THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 7, 1996 TAG: 9604050235
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Bill Reed
LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
Patience is one person's virtue and another's sin.
From the Virginia Beach perspective, patience - especially when it involves joining a regional rush to build a mega sports arena for either a major league basketball or hockey franchise - is a good, wise and just course for the resort city.
The arena project has been gaining momentum recently with the prodding of Norfolk Mayor Paul D. Fraim, who is anxious to have a consultant hired and on the job to study whether or not this area could support a big league sports franchise.
The foregone conclusion, of course, is that such an arena would be a good thing for all and should be located in Norfolk.
Thereby lies the fly in the ointment.
The Virginia Beach City Council last Tuesday endorsed a deliberate approach to hiring a consultant. Members unanimously decided that the hiring should be done through a public bidding process, since it would be financed by public money - meaning taxpayers' money - from all surrounding communities. The conduit for the study would be the Sports Authority of Hampton Roads and the procedure would likely take months to get under way.
Norfolk, on the other hand, wants to hurry the study process along by hiring a consultant through the auspices of the Greater Norfolk Corporation, an 18-year-old organization made up of Norfolk shakers and movers, whose primary mission is to do those things that economically benefit the city of Norfolk.
Mayor Fraim, who has led the charge to land a major sports franchise in Hampton Roads, argues that delaying a study to go through the bidding process would put the arena project ``behind the curve.'' Besides, all surrounding communities favor quick action, he said. Fraim also points out that a big chunk of private cash would back such a study, thus reducing the burden on local taxpayers, initially.
Inferred is the fact that the arena study would be removed from public scrutiny until the bulldozers are ready to roll and the surrounding communities are asked to ante up their share of construction costs. The fewer the questions, the better.
Virginia Beach City Councilman Louis R. Jones said he, for one, wasn't comfortable with that strategy. While the bidding process might be time consuming, it would produce a more ``unbiased'' conclusion, he contends. It also would be more palatable to his constituents, who generally are a cranky and demanding lot.
In the last 10 years Virginia Beach has invested heavily in its tourist industry, spending millions to fix up Atlantic Avenue, triple the size of the Virginia Marine Science Museum and build a new 20,000-seat amphitheater to attract major entertainment. Also on the table are plans to expand the Pavilion Convention Center to attract conventions and events that involve as many as 20,000 participants.
Beach council members don't want those projects jeopardized by a big undertaking that would take tax money outside the city limits and produce few or no benefits for Beach residents in the long run.
Basically, the Beach council is saying, ``What's the rush? Let's find out from an impartial source if a big time sports arena will fly in Hampton Roads - and for how long.''
Major league sports franchise owners have been known to pick up their toys and sneak out of town at the drop of a dollar sign. Look at Baltimore, Cleveland and L.A.
Council members are elected to look after the interests of their constituents. That's what Jones, Oberndorf and company are doing. So, let the chips fall where they may. ILLUSTRATION: File photo
Norfolk Mayor Paul D. Fraim has led the charge to land a major
sports franchise.
by CNB