DATE: Friday, October 3, 1997               TAG: 9710030673

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B9   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LIZ SZABO, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE                        LENGTH:   40 lines

CHESAPEAKE RESIDENTS AT ODDS ABOUT PARKING LOT

Construction of a controversial new parking lot at the municipal complex began Thursday.

Excavating machines cleared a path for the bulldozers that today will begin leveling the woods and baseball field behind the Great Bridge Community Center, said construction manager Dave Jacques. The expanded west lot will provide 398 additional parking spaces at the municipal complex, where the community center, City Hall and the courts building are all located.

Plans for the parking lot drew opposition from citizens soon after it was proposed more than two years ago. Many hoped to preserve the woods and baseball field behind the community center.

City officials originally had proposed building 504 additional spaces, but agreed to the smaller lot to save trees, said Carl Edwards, a Chesapeake resident and a member of a committee that reviewed the project. The revised plan will protect about 200 trees.

The availability of parking spaces varies drastically during the day.

During peak times when court is in session, there are nearly 100 free spots in the 1,970-space lot, according to Thomas H. Westbrook, assistant director of public works. Most free spaces are on the far edges of the lot.

Minivans lined up bumper-to-bumper in the fire lanes on Thursday morning as parents picked up children from pre-school class and senior citizens flocked to a weekly bingo game. Just an hour later, however, the parking lot was half empty, with many more free spaces around the corner next to the sheriff's office.

Elfriede Boroslawski said lack of parking keeps many elderly people from attending the community center.

``Some of these people are in their 90s,'' Boroslawski said. ``How do you walk when you're that old?''

Some see the seniors' gain as the children's loss.

``It's sad to lose the ball field,'' said Jeff Bunn, supervisor at the community center. ``Where can the kids play? They can't play in the parking lot.''

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