THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 9, 1996 TAG: 9608080167
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JO-ANN CLEGG, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 49 lines
The latest publication from the city's Public Information Office is 66 pages long, has a bright blue cover and fits snugly into a business size envelope.
It's also a sell-out.
The update to the popular ``Citizen's Services Guide,'' first published in January 1995, hit the streets two weeks ago and almost immediately disappeared.
Including everything from a brief history of the city to the phone numbers of City Council members and the procedure for reporting zoning violations, the small book has become a desktop mainstay in homes and offices throughout Virginia Beach.
``We printed 10,900 of them this time,'' said the city's media coordinator Katherine Jackson, ``and they're nearly all gone.''
The rapid distribution was not totally unexpected.
``We went into partnership with Virginia Beach General Hospital and the Base Realignment and Closing Commission to print it,'' Jackson said. Five thousand copies of the free booklet were immediately set aside to be given to military families transferred to this area as a result of base closings in other locations.
For their part in underwriting the costs, Virginia Beach General and its parent corporation, Tidewater Health Care, received several hundred copies for distribution to staff and patients.
Nine hundred copies went to three city departments that requested them for staff and citizen use: Economic Development, Housing and Public Utilities.
That left about 4,000 copies for general distribution through branch libraries and City Treasurer's offices.
As a result of the reputation that the 1995 edition had earned for being a complete, easy to use reference to city information and services, the supplies were quickly depleted.
``You might still be able to find some at one of the lesser used (offices or libraries),'' Jackson said, ``but they are going very fast.''
Costs for the guides, slightly more than 50 cents each, were covered almost completely by the outside funders.
``It was an excellent partnership,'' said Jackson, ``the only city money involved was what the three departments chose to spend for their copies.''
The Public Information Office is exploring ways to fund a second press run. In the meantime, those who are on the Internet can access the information at http://www.virginia-beach.va.us
``Select the city hall option,'' Jackson said. ``It's listed as city directory in the sub-directory.
Those who aren't on line will just have to wait for the second printing. by CNB