THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 17, 1997 TAG: 9701180349
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: By MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: 51 lines
Recreation was on the minds of Chesapeake residents Thursday night during the first of a series of meetings to discuss the city's proposed capital budget.
A possible $14 million shortfall faces the city as the cost of building roads, schools and other infrastructure escalates. But 23 residents of Deep Creek and elsewhere turned out to speak mostly of parks, libraries, lighted tennis courts and athletic fields.
Some of the requests, including the building of a larger Deep Creek library branch, are included in the current capital budget.
But residents also want the library to contain a satellite office for both the commissioner of revenue and treasurer's office. That is not currently included in the capital budget. However, the city has made plans to reserve space at the new branch for future building and will build once the money becomes available.
Those attending were assured by City Manager John L. Pazour and City Council members that their priorities are important. But in these lean times, they implied, not all requests could be met.
``I need to tell you that this budget is very tight,'' Pazour told the audience at Deep Creek Community Center. ``It will really come down to priorities.''
Several members of the city's Parks and Recreation Advisory Board spoke on behalf of more facilities, of having parcels of land in developments handed over to Parks and Recreation, of updating the lighting at 24 athletic fields, of providing enough funding to fully outfit the city's newly acquired 225-acre park south of Deep Creek.
``Let's leave a legacy of parks, not parking lots,'' said Lynn W. Kennedy, who chairs the advisory board.
C.C. Hawkins, president of the Camelot Civic League, requested more bus service to Camelot and city help expanding recreational facilities in his development.
As for the Deep Creek library, Hawkins asked for one that rivals the main branch in Great Bridge. ``Let's build a library too large,'' he said.
Many of the residents noted the high growth in Deep Creek, which is growing twice as fast as the rest of the city. All asked that the council and city officials take this growth into account when building new facilities.
City Council is awaiting a detailed review of the city's revenues and spending before deciding how to deal with the capital budget.
More public meetings are scheduled over the next several weeks to discuss the budget. They will be held:
Thursday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m. at the Russell Memorial Library in Western Branch.
Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m. at the South Norfolk Community Center.