CPRV: POP
Preserve our Park

Last Updated 7 November 2003

City of Norfolk Athletic Field Task Force
City of Norfolk Athletic Field Task Force Web site
Mission
Members
Calendar
Criteria

City of Norfolk Athletic Field Task Force Meeting, Tuesday, June 10 at 2 p.m. at City Hall
        Agenda: First Meeting
        Meeting Notes
City of Norfolk Athletic Field Task Force Meeting, Tuesday, June 17 at 2 p.m. at City Hall
        Agenda: Program Elements for High School Athletic Field; Preliminary evaluation criteria for ‘most suitable’ location; Preliminary list of candidate sites for evaluation
        Meeting Notes
City of Norfolk Athletic Field Task Force Meeting, Saturday, June 28 at 1 p.m at Granby High School
        Agenda: Program Elements confirmed; Evaluation criteria confirmed; Candidate sites confirmed; Preliminary screening of candidate sites
Task Force sites Field Trip
City of Norfolk Athletic Field Task Force Meeting, Tuesday, July 8 at 6 p.m. at Maury High School
        Agenda: Review of sites and selection of final candidates
        Meeting Notes
City of Norfolk Athletic Field Task Force Meeting, Tuesday, July 15 at 6 p.m. at City Hall
        Agenda: Determine the Task Force’s recommendation to City Council
        Meeting Notes
City of Norfolk Athletic Field Task Force Report to City Council, Tuesday, July 22 at 2 p.m. at City Hall
        Agenda: Meet with City Council to deliver recommendation
        Meeting Notes

Have your voice heard:
City of Norfolk Athletic Field Task Force Meeting, Tuesday, July 15 at 6 p.m. at City Hall
City of Norfolk Athletic Field Task Force Report to City Council, Tuesday, July 22 at 2 p.m. at City Hall
Send site suggestions by email to the Task Force

To become more informed:
Join the CPRV Neighborhood listserv
Join the POPPS.org email group
View the POPPS.org web site
Access Virginian-Pilot articles. If you subscribe to the newspaper you can access past articles for free on this site
City of Norfolk High School Athletic Field Task Force web site List of task force members, meetings, meeting minutes, email address to suggest sites, etc.

Express your opinion on the stadium issue:
Sign and brochure ordering information
Contact the Mayor and City Council
Contact the Mayor and City Council via automatic email
Contact City of Norfolk Athletic Field Task Force members Names, phone and fax numbers for members of the Athletic Field Task Force

POPPs Listserv, 11/6/03

To my friends and neighbors in P.O.P.P.S.,

I am happy to report that your efforts to save Lafayette Park were not only REwarded with success, but now you have been Awarded for your work.

I received today a letter from the Norfolk Environmental Commission informing us that POPPS has been selected to receive the Environmental Action-Award of Merit. According to the letter, our "...group's award is based on those contributions you have made to promote environmental stewardship in the past year."

My thanks to Mark Perreault for his gracious nomination and bravo to each and every one of you for your hard work and noble actions.

The summer ended quietly after an energetic beginning. The POPPS phone is no more and the website is dormant. But the work goes on. I want to tell you about a grass roots effort underway in East Ocean View to create a new city park for Norfolk. NRHA owns land between 3rd Bay and 5th Bay Streets, Ocean View and Pretty Lake Avenues. The property may be the last large piece of green space left in Norfolk for the creation of a large public park. The land is covered with hundreds of trees including scores of mature live oaks, some thought to be almost 100 years old. A group of citizens is trying to lobby NRHA and the city to declare the space a park.

Does every piece of land in Norfolk need a shiny new McMansion sitting on it? Parks make for good neighborhoods too.

The group is very grassroots, like POPPS, so feel free to jump in and help. All are welcome in the cause. They have a website: http://ovoaks.org/

Please visit the website and the actual park site. I think you'll see this is another noble endeavor worthy of your support.

[An interesting anecdote: One of the volunteers for the ovoaks project was soliciting signatures for a petition. A person who signed the petition asked the volunteer if she had heard of POPPS? The volunteer said yes, but that she wasn't sure who to contact. The person went home and returned with one of our brochures and enthusiastically encouraged the ovoaks volunteer to contact us. POPPS may be dormant, but I do believe it lives on.]

Again, congratulations on your award winning efforts to save Lafayette Park and preserve our public park spaces!

