THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 25, 1995 TAG: 9505230115
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: In The Neighborhoods
SOURCE: Mike Knepler
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
Neighborhoods are gaining a greater voice in regional issues.
Leaders of the Plan 2007 for regional economic development have created a neighborhood seat on the executive board. The representative will be Carolyn Lincoln of Bellamy Woods in Virginia Beach.
Lincoln represents much more than her neighborhood. She's a member of the Virginia Beach Council of Civic Organizations and a leader of a recently formed regional coalition of civic leagues.
The board seat was created when James F. Babcock, co-chairman of the Plan 2007 executive committee, met May 13 with organizers of the civic-league coalition.
The civic-league coalition will meet monthly with regional leaders and sponsor quarterly forums on neighborhood and regional issues, said Les Fenlon, president of the Virginia Beach Council of Civic Organizations.
The new group, tentatively named the Hampton Roads Coalition of Civic Leagues, grew from the first ``Grass-Roots Regionalism'' forum, held April 22 in Virginia Beach. So far, the steering committee has two representatives from Chesapeake, two from Norfolk, one from Suffolk and three from Virginia Beach.
Advocates want a dialogue among civic leagues across Hampton Roads. The idea is to talk about similar problems and share solutions, and also help plan the region's future.
Monthly meetings of the regional civic-league coalition will rotate among area cities and be open to the public, Fenlon said. The next session will be 9 to 11 a.m. June 17 in Norfolk, at a site to be determined.
Participants will work on a mission statement and talk with Art Collins, head of the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission.
The group also will hold quarterly forums. The first will be Sept. 23 in Chesapeake. The proposed speaker is Suffolk Mayor Chris Jones.
Virginia Beach Mayor Meyera Oberndorf is the intended speaker for a future forum in Norfolk.
Call Les Fenlon, 481-2501.
Urban Summit. While talking regionalism, don't forget the big boys.
Leaders of 16 cities and the state Chamber of Commerce will hold an ``Urban Summit'' June 15 in Norfolk's Waterside Convention Center.
Organizers want to make Virginia's metropolitan areas more competitive nationally and globally.
Here, too, neighborhoods are getting noticed. The revised program focuses on two themes: ``Thinking and Acting Regionally'' and ``Unleashing Neighborhood Potential.''
Mayor Paul Fraim urges civic leagues to send representatives. City Hall will arrange for Norfolk neighborhood leaders who can't afford the fee. Call the mayor's office, 664-4679.
Showing the way. Hampton Roads politicians aren't always the most cooperative, especially when regionalism involves issues such as water or mass transit.
But feuding politicans find common ground when talking about grass-roots groups.
Although they signed separate pieces of paper, mayors Fraim and Oberndorf issued a joint proclamation for the non-profit Self Help and Resource Exchange. SHARE is a community network helping people get groceries at steep discounts through volunteer service.
An excerpt of the May 2 Fraim-Oberndorf proclamation reads:
``Successful community will come about through collaboration. Everyone has a contribution to make. Government alone cannot meet all human needs. A strong grass-roots involvement is critical in the building of community.''
For information about SHARE, call 627-6599.
KEYWORDS: REGIONALISM by CNB