THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, March 5, 1996 TAG: 9603050002
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 48 lines
True to their word, the Norfolk and Virginia Beach mayors kept talking about building a major-league sports arena in Hampton Roads, despite initial disagreements.
A first attempt by the two cities to select a sports consultant fell through last month. Norfolk wanted to start with an understanding that the arena be built in its downtown. Virginia Beach said discussions should begin with the arena site still to be decided.
Next Norfolk Mayor Paul D. Fraim proposed that a relatively small group oversee the consultant selection, with the site to be determined later. Virginia Beach Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf said leaders of all 15 Hampton Roads localities should be included in planning, and she was right. For the arena to succeed, fans and funds must come from the whole area. It makes sense that all area leaders be involved.
Both Fraim and Oberndorf, to their credit, kept pushing for a regional agreement to hire a sports consultant. An arena cannot be built without someone to answer a number of questions, including whether the region could afford to support a National Basketball Association or National Hockey League team. Presumably the answer is yes, but with arenas priced at $140 million, give or take millions, local leaders must move with caution.
As staff writer Harry Minium reported Sunday, ``A breakthrough came two weeks ago during a private, two-hour meeting when the five South Hampton Roads mayors agreed to a framework for hiring a consultant and also agreed that Peninsula cities and outlying counties would be asked to participate.''
As a result, the mayors of the 10 Hampton Roads cities and the chairs of the five Hampton Roads counties will be asked this Friday to hire a sports consultant. Sources say an agreement is expected, with Rick Horrow of Miami the likely choice.
Go for it! Horrow is perfect for this politically fractured region, having worked wonders in the Oklahoma City area. He expanded a plan to finance a downtown arena to include eight other projects, many outside the city. By getting something for everybody in the region, he achieved regionwide voter support for the project.
Nothing less is likely to work here. by CNB