All the best,
Ann Fitzgibbon
One Person In POPPS

Virginian-Pilot Letter, 10/1/03

Room for a new hotel but not for a stadium from Tina Tipton, p. B 10

Virginian-Pilot Article, 9/3/03

Stadium site decision in Norfolk is put on hold by Harry Minium, p. B7

POPPs Listserv, 8/23/03

I've already had a letter published on this issue. My comments are directed to the editors and staff writers of the Pilot.

Your characterization of the Lamberts Point citizens' arguments as NIMBYism and "more volume than validity" is grossly misplaced, a misreading of the points the citizens were making, and only feeds the below surface feelings of not being valued and heard by citizens of Lamberts Point and communities like it.

If it is the core role of government to protect its citizens, provide quality and efficient cores services, and provide an environment to pursue freedom and happiness, then government has failed Lamberts Point and communities like it. The residents of Lamberts Point cried foul not out of NIMBYism in my opinion. They cried foul because the City of Norfolk has not met the core service needs of Lamberts Point as defined by the City AND the citizens of the Lamberts Point. Perhaps the Pilot editors and staff writers along with City Council (and other policy makers) should walk the streets of Lamberts Point during the day and at night and take note of core services not being provided which negatively impact quality of life.

Year after year communities negatively impacted by lax code enforcement, zoning neglect, inferior waste collection, and so on do their civic duty by trying to maintain their own neighborhoods while asking for government to finance and support their efforts only to have their cries go unheard or the pace of change be far too slow. It is an irritant like salt in a wound to watch City Council fast tract funding for non essentials such as a football stadium when core service needs go unmet. (Can't make the tax base argument on this one).

The citizens of Lamberts Point who attended Tuesday's meeting weren't shouting Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) for NIMBY sake. The cried out for quality of service. They cried out for attention to core services. They cried out for their homes and their children and their lives and their needs to be as important as funding for high school football stadiums "only attended by about 500 people."

On many occasions I have suggested to Mayor Fraim and City Council that every community wants to feel they have a "win." Perhaps the Pilot will conduct a review of what IS in the back yard of Lamberts Points and communities like it and hold the City accountable for meeting its core responsibilities. I heard the citizens of Lamberts Point stating they would accept their fair share for the good of Norfolk. I heard the citizens speak of their commitment to improve their community. They said to me "no more in our back yard especially when our core needs continue to go ignored."

If 40% of our children not having a place to play football is an equity issue, what about the equity or disparity of core service delivery and respect of voice from one neighborhood to another?

Rodney Jordan
512 West 35th Street
640 1116

Virginian-Pilot Editorial, 8/23/03

No penalty flags for Lamberts Point football, p. B8

Virginian-Pilot Article, 8/22/03

ODU sets plan to improve recreational facilities by Philip Walzer, p. B3

Virginian-Pilot Article, 8/20/03

Frustration at stadium boils over meeting by Ronnie Ratliff Jr., p. B1-B2

Virginian-Pilot Article, 8/19/03

Neighbors oppose the latest site for stadium: Lamberts Point asks to keep project out by Harry Minium, p. B1;B4

POPPs Listserv, 8/16/03

I received a flier from the Lamberts Point Civic League with bold words declaring "No Stadium in Lamberts Point!!!" under the banner "Special Attention!!!"

It reads as follows...

Residents of Lamberts Point and neighboring communities we invite you to attend a very special meeting that will impact our communities and livelihoods. On Tuesday, August 19th @ 7:00 PM in the Virginia-Rice Room located in ODU's Webb Center, the Mayor of Norfolk will be attending the Lamberts Point Civic League Meeting to discuss the City's proposal to construct a football stadium on Powhatan Ave. to facilitate the needs of Maury High School/Granby High School. This proposal is not in the best interest of Lamberts Point for the following reasons:

• Major Traffic Issues
• 38th and 43rd Streets will Become a Raceway
• On Street Parking
• Noise
• Loitering after Games
• Invitation of Crime (i.e. - Automobile break-ins)
• Trash from Games being left along Streets and/or Resident's Yards
• The Reduction of ODU's Current Open Recreation Space at Powhatan Field will "open the door" for future Encroachment by ODU into Lamberts Point

No Stadium In Lamberts Point!!!

