THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 7, 1997 TAG: 9702070534
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MEREDITH COHN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: 54 lines
Chesapeake plans to begin turning a 225-acre plot of land in Deep Creek into a park in the next fiscal year, and that about taps out the funding for major new recreational initiatives in the city.
Designs for the city's first public golf course, lights for some public baseball diamonds and new land for parks will have to wait, officials say. The city's first public swimming pool isn't even on the wish list, nor is new housing for the Parks and Recreation Department, which works out of a set of trailers near City Hall.
It's budget time, and a small band of residents appointed by the City Council to advise officials on use of public money gathered Thursday night to discuss what more they should push for this year and what should wait.
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meets monthly, but members used part of February's gathering to criticize the short list of recreation items proposed in the next five-year capital budget - money used for new programs and improvements, and not dollars spent on daily operations.
The city plans to spend about $2.3 million out of its $564.5 million budget for parks and recreational facilities and programs. Nearly all is slated for the Deep Creek park, with a small amount of money collected from developers going to small neighborhood parks. More than $11 million in projects likely will go unfunded.
``I'm thrilled they funded the Deep Creek park, but they can't forget they need to be acquiring land now for future parks before it's developed,'' said Lynne W. Kennedy, chairman of the board.
``There's all this talk from council about the quality of life in Chesapeake, and a lot of people move here for it, so it's important that we not let it slip away. There are also other items of importance to residents that they ought to be thinking about now.''
Claire Askew, the city's Parks and Recreation department director, said the city bought up about $3 million worth of park land in recent years. Several parks already in city hands remain undeveloped for lack of funding, she said, ``and I expect that, but we need to make sure we get enough land on the city rolls for the future.''
Kennedy said she was pleased that the council held public hearings on the budget around the city so the members and citizens could have an opportunity to hear about, and comment on, the parks and recreational portion of the budget.
During those meetings, and at Thursday's gathering, advisory board members suggested various projects that should be added to the capital budget - due for a final vote by City Council on Feb. 25.
Among others, suggestions included paying for some of the $2.2 million in lighting improvement needed at athletic fields, building a recreational center in Hickory to add to the six centers open in the city now, building a public pool, and charging nonresidents more to use city facilities than residents pay.