Street Bridge, west along 35th Street and north along Colley Avenue to the Colley Avenue Bridge.
Robin Mitchell, a city planner for the Tri-Corridor area, said that there is no limit on the number of civic leagues allowed in a neighborhood and that the number of organizations is not an issue.
``I can go to any number of leagues,'' Mitchell said. ``We're objective here.''
Planner Mary Miller, who is working on the historic designation project, said more than one league in a community can complicate matters.
``I've dealt with neighborhoods that have had two civic leagues, and it can lead to a doubling of the work and confusion,'' Miller said.
Although Christie and Farrar disagree on the method to best advance the community, both say they are optimistic.
``It's like growing pains, and we'll work our way through this,'' Christie said.
``I'd like to get to a point to have a working relationship between the groups,'' Farrar said. ``Two organizations can peacefully co-exist in the neighborhood.'' by CNB