Forwarded by Rodney Jordan

Task Force Meeting Notes (from the City's Web Site) 7/22/3

Granby and Maury High Schools do not enjoy facilities suitable for playing varsity field sports with facilities to accommodate the public. Our task from City Council was to consider every field location suggestion for feasibility and to recommend the most suitable option for a joint use home field for the two high schools suitable for football, soccer, field hockey and lacrosse.

The High School Athletic Field Task Force screened possible sites across Norfolk in its search for the most suitable site for a joint use high school sports field with some 3000 spectator seats and suitable supporting facilities. Parking accommodation without serious spillover impact on adjacent areas is a major consideration in the location of such a field.

Computer-based aerial photography and a ‘to scale’ depiction of a suitable field and 3000 bleacher seats allowed us to screen sites during our meetings. It was possible to quickly screen out many sites as being too small or suffering from other fatal defects. We were especially conscious that some locations we considered, such as Larchmont Athletic Field, currently fill valuable community quality of life functions. Were we to recommend one of them, our recommendation would in effect suggest solving one challenge by creating a serious problem of displacement. Similarly, none of the sites we considered ‘serious sites’ envisioned site assembly through major purchases, relocation of people or businesses, and extensive demolition of existing buildings.

We made site visits to the Granby and Maury High Schools, Larchmont Athletic Field and two Old Dominion University facilities, Foreman Field (formerly owned by the City but now owned by the University) and Powhatan Field (owned by the City but leased to the University with a lease term running another 10+ years). Task Force members could not envision a home field sports facility at either high school, let alone both. None of the school officials we spoke with suggested such an accommodation was feasible due to shortage of land and associated displacement of current activities.

We deliberated at some length individually between meetings and collectively over the two ODU sites. Initially, there was considerable sentiment for the Foreman Field site, perhaps attributable in large part to its history. However, the more we considered that option, the less desirable it appeared to the Task Force. Our report shows a matrix evaluation of the site and a suggested list of “cons” for each of the two sites. We agreed with the conclusion that the most suitable site appears to be Powhatan Field for a joint use facility.

We acknowledged with City staff that this location currently fills a significant role in Old Dominion University’s overall sports program. We make our recommendation based on the understanding that the City and Old Dominion University will discuss this with the goal of seeking a “win – win” plan of improvement. The Lamberts Point neighborhood also needs to be included in the planning to acknowledge neighborhood needs and facilities. Discussions will also occur with staff from the Hampton Roads Sanitation District and the Norfolk Southern Corporation as their properties are adjacent to Powhatan Field. The goal is to give Granby and Maury High Schools a true home field athletic facility while accommodating the needs of adjacent and adjoining property owners.

Port Folio Weekly Article, 7/22/03

word for word
"I don't think it's even close." p.8

Virginian-Pilot Article, 7/22/03

Area civic groups creating events to honor residents' good deeds
Social-flavored ice cream by Mike Knepler, p. B4

