DATE: Saturday, November 15, 1997           TAG: 9711150335

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B10  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LIZ SZABO, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE                        LENGTH:   47 lines

CHESAPEAKE REJECTS REQUEST FOR FULL-TIME SOUTH NORFOLK LIAISON

South Norfolk activists have suffered a setback in their plans to designate a community member as a full-time economic development liaison.

Chesapeake Mayor William E. Ward told a group of community leaders Friday afternoon that the City Council rejected their proposal to hire Bobby Briggs, a well-known South Norfolk resident, to coordinate urban renewal efforts. Designating an economic development liaison is a cornerstone of South Norfolk's Main Street program for reviving the downtown area, said Leo Johns, president of the South Norfolk Business Consortium.

The City Council would prefer that Chesapeake's economic development department handle South Norfolk's needs, Ward said. He promised to hold a special City Council work session before Christmas to discuss a compromise.

Acting City Manager Clarence V. Cuffee pledged to speed up review of an aerial survey of South Norfolk, which will provide a map of neighborhood structures.

South Norfolk community leaders have been pushing for an economic development liaison since April, after the Virginia Downtown Development Association presented a plan for the struggling neighborhood's revitalization.

South Norfolk businesses need a full-time advocate to assist them in applying for grants and seeking ways to rejuvenate the area, said Jane McClanahan, vice president of the South Norfolk Revitalization Commission. ``We want someone located in South Norfolk, who'd work there and have a feel for the place,'' McClanahan said. ``We want someone who knows the needs of the area.''

Ward told the group that the City Council would prefer to appoint the liaison themselves, rather than accept the community's nominee, McClanahan said.

Economic development officials have said their department lacks the resources to devote a full-time employee to South Norfolk, McClanahan said.

Still, community members are confident that the City Council eventually will fund the position, Johns said. Hiring a full-time liaison would cost at least $21,000 a year, he said.

Ward went a long way toward easing community concerns by arranging the meeting, said Una McConnaughy, a member of the business consortium. For years, many South Norfolk residents felt ignored by city officials.

``They finally realize we aren't going away,'' McConnaughy said. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

William E. Ward

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