THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 19, 1996 TAG: 9605180134
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Kevin Armstrong
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
Nature turned a jealously cold shoulder to the amphitheater opening Wednesday as if to defy human plans to extend our season in the sun. It didn't work.
No other locality in the commonwealth enjoys the same lapping of the ocean's tides at our doorstep or the tourist dollars it affords each summer.
City leaders and businessmen have worked for years to find ways to fill their coffers beyond the traditional Memorial Day to Labor Day season. Many see the new outdoor concert arena as a place to start.
Others remain content to count our natural blessings and avoid temptations to greedily take more than to which we're entitled.
This world is full of both those who take what life hands them and make the most of it without major complaint and those who see no end to what's theirs for the taking.
That tension is evident in most any public debate about our community these days.
Some residents vigorously guard the small-town quaintness that marks the heart and soul of any community you call home. They fight against the invasion of outside interests trying to tell us that we could be so much more.
Other citizens are quick to invite new opportunities. They argue that we stand to gain not only personally from such ventures but publicly as well.
Nature was on the side of the small-town defenders Wednesday night, spitting in the face of efforts to inaugurate an $18.5 million shrine that provides a mecca for music lovers.
They played second fiddle, however, to the politicians and private interests who giddily patted themselves on the back all night long, celebrating their success. As well they should.
The amphitheater glistens like a long-sought and newly polished jewel in the city's crown. It's a trophy to overcoming small thinking, which has plagued the Beach for far too long.
We are more than a sunny shoreline. We're a vibrant coastal community that provides year-round amenities to the population that matters most: residents. While the amphitheater might entice an out-of-towner to schedule an extra room night or adjust his schedule to visit on a non-holiday week, residents will get more from the amphitheater than anyone.
Last week's opening-day excitement also provides the political capital that City Council members need to move ahead with other projects.
While thousands of concert-goers were piling into the newly rooted seats and lawn spaces Wednesday evening, dozens of dignitaries were gathering under a VIP tent before showtime to toast their achievement.
Council members talked privately of coming attractions - and not the lineup of entertainers who will grace the stage this summer.
Their list included a major league soccer stadium, several golf courses, a convention center hotel and a light rail transit system.
Dark clouds overhead seemed out of place in this picture, almost like painting a snowman on a beach scene.
The political winds won't always be at the backs of city leaders, some of whom likely will not withstand the storm. But let's hope that together they demonstrate the resolve to press ahead.
The truest measure of success won't be how many tickets are sold or which celebrities grace our turf. If such major projects can help pay for street lights on cul-de-sacs that lack them or speed up the replacement of septic tanks with sewer systems in neighborhoods all over town, then it will be worth the investment. by CNB