Task Force Meeting Notes (from the City's Web Site) 7/15/03

Consideration	Foreman Field	Powhatan Field
1. Site Location	Score: 3 - 4	Score: 3 - 4
site is located within the high school’s attendance zones	Site technically lies in Maury Attendance Zone (3)	Site technically lies in Maury Attendance Zone (3)
site is south of Little Creek Road and west of Tidewater Drive	Yes (3)	Yes (3)
site is equal distance from the two high schools	Site is marginally closer to Maury HS. (2)	Site is marginally closer to Maury HS. (2)
2. Site Control	Score: 1	Score: 2
site is owner or controlled by the City or NRHA	Foreman Field is owned outright by Old Dominion University. (1)	Powhatan Field is owned by the City of Norfolk and has been leased to ODU by the City. The lease is currently in Year 9 of a 20 year lease. (2)
3. Planning Considerations	Score: 2	Score: 3 - 4
Compatibility with existing and adjacent land uses	No (2)	Yes to a good degree (4)
Site is not current identified for another project	No (1)	No (1)
Plans and zoning are compatible with use as a HS athletic field	Somewhat; no other athletic activities are located in the immediate vicinity (2)	Yes (although it would be a City use among University activities) (3)
Would not displace other activities	It would displace activities that would have to be satisfied elsewhere. (1)	It would displace activities that would have to be satisfied elsewhere. (1)
Would remove a blighting land use	No blight at this location (NA)	No blight at this location (NA)
Site is not located adjacent to or in close proximity to a residential neighborhood	Perimeter street, Bluestone Avenue, directly connects to three intersecting streets and there would be potential for considerable impact on residential neighborhood (1)	Powhatan Avenue fills a role somewhat as an edge and median blocks direct access to Lamberts Point but there would be some impact (2)
High level of support for the use of this site for an athletic field	Nostalgia supports use; neighborhood impact and field relocation cost are negatives (3)	Less community involvement; however, site is already in high demand (2)
fits into a larger long range strategy?	Somewhat; Foreman Field is where it is as a matter of history rather than as a planned element of a comprehensive plan (2)	Fits in a Sports Program strategy, especially if viewed as ‘interim’ approach (4)
4. Environmental Issues	Score: 3	Score: 3
in Chesapeake Bay protection area?	no	no
wetlands on site?	no	no
drainage problems at site to impact field?	no	no
5. Site Plan & Amenities	Score: 2	Score: 3
3 or more acres?	yes (3-); apart from stadium per se, site is limited and constrained	somewhat (2+)
sufficient parking accommodation?	no (2-)	yes (3)
shared amenities (restrooms, etc.)?	no (1)
6. Infrastructure	Score: 3	Score: 3
sufficient water & sewer?	yes (3)	yes (3)
sufficient electrical power?	yes (3)	yes (3)
traffic accommodation?	yes (2); Hampton Boulevard & 49th St. provide access to parking	yes (3); 49th Street, 43rd St, and 38th Streets provide access to Powhatan Avenue and site
site circulation adequate?	yes (2)	yes (3); assumes 43rd St. will be upgraded & site redesign to accommodate
7. Public Safety	Score: 3	Score: 3
off site transportation network is adequate	yes (4)	yes (3)
no unusual personal safety challenges	correct (3)	correct (3)
open & visible location?	correct (3)	correct (3)
8. Additional Factors Considered	Score: 1	Score: 2
costs associated with replacement of Foreman Field facility	quite expensive considering the facility needs to be of Championship caliber (1)	conversion of practice field to HS athletic Field would be less expensive; costs could be amortized over a number of activities

Conclusion: Evaluation suggests ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Powhatan Field ranks higher than Foreman Field.

Working Assumptions:

• The High School Athletic Facility would have a natural turf playing surface.
• When the home contests are scheduled in the various sports for the two high schools and taking into account the extent of wear on the playing surface, there will be limited opportunity for scheduling college sports activity at the site. The City could develop a financial arrangement of like value with ODU that took into account what the University was giving up in their use of the facility.
• The City and the University would work jointly to reach an agreement on the use of various existing parking lots to support the use of the high school athletic facility and opportunities for on street parking during games.
• If the proposed facility is viewed as an interim step to, say in 10+/- years, developing a home field for each of the two high schools, the expectation that the high school facility would one year compliment the University’s sports program might facilitate the development of a working scenario with ODU.

• It would be costly to relocate the University’s Field Hockey and Soccer facility to another site with appropriate facilities befitting a National Championship program on an artificial surface.
• It would be costly to remove the current synthetic surface in Foreman Field for re-use.
• Even were the north end zone seats to be removed, Foreman Field seating capacity would exceed the expected spectator demand for the facility.
• The off-street parking in close proximity to Foreman Field is limited and there is limited opportunity for expansion. A major component of the present supply is located across busy Hampton Boulevard from the Field.
• Foreman Field is the only athletic facility at its location rather than being clustered with other athletic facilities. Its environs are more fixed than those at Powhatan Field in terms of adapting to the new use. Also, there is less opportunity for shared use of facilities.
• Foreman Field sits very closely to the Edgemere section very close to Bluestone Avenue. That street provides direct access into three neighborhood streets. There would be concern about athletic field spillover parking, noise and lighting impacts on the neighborhood.
• There is little opportunity for on-street parking that would not impact the neighborhood (unlike Powhatan Avenue).

• A practice soccer field with natural turf would have to be relocated.
• The athletic field would be considerably further from Hampton Boulevard (although 49th Street and 38th Street provide access today as does 43rd Street and it is planned for widening.
• Negotiations would be necessary with the Norfolk Southern Railroad and the Hampton Roads Sanitation District for land leases or purchases, or rights of entry in order to maximize the utility of this location.
• Powhatan Avenue with its median presents a slightly larger obstacle to neighborhood spillover parking than does Bluestone Avenue.
• The location tentatively identified as the Athletic Field site sits further from the Lamberts Point neighborhood but could still generate some spillover noise.
• A reconfiguration of other facilities and supporting infrastructure might be deemed necessary were this development to take place.
• Powhatan Field does not enjoy as strong a community history and identity as does Foreman Field.

