THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 24, 1996 TAG: 9604240556
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to support hiring a consultant to determine whether Hampton Roads should build a 20,000-seat sports arena. It also agreed with Virginia Beach that the consultant should be hired and paid for by the Sports Authority of Hampton Roads.
Mayor William E. Ward will take that recommendation Friday to a meeting of the region's 15 mayors and chairs of county boards of supervisors, where a compromise must be worked out to hire the consultant.
Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Newport News have all voted to hire a consultant through a public-private partnership. Under that scenario, the consultant would be hired by a six-person executive committee representing the region's six largest cities, then be paid by the region's localities and private business groups.
The Greater Norfolk Corporation and the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce are among the business groups that have pledged to pay a consultant.
Proponents of a public-private partnership say that the business community must support the arena through the purchase of luxury boxes and season tickets and should be involved early on.
But Chesapeake's council joined Virginia Beach in saying the desirability of having an open search for a consultant outweighed the need for involving the business community.
``I think we should go with a completely public organization because the stakes are high for all of us,'' Councilman John J. de Triquet said.
``If we're going to succeed, we have to start from the very beginning in an environment of trust.''
The Sports Authority is a public organization composed of representatives from Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Isle of Wight, Hampton and Newport News. It would hire a consultant by advertising the position and accepting applications from all comers - a process that could take up to four months.
The executive committee could hire a consultant within a few weeks through a search that would not have to be advertised. ILLUSTRATION: What's next:
On Friday, leaders of the region's 15 cities and counties are
scheduled to decide how to hire the consultant. That issue is the
only major sticking point among the region's cities.
KEYWORDS: SPORTS ARENA CHESAPEAKE CITY COUNCIL by CNB