THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 6, 1996 TAG: 9608060309
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 85 lines
Former Norfolk Mayor Vincent J. Thomas and former NFL star Roger L. Brown were among 15 area residents appointed Monday by Gov. George F. Allen to the newly-formed Hampton Roads Sports Facility Authority.
The authority was approved by the General Assembly last summer to issue bonds to construct a proposed 20,000-seat arena even though the region already has a sports authority - the Sports Authority of Hampton Roads.
The sports authorities will share two members - Portsmouth attorney Morton V. Whitlow and former Newport News Vice Mayor Aubrey H. Fitzgerald are members of the new authority and officers in the old one.
A third member of the new sports authority, Brad Face, helped form the original sports authority in 1986, when it was created to provide a funding mechanism for a proposed NASCAR superspeedway in Isle of Wight County that was never built.
The old sports authority can issue bonds with few restrictions, as long as the bonds are guaranteed and paid off by an area city or cities. It could finance a stadium, arena or recreational facilities.
The new sports authority, initially proposed by Norfolk Delegate Jerrauld Jones, was designed primarily to issue bonds for a 20,000-seat arena, ostensibly to be funded by the region's cities. It also must have a signed lease from an NBA or NHL team in hand before it can issue bonds.
Whitlow says both authorities have strengths and weaknesses.
``Having two authorities gives us two roads to take to the same end,'' he said. ``We have yet to determine which way is the best way to go.''
An organizational meeting for the new authority has not yet been scheduled, but there appears to be little rush. Attempts to hire a consultant to determine if the region has enough business dollars to sell luxury boxes were put on hold indefinitely two months ago because of a burgeoning dispute over water between Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
The 15 authority members:
Roger L. Brown, Sr.: Portsmouth resident owns a chain of local McDonald's restaurants. Played for the Detroit Lions from 1960-66 and Los Angeles Rams from 1967-70. A Pro-Bowl member nine out of his 10 seasons.
Curtis Cole, Jr.: Norfolk resident, President of Curtex Construction and chairman of the Norfolk Division of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce. A member of Old Dominion's 1975 Division II national basketball championship team.
Sandra L. Combs: York County resident is former member of the York County School Board and the Virginia Parole Board. Formerly Chief of Quality Control in the department of personnel for the U.S. Air Force.
Brad Face: Isle of Wight County resident is CEO of the Face Companies of Norfolk and president of the Future of Hampton Roads, Inc., a group of area civic and business leaders. Formerly sports director of WVEC-TV.
Christian Fischer: Chesapeake resident is general manager of the ready mix division for Tarmac, Inc. and a trustee of Forward Hampton Roads.
Auubrey H. Fitzgerald: Newport News resident served 16 years at vice mayor of that city. Retired senior sales consultant with Upjohn Company. A member of the William and Mary Athletic Hall of Fame.
Mark F. Garcea: Virginia Beach resident is majority owner of the Hampton Roads Admirals hockey team and Mariners soccer team and minority owner of the Norfolk Tides baseball team. Owner of M&G Electronics of Virginia Beach.
William M. Grace: Newport News resident is president of Grace Industries and a retired Air Force master sergeant. Serves on the Newport News Industrial Development Board.
Norma B. Harvey: Hampton resident is president of Kelech Real Estate Corporation and vice president of Pepsi Bottling Company of Hampton, Inc.
Page S. Johnson, II: Chesapeake resident is president of Harmony Investments. Part owner of the Tides, Mariners and Admirals sports teams and two medical centers - Diagnostic Center of Virginia Beach and Diagnostic Services of Tidewater.
Alan V. Monette: Isle of Wight resident is founder and president of Basse's Choice Plantation, a mail order catalog company. Former captain in the U.S. Marines.
Vincent J. Thomas: Norfolk resident is former chairman of Johns Brothers, Inc. and is chairman of the Future of Hampton Roads. Served as Norfolk's mayor from 1976-84 and is past president of the Virginia Military Institute Board of Visitors.
Kit Webb: President of Webb's Transfer, Inc., a trucking company. She founded Concerned Citizens of Suffolk and is the 1994 recipient of the Senatorial Medal of Freedom Award.
Raymond K. White: Virginia Beach resident is owner and president of Raymond White and Associates, a management and consulting firm. Member of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce Sports Promotion Task Force and marketing manager for the Hampton Economic Development Department.
Morton V. Whitlow: Portsmouth resident is an attorney and owns Family Care, an in-home medical service. Chairman of the Sports Authority of Hampton Roads and former Portsmouth City Council member. by CNB