Virginian-Pilot Article, 7/16/03

Stadium panel picks Powhatan Field: Norfolk council expected to OK selection next week by Harry Minium, p. B1;B3

Task Force Meeting Notes (from the City's Web Site) 7/8/03

High School Athletic Field Task Force

July 8th Meeting Results and July 15th Preview

Task Force members by general consensus confirmed the elimination of the Granby and Maury High School sites from further consideration as the potential “most suitable” site for a high school athletic facility to recommend to City Council on July 22nd.

Task Force members after further discussion by general consensus eliminated the Larchmont Athletic Field from further Task Force consideration.

This narrows the list of candidate sites for further discussion at the July 15th meeting of the Task Force to two sites: Foreman Field and Powhatan Field. The Task Force members made various observations regarding these two sites and encouraged public feedback to the Task Force specifically regarding the two sites.

The July 15th meeting will be held at 6 PM in the City Council Chambers on the 11th Floor of City Hall. At this meeting the Task Force members will further consider the two sites. They are expected to rank the two sites in preparation for their report to City Council.

Persons with a point of view regarding the two finalist sites were encouraged to make their views known to City staff and the members of the Task Force by e-mail or through attendance at the July 15th meeting.

Virginian-Pilot Article, 7/10/03

Letters to the Editor
Maury, Granby playing fields long overdue by Coach Chris Pledger, The Compass, p. 19

Virginian-Pilot Article, 7/9/03

Task force pares possible stadium sites down to two by Lester J. Davis, p. B3

Virginian-Pilot Article, 7/8/03

Hampton Roads Briefs
Norfolk: Panel's vote on site for high school stadium set for today by Lester J. Davis, p. B2

Virginian-Pilot Article, 7/6/03

3 sites near ODU a possibility for Maury, Granby stadium by Harry Minium, p. B4
Past Norfolk councils were successful visionaries by Mason C. Andrews, p. J4

Virginian-Pilot Article, 7/3/03

Letters to the Editor
Taking Azalea ball fields is stealing kids' future by Crystal Lemon, The Compass, p. 5

Port Folio Weekly Article, 7/1/03

Letters to the Editor
Civic Activism Run Amok? by Bev Jackson, p. 18

Task Force Meeting Notes (from the City's Web Site) 6/17/03

Task Force Attendees: Barbara Zoby, Barry Bishop, Glenn Bonney, George Curtis, Dr. Anna Dodson, Kerry Lynch, Franklin Thornton, Jr.

The following was the Agenda for the meeting:

1. Overview of Work Session
   • Sid Kitterman handed out information showing the various athletic field dimensions.
   • Site will offer football, soccer, field hockey and lacrosse.
   • Jennifer White described how the criteria could be developed and the creation of a matrix for site comparisons.
2. Review of program elements for athletic fields, evaluation criteria, evaluation process and inventory and possible sites for consideration.
   • A matrix was viewed showing the 21 sites selected for evaluation, viewing the city from a citywide perspective.
   • Site should be owned and controlled by the City or NRHA.
   • Some sites could be zoned for some other land use.
   • Lighting should be compatible with neighborhoods for all sites.
   • Some sites could involve wetlands which would not be a dependable option.
   • Need three acres to accommodate a field and facilities that would be shared with other schools, if possible.
   • Field should be located with a north/south direction.
   • Eight sites were selected for continued review by the Task Force.
3. Discussion by Task Force of Next Steps
   • Requested all sites discussed be put on the website.
   • Asked how many games would be played on the field. Will it be used for a practice field as well? Approximately 4-5 home games per team for football. All football games are played at night. Other sports are played during the day.
   • Funds for a track are not included in the projected budget.
   • Adequate parking at the site should be part of the evaluation.
4. Public Comment
   • Invitation by the Public Park and Green Spaces Group to attend a picnic at Lafayette Park.
   • Church Street between 28th & 29th Street should be considered as a site.
   • City Park is only place that meets all criteria.
   • Ease of walk to stadium from residential areas.
   • Noise abatement should be considered.
   • Barraud Park should be removed from consideration for the same reason Lafayette Park was removed.
   • Reluctant to spend money for land in city owned property is not available.
   • North side of 23rd, 24th and 25th Street areas and beyond specifically near COMPECO Cleaners near Rugby area should be considered.
   • Should not be concerned about money, just find the right location.
   • Should have a track.
   • Practice field should not be in the evaluation.
   • Should restrict everything to public land.
   • Other land should be considered.
   • Put a field at Granby High School and one at Maury High School.
   • Remove everything east of Tidewater Drive
   • Nothing beats Lafayette park
5. Public Questions – Will be discussed at the next meeting.
   • How many students attend Maury High School and how many at Granby High School?
   • What is field to be used for specifically?
   • Is the Rack & Sack land near Second precinct available?

