DATE: Friday, October 10, 1997              TAG: 9710080156

SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER      PAGE: 10   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LIZ SZABO, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   83 lines

CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON WEST PARKING LOT AT CITY HALL

The children's loss may be the senior citizens' gain.

Construction of a controversial new parking lot at the municipal center began Oct. 1.

The expanded west parking lot will provide additional parking spaces for senior citizens and others who use the Great Bridge Community Center.

But the lot's construction will demolish the baseball field behind the community center - one of the few baseball fields in Chesapeake - along with the woods and trees that have provided a playground for children and shade for municipal center employees.

Excavating machines cleared a path for the bulldozers that last Friday began leveling the woods, said construction manager Dave Jacques. The expanded lot will provide 398 additional parking spaces.

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.

But some visitors to the community center said they aren't able to walk very far from their cars.

April Dickson, who brought her two daughters to pre-school at the community center Thursday, holds her children's hands as they step into the parking lot and doesn't like to make them walk.

``If you don't get here 15 minutes before the classes let out, you're stuck,'' Dickson said.

Edith Lynn, who walks with a cane, said even her handicapped parking sticker is little help. ``Even the handicapped spots are usually taken,'' Lynn said.

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

``Some of these people are in their 90s,'' said Boroslawski, who played bingo with about 50 other senior citizens. ``How do you walk when you're that old?''

Children at Great Bridge Primary School may hear the roar of construction, but won't lose their two playgrounds, which are set off from the road, said principal Eugene S. Walters. The school does not use the baseball field. Construction crews have set up bright orange net fences around their work area.

Kids will no longer be able to play in the grass behind the community center, however. Plans for the expanded parking lot will completely surround the community center with asphalt.

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

Others said the new parking lot would provide only short-term relief at best.

``People just don't want to walk,'' said Stephanie Watson, who works at the community center. ``People are still going to be complaining that there's not enough parking. It's going to be the same thing.''

Edwards wants city officials to ``show us that you want to make this a real park, not just a stalling technique so you can use it as a parking lot later.''

He said he would like the city to build benches, a wooden boardwalk and a bridge over wetlands. Such additions could be built with the money saved by building a smaller parking lot, he said.

Contractor Triad of Virginia Inc. bid slightly more than $1 million for the year-long construction job, Jacques said. Chesapeake will save almost $89,000 on the scaled-down project. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by CHARLIE MEADS

Heavy equipment moved in last week to clear trees for extending the

west parking lot at the Civic Center. The lot will be off Albemarle

Drive.

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