THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 26, 1996 TAG: 9604260659
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 128 lines
Hampton Roads' most successful sports facility will be the site today for a meeting that could determine how the region decides whether to build a proposed 20,000-seat arena.
Leaders of the region's 15 cities and counties gather for the monthly Mayors, Chairs meeting at noon at the Harbor Park restaurant. The only major agenda item is how to hire a consultant who would study the arena issue.
The region's seven largest cities - Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach - agree that a consultant should be hired to determine if the Hampton Roads business community could support an arena, whether the area can afford major sports ticket prices and whether there is a reasonable chance of landing an NBA or NHL franchise.
At issue is how to hire the consultant.
City councils in Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Newport News recently voted to support a public-private partnership to hire the consultant that would be headed by The Greater Norfolk Corporation, a private group that seeks to foster economic growth in Norfolk.
Norfolk Mayor Paul D. Fraim said Hampton Mayor James L. Eason told him this week that the Peninsula city also supports the public-private effort. Eason was unavailable for comment Thursday.
Meanwhile, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach voted unanimously to hire a consultant through the Sports Authority of Hampton Roads, a public organization.
Three outcomes are possible today:
Five cities decide to go it alone and hire a consultant through Greater Norfolk.
A compromise is reached between the two proposals.
A decision is delayed to allow more time for negotiations.
Virginia Beach and Chesapeake urged the region to choose openness over expediency.
The sports authority would advertise the position, then have a competitive search that officials in both cities say is necessary to ensure public trust.
The search could take months, but Chesapeake and Virginia Beach officials say that's the only way to ensure there's no bias in the search, and ultimately, in the consultant's report.
``I would certainly feel more comfortable with a public entity serving as a funding vehicle,'' Chesapeake Councilman John J. de Triquet said Tuesday during a debate over the issue.
Virginia Beach Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf and Chesapeake Mayor William E. Ward were unavailable for comment Thursday.
Under the public-private scenario, a consultant would be hired by a six-person executive committee representing the region's six largest cities - minus Suffolk - then be paid by the region's localities and private business groups through Greater Norfolk.
Proponents of a public-private partnership say that under their proposal a consultant can be hired more quickly and the business community would become wedded to the arena early on. Previous consultants have said the business community must buy millions of dollars of luxury suites and season tickets for the arena to succeed.
``The good news is that it appears the seven major cities in Hampton Roads all have a common goal, which is the financing and constructing of a regional arena,'' Fraim said. ``The issue now seems to be, how do we achieve the goal?
``That ought not to divide us.'' ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
THE PLAYERS IN THE CONSULTANT DEBATE
How to hire and pay a consultant to determine whether Hampton
Roads should build a 20,000-seat sports arena will be discussed
today at noon at Norfolk's Harbor Park at the monthly Mayors, Chairs
meeting. At issue is whether to hire a consultant through a
public-private partnership with the Greater Norfolk Corporation or
through the Sports Authority of Hampton Roads.
The players:
MAYORS, CHAIRS
The meeting is an informal gathering of leaders from the region's
15 jurisdictions.
Chesapeake Mayor William E. Ward will chair today's meeting.
Other mayors include Meyera E. Oberndorf of Virginia Beach, Paul D.
Fraim of Norfolk, Gloria O. Webb of Portsmouth, S. Chris Jones of
Suffolk, C. Franklin Lester Jr. of Franklin, Barry E. DuVal of
Newport News, James L. Eason of Hampton, L. Cornell Burcher of
Poquoson and Trist McConnell of Williamsburg.
County chairmen include Phillip A. Bradshaw of Isle of Wight,
Reggie W. Gilliam of Southampton, James W. Funk of York, David L.
Sisk of James City and Graham C. Blake of Gloucester.
GREATER NORFOLK CORP.
A private group of approximately 120 businessmen and women that
seeks to foster economic growth in Norfolk.
President: Robert M. Stanton, a Virginia Beach resident and a
real estate executive. Executive vice president: Barry C. Bishop, a
full-time employee for Greater Norfolk.
Members include Henry Clay Hofheimer II, a prominent retired
businessman who helped found Eastern Virginia Medical School; former
Norfolk mayors Roy B. Martin, Joseph A. Leafe and Vincent J. Thomas;
Old Dominion University president James V. Koch; Norfolk State
University president Harrison B. Wilson; prominent Norfolk
businessman Joshua P. Darden Jr.; and Frank Batten Jr., executive
vice president of Landmark Communications, which publishes The
Virginian-Pilot.
Through the GNC, the selection of an arena consultant would be
made by representatives of the region's largest cities. An arena
study would be paid for by the region's cities and other private
groups, such as Virginia Beach Vision Inc., the Hampton Roads
Chamber of Commerce and Portsmouth Partnership.
SPORTS AUTHORITY OF HAMPTON ROADS
A public group that seeks to promote sports and sports facilities
in Hampton Roads. It was formed to help finance a proposed NASCAR
superspeedway in Isle of Wight. The speedway proposal died when a
promoter was unable to obtain race guarantees from NASCAR.
Chairman: Morton V. Whitlow, a Portsmouth attorney. Vice
chairman: Ron Pack of Isle of Wight, who owns a Smithfield hotel.
Other members: Norfolk City Councilman Paul Riddick, Amadas
Industries president Jimmy Adams of Suffolk, Bay Chevrolet owner
Walter J. Wilkens II of Virginia Beach, Chesapeake City Councilman
John M. Butt, Hampton City Manager Robert O'Neil and Newport News
City Councilman Aubrey Fitzgerald.
Through the Sports Authority, the selection of an arena
consultant would be made in a public process. An arena study would
be funded with public dollars provided by the Hampton Roads Planning
District Commission. The private sector would not be involved.
KEYWORDS: PROPOSED ARENA by CNB