Approximately 25 citizens attended along with City Staff and the Task force.

The next meeting will be held June 28, 2003, 1:00 pm in the Cafeteria at Granby High School.

Virginian-Pilot Articles, 6/29/03

Stadium choices narrowed to five: Committee looks at ODU, Larchmont, Maury, Granby highs by Harry Minium, p. B3
Our kids deserve a good sports stadium: Parents let's rally behind our mayor and find a site by Sarah Prince Pishko, p. J3
Our kids deserve a good sports stadium: Don't rule out Lafayette when studying the choices by Billy King and Nell King, p. J3

Virginian-Pilot Articles, 6/23/03

Stadium debate plays out like a made-for-TV movie by Rodney Jordan, p. B12
A lesson for Beach council by Alan Alton, p. B12
C'mon over to the Beach by Gay Muller, p. B12

Criteria for the Stadium

1. Norview High School

• Dimensions: 720 feet x 400 feet (inclusive of stadium, track, bleachers, ticket booth and field house)
• Includes a 400 meter track, bleachers with approximately 4000 seats, press box, video capability on top of press box,concessions/toilet building with secondary ticket window, main entry/ticket building, field house for teams and storage individual bathroom in each team’s area + area can charge battery golf carts), pole vault as part of track, electronic scoreboard.
• Designed for soccer and football, brick buildings to match new high school, roofs sloped, lit for night use, field sodded and irrigated and with underground drainage system, heavily landscaped, aluminum bleachers with closed footboards, fully fenced.
• Money going into projects: $782,000 ($500,000 for 4000 seat stadium, $18,000 for sod system, $14,000 for irrigation system, $250,000 for lighting - cost does not include field house, provisions for parking, locker room space, and other accoutrements).

Task Force Meeting Notes (from the City's Web Site) 6/10/03

Task Force Attendees: Barbara Zoby, Dr. Anna Dodson, Barry Bishop, Kenny Lynch, Glenn Bonney, Franklin Thornton, Jr., George Curtis

The following was the Agenda for the meeting:

1. Introductions:
   There were brief comments from the Mayor about the Task Force’s mission and Council’s expectations on a recommendation for an appropriate site for the athletic field.
   Task Force members were introduced.
2. Ground Rules:
   All meetings will be kept to 1-1/2 hours
   The Task Force members will first enter into discussion and take public comments at the end of the meeting.
   Members will work as a team
   Members to be recognized by Chair to speak during meeting.
   Speakers will sign in and then be recognized.
   Each speaker will have 3 minutes
3. Mission Statement:
   State the Mission was approved as read.
   Any changes will be discussed at future meetings.
4. Proposed Meeting Dates:
   First meeting June 10th
   Tuesday, June 17, at 2 pm - City Hall
   Saturday, June 28, 1 pm - Granby High School
   Tuesday, July 8 - 6 pm - Maury High School
   Tuesday, July 15, 6 pm - City Hall
   Tuesday, July 22, 2 pm - Joint meeting with City Council in City Hall.
5. Strategy to accommodate public input:
   City Planning will receive and coordinate recommendations from the public and provide copies of those recommendations to the Task Force
   All meetings will be open to the public
   Web site will be available for public input - www.norfolk.gov
6. Support Staff:
   Information for next week’s meeting will be sent to the Task Force by Thursday, June 12.
   Will also provide staff names and phone numbers.
   Shurl Montgomery, City Manager’s Office; Joe Howell, Office of the Mayor; Jennifer White, Planning & Community Development; Sid Kitterman, Public Works Chuck Rigney, Development; Deborah Morton, Neighborhoods & Leisure Services; Bob Batcher, Communications; Michael Spencer, Public Schools
7. Requests by the Task Force of staff:
   Advance agenda
   Public Safety will be requested to provide a representative for staff support team.
   Inventory of City owned properties shall be provided
   Task Force Members requiring any information will be given staff phone numbers and email addresses.
   City will arrange a vehicle for field trip site visit
   Public will sign up to speak and state their name and address for the record.
8. Public Speakers: There were 4 speakers during the public comment period:
   Suggest Maury and Granby use other existing high school facilities.
   Consider impact on open spaces and other recreational areas
   Review Port property located at Hampton Blvd. and Terminal Blvd.
   Do not consider other parks, such as Lakewood or Northside for the athletic field.
   Also look at NRHA properties as possible sites.

