THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, February 9, 1997              TAG: 9702090053
SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   77 lines

NEGATIVE PERCEPTION OF NAUTICUS COULD BE CITY'S BIGGEST HURDLE BOARD CHAIRMAN SAYS FIRST THING TO DO IS TALK UP THE MARITIME CENTER.

Nauticus has been bad-mouthed enough, says board Chairman Peter G. Decker Jr.

Now that the city has stepped in to run the facility, residents and businesses could contribute by promoting the riverfront attraction rather than running it down, Decker said Saturday.

``It grieves me to hear my neighbors talking down about an attraction that could mean so much to Norfolk,'' he told about 50 people who attended a ``town hall'' meeting at the Azalea Inn. The meeting was called by City Councilman W. Randy Wright, who opposed construction of the $52 million maritime center.

Responding to a question about what residents could do, Decker said: ``You can start by talking it up instead of talking it down. It gets a little lonely out there.

``We can't just board this place up. We've got to make it work.''

Decker revealed little about plans for the center, but he said officials hope to add exhibits about the Chesapeake Bay and create a ``hurricane theater second to none'' that would examine the nature of tropical cyclones.

Converting skeptics - and there were plenty on hand Saturday - may be the toughest job the city faces as it sets out to prove that Nauticus is an asset rather than a liability.

A primary concern voiced Saturday - that downtown projects like Nauticus are being built at the expense of more essential needs, such as schools, police protection and neighborhood revitalization - has become a familiar refrain.

``I'm really tired of hearing about Nauticus and new hotels for downtown,'' said North Camellia Acres resident Sarah Taylor. ``All I can see is that my taxes are going to go up, and my taxes are high enough already.''

Jim Janata, a resident of East Ocean View, said: ``Any time we go to the city for resources, they tell us how poor they are. We need more help from the city, and yet they keep coming up with money to do these things downtown.''

City officials defend the downtown economic-development projects, saying they are designed to expand the city's tax base and generate revenue to fund schools and other priorities.

The City Council voted Jan. 14 to take over Nauticus, which has not lived up to expectations in attendance or revenue generated since opening in June, 1994.

Meant to pay for itself and be run by an independent board, the facility instead has had to rely on the city to help cover its operating expenses and long-term construction debt.

By making Nauticus a city agency, Decker said, the city might be able to trim $500,000 off the attraction's estimated $1.6 million annual operating budget.

City officials say some savings will come by eliminating duplicated services, which could mean that some Nauticus employees will lose their jobs.

Decker assured residents that a tax hike wouldn't be needed to sustain Nauticus.

``You're not going to spend any more taxes because of this action,'' Decker said.

City officials say the short-term goal is for the facility's operating costs to break even. Eventually, officials hope it generates enough money to help pay off the construction debt, and then to turn a profit.

``I don't think we're ever going to get 850,000 people in there every year,'' Decker said, referring to a consultant's projections. ``But in order to break even and make money we don't have to do that.''

Decker estimated that Nauticus could pay its annual debt service of about $2.6 million if 400,000 people visited each year. About 250,000 people attended last year.

The city has formed a committee to assess Nauticus' future, and over the next six months will review the maritime center's mission and develop a long-range plan.

Councilman Wright, who said the city never sold citizens on Nauticus, said the ``ultimate answer'' is to find a private entertainment company to run it, such as a Disney or a Busch Gardens or a Six Flags.

Wright was the only council member to vote against making Nauticus a city agency.

``They've built something that nobody knows what to call it to this day,'' Wright said.

KEYWORDS: NAUTICUS