THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 16, 1996 TAG: 9606150088
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 146 lines
The Suffolk Planning Commission tabled the vote on the proposed re-use plan for the former Radio Transmitting Facility.
The plan has very serious land-use issues that are cleverly disguised as youth-oriented programs.
It allocates land to Old Dominion University, the city of Suffolk, the Bennett's Creek Little League (via Suffolk) and the Youth Entertainment Studios (YES).
All of the above except YES are federal-, state- or city-controlled use of the land.
YES is a youth-oriented organization that challenges inner city and at-risk youth to become empowered with developing careers in the entertainment fields. Harry Young is the president of YES, and the organization is sponsored by Regent, a privately owned university.
Mr. Young has stated, ``YES and Regent have an agreement,'' yet Mr. Young continues to stress that YES is not controlled by Regent.
``Regent would use the facility when YES was not there,'' he said.
He tells us that the YES group wants this land for summer camps of three-week sessions with about 100 students per session and a national headquarters. What uses will Regent put this land to during the remainder of the year?
YES has proposed dormitory spaces for up to 200 students, a cafeteria and 620 parking spaces.
In reference to the YES article (The Sun, June 6), I see a few things that I question.
The second question asks, ``What is YES' link to Regent University and Pat Robertson?'' Mr. Young's response states, ``. . . One of our strongest relationships is with Regent University. . . '', then ``YES has no formal ties to the University. YES has no corporate ties with the Christian Broadcasting Network. . . '' Yet every time the proposed YES facility is mentioned, it is called ``Regent University/YES Media Center.'' He referred to this name at least eight times.
The last question asks how Suffolk will benefit by having YES in the city. Mr. Young says, ``The Regent University/YES Media Center will provide both job training in media productions and a host of job opportunities related to the development and maintenance of a media complex.''
Since Mr. Young is educating youth in these very areas, it is doubtful that the residents of Suffolk will have any of those jobs. He will be selecting his staff from personnel who are qualified in this field. The only employment I see is the year-round maintenance and janitorial jobs.
The citizens of Suffolk made their wishes known to the consultant responsible for the re-use plan. They wanted all low intensity activity in this area. The inclusion of YES and Regent University will result in high intensity activity which is in opposition to what the citizens want.
Please write letters to the City Council expressing your opposition, attend the Planning Commission meeting at 2 p.m. on June 18 and any subsequent City Council meetings.
A strong show of opposition is the most effective way to show the City Council what the citizens want!
Ralph S. Hunt Jr.
River Breeze Road
Suffolk Behind the smoke lurks Regent University
Smoke is billowing around the Planning Commission, City Council and the citizens of Suffolk. The source is Regent University, and the smoke is in the form of Youth Entertainment Services (YES).
YES has been funded by, is currently located in, and is partnering with Regent to acquire 35 free acres of the former Navy transmitter site in Driver.
With YES reinstated to the reuse plan, we find a quagmire of ambiguous relationships, conflicting explanations and unanswered questions. Very specific questions have been asked, very vague answers given.
Look beyond the thick smoke at the facts, and Regent University's plan comes into sharp focus.
YES, a small organization with 10 employees, wants free land. It makes little sense to spend $15 million dollars on a facility that will be vacant 80 percent of the time and to have twice as much parking as it can possibly use.
Consider some additional facts. Regent has no dormitories. When referring to the Driver campus, YES president Harry Young said, ``Regent will use it a lot.'' Regent students could use the dormitories 80 percent of the time and YES the other 20 percent.
This would mean 200 visiting students living, eating, sleeping, driving and using our new city park year round. Regent wouldn't pay the city of Suffolk a dime in taxes!
Regent has been noticeably absent at all of the meetings. It should come out from behind the smoke screen and tell us its true intentions.
Other potential users of the site have been very clear about their intentions and have overwhelming community support. They will be publicly owned, low intensity, community and environmentally friendly uses.
Regent and YES don't fit. Let's submit to the Navy the original plan with the four low-intensity uses.
Daniel L. Cimmino
River Breeze Road
Suffolk Reject revised plan, adopt one without YES
The youth-oriented organization YES is spearheading the effort of Regent University to gain a foothold in this rural area. At no time have we heard Regent come forward to say there is no intent to obtain land for its use.
In the response to questions asked by the consultant to all proposed land users about affiations, YES responded, ``Regent University is the site sponsor and the organization of record. Youth Entertainment Studios (YES), a non-profit corporation, is a partner with Regent in the Regent University/YES Media Center.'' YES president Harry Young has stated that Regent will be using the facility when YES is not there.
Since YES plans to use the dormitories only during the summer for about six weeks, that leaves 46 weeks for Regent University. Why is Mr. Young carrying this battle forward when he will get so little use out of the Regent University/YES Media Center?
I find it difficult to believe that YES is going to raise $15 million over the next three years and sink a major portion of that money into developing a Regent University/YES Media Center that it will use only 12 percent of the time.
The people of Suffolk supported four workshops and fought to have low intensity activity in this area. A Regent University campus with dormitories for 200 students and 620 parking spaces is not low intensity. Please do not approve the present plan.
Christine Parrish
River Breeze Road
Suffolk More research might change perspective
John Pruitt's May 26 column, ``YES: right answer to a worthy project,'' appeared to have been written by an overzealous, inexperienced journalist.
I would have thought he would have done more research into the proposed use of the 35 acres of surplus land of the former Radio Transmitting Facility in Driver. Instead, he propagated a theme that most Driver residents are opposed to YES and its media program because of the at-risk youths it is intended to help.
If Mr. Pruitt had done a little more homework, he would have found that the proposed ``low impact'' usage by YES is only a smoke screen for a very high use of 35 acres. Specifically, the partnership between YES and Regent University wants to produce family films and television programs for national audiences.
The proposed Media Center consists of: (1) television production studio, (2) film sound stages, 1 acre; (3) back lot sites, 10 acres; (4) warehouses, 1 acre; (5) cafeteria; (6) dormitories; (7) parking for 620 cars, 7 acres.
Is this ``low impact'' to a rural area? No! It is high impact and should be located in a commerce-and-industrial park.
If this media center is so good for Suffolk, I strongly urge the city leaders to work with YES/Regent in establishing the Media Center in the 700-acre Northgate Commerce and Industrial Park on Route 337 in Suffolk.
James Koziana
Kings Highway
Suffolk by CNB