THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 2, 1995 TAG: 9508310012
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 43 lines
As an owner of property at the North End in Virginia Beach, I can't tell you how annoyed I am at the simplification of our objections (``Storm protection: North End residents fight shoreline plan,'' article, Aug. 14).
Implied in the story is that our concerns are superficial, with no more substance than the possible loss of an ``ocean view'' or ``private walkover.'' We North End residents were made to sound petty and our interests self-serving.
What are the real concerns of North End? One is cost. Estimated from 1993, the initial expense would be $92 million; a figure easily inflated using today's dollars and tacking on an additional $10 million each year for maintenance ($500 million over the projected life span of 50 years).
Another concern is protection. I have heard the project is effective only for a Category 3 storm or less. An expensive proposal with a short life, the hurricane-protection plan guarantees little except taxes.
And while the city would like desperately to have Uncle Sam pitch in, the plan must show that the property is worth twice as much as the project will cost. The better the numbers, the better the chances for the plan. As a means to getting those federal dollars, the numbers have been artificially inflated by including the North End. But, because there really isn't a need, the North End would get little or nothing.
The plan is dishonest. Despite project engineer Jack Usher's claim that he sees ``. . . nothing wrong with that. It's good business,'' it is wrong to purposefully manipulate numbers to be misleading. City Council needs to reconcile the South End's ``champagne tastes'' with a ``beer budget'' beginning with the elimination of expensive surplus items in the plan.
This is a project everyone will pay for and not just taxpayers in Virginia Beach. The federal dollars to pay for this project will come from the people all over the United States who pay income tax, whether they benefit or not.
ISABELLE CLARKE
Gwynn, Aug. 22, 1995 by CNB