THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 

              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.



DATE: Thursday, May 16, 1996                 TAG: 9605160535

SECTION: SPORTS                   PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                            LENGTH: Medium:   61 lines

HAMPTON ROADS PARTNERSHIP TO HIRE ARENA CONSULTANT BUT HE LIKELY WON'T BE ON THE JOB UNTIL AT LEAST MIDSUMMER.

The Hampton Roads Partnership agreed during its inaugural meeting Wednesday to hire a consultant to study whether the region should build a 20,000-seat sports arena.

However, partnership officials said it might be midsummer before a consultant gets to work.

The partnership, an amalgam of 53 business, government, military and educational leaders formed to promote economic growth in Hampton Roads, will form a subcommittee to hire and oversee the consultant.

That subcommittee will be named by the partnership's 15-person executive committee, which won't hold its first meeting for several weeks.

Some arena boosters had hoped that a subcommittee would be named Wednesday and a consultant within a week or two.

However, John O. ``Dubby'' Wynne, president and CEO of Landmark Communications and co-chairman of the partnership, said there was too much on the agenda to allow more than a quick discussion of the arena.

``We didn't want to deal with one particular subject in our organizational meeting,'' he said. ``We wanted to get everything going well and we did.

``We did accept the request that we take on the responsibility to ... take a look at this. But there was no substantive engagement on where that will lead.''

With 1.6 million residents, Hampton Roads is the nation's largest metropolitan area without a major sports franchise. Regional leaders envision the proposed arena as a future home for an NBA or NHL team.

The proposal to hire a consultant was made in January when Virginia Beach and Norfolk officials rejected a bid from a Canadian Football League team to move to Hampton Roads. Instead, they pledged to attract an NBA or NHL franchise.

Norfolk Mayor Paul D. Fraim, who has spearheaded efforts to hire a consultant, has expressed frustration with delays in garnering regional consensus on how to hire a consultant.

But he said the latest delay will be worth the payoff - the support of the partnership's membership, which reads like a who's who of Hampton Roads business and government leaders.

``I think it's better that we get well organized in the beginning and that we have full support for the study,'' he said. ``We have to lay a solid foundation and that's what we're doing. It will help the process, even though it's taking longer than we originally thought.''

The consultant likely will be asked to determine whether the region can sell enough luxury boxes and whether it could attract an NBA or NHL team before tackling other questions, such as the arena location and how it should be paid for.

It is expected the consultant will take at least a year to make a recommendation. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

NORFOLK MAYOR PAUL D. FRAIM

by CNB