THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 8, 1996 TAG: 9605070144
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LORI A. DENNEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
When the City Council met last August to set goals for the city to reach by the year 2000, citizen safety and security was among the priorities.
The idea to ``develop a strategic plan advancing the concept of a safe community, based on data and citizens concerns'' is already in the works, and the leaders of those efforts are seeking public input.
The Safe Community Strategic Issue Team will hold a discussion meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at Landstown Middle School, 2204 Recreation Drive, to hear citizens' perceptions of safety in the city and recommendations for continued safety.
Residents attending the meeting will be split into groups, and each group will be asked three questions:
What is your current perception of Virginia Beach as a safe place to live?
How should Virginia Beach change and develop in the years ahead to make it the type of city in which you would feel safe to live and work?
What are your suggested solutions that will help us achieve your vision for creating a safe city?
Individual groups will be asked to come up with three or four top areas of concern and a verbal presentation by the facilitator will be given.
``We're trying to come up with an entire list of things from a cross-section of people in the city,'' said Daniel Stone, director of Social Services and subcommittee chairman on community input within the Safe Community Team.
The Safe Community Team, created by City Manager James K. Spore, is comprised of city department's including the commonwealth's attorney, Emergency Medical Services, schools, Housing and Neighborhood Preservation, Social Services and Police.
The ``team'' already has received input from students in area high school government classes as well as information from prisoners in the city's jail.
Information gathered will be presented to the City Council sometime in June or July, Stone said. Other city teams, like the Strengthening Families Team, also may be involved before a report is created.
``They (participants) will see some of their ideas in our recommendation, the final report to City Council,'' Stone said. ``The whole idea is to get public input.''
KEYWORDS: PUBLIC JOURNALISM COMMUNITY CONVERSATION by CNB