Task Force Calendar

Task Force Calendar

First meeting June 10th
Tuesday, June 17, at 2 pm - City Hall
Saturday, June 28, 1 pm - Granby High School
Tuesday, July 8 - 6 pm - Maury High School
Tuesday, July 15, 6 pm - City Hall
Tuesday, July 22, 2 pm - Joint meeting with City Council in City Hall

Meeting Summary of the Task Force on High School Athletic Field June 10, 2003 City Council Chambers 2:00 p.m.

Task Force Committee Members and City Staff

Members

• Barbara Zoby, Chair, Norfolk Planning Commission, phone: 625-4239; fax: 625-2022
• Barry Bishop, Norfolk School Board, phone: 622-2242; fax: 622-4553
• Glenn Bonney, Civic Facilities Commission, phone: 855-2351; fax 855-0897
• George Curtis, Norfolk Recreation Commission, phone: 625-6355; fax: 623-2436
• Dr. Anna Dodson, Norfolk School Board, phone: 853-5583; fax: 853-4965
• Kerry Lynch, Norfolk Planning Commission,phone: 627-5555, ext. 7187; fax: 533-9651
• Franklin Thornton, Jr., Design Review Committee, phone: 622-2321; fax: 627-9941

• Shurl Montgomery, City Manager's Office
• Joe Howell, Office of the Mayor
• Jennifer White, Planning & Community Development
• Sid Kitterman, Public Works
• Chuck Rigney, Development
• Deborah Morton, Neighborhoods & Leisure Services
• Bob Batcher, Communications
• Michael Spencer, Public Schools

High School Athletic Field Task Force Mission Statement

Mission Statement
Seek and recommend to City Council the most suitable site for a high school athletic field to serve both Granby and Maury High Schools by:
        Understanding the high school athletic programs needs
        Approving site selection criteria
        Identifying and reviewing possible sites for placement of the sports field; and
        Evaluating the various sites against the site selection criteria

Virginian-Pilot Articles, 6/22/03

Sunday Forum: Norfolk has a long history of misusing its public spaces by James McNally, p. J3
It's green vs. teens in stadium debate by Bev Jackson, p. J3
Don't mess with Azalea Little League site: Hundreds of children already play ball there by Dee Bailey, p. J3
Don't mess with Azalea Little League site: Little Leaguers have nowhere else to go by Terry Younmg, p. J3

Virginian-Pilot Article, 6/18/03

Norfolk panel selects 8 possible sites for stadium by Harry Minium, p. B1-B2

Port Folio Weekly Article, 6/17/03

Means of Dissent: So, you still think civic activism is an exercise in futility? The folks who fought a proposed stadium in Lafayette Park would beg to differ by D.D. Delaney, p. 6

Virginian-Pilot Article, 6/17/03

2 Norfolk schools play no true home games: Maury and Granby take on opposing teams at other sites by Harry Minium, p. B1, B5

Virginian-Pilot Article, 6/15/03

Letter to the editor
We must recapture green spaces--a city's jewels by Jonathan Jett-Parmer, p. J4

Virginian-Pilot Article, 6/15/03

Resistance to stadium was powerful: Norfolk residents created fliers and a Web site in opposition by Debbie Messina, p. B1, B3
"Resistance to a high school sports stadium at Lafayette Park blew through the west side like a flash storm--swift, powerful and drenching."

CPRV Listserv, 6/14/03

Picnic in the Park

Please update the POPPS and CPRV websites, including the calendar of events, with specific info re the Picnic in the Park. It starts at 2:00 (not 1:00) and there will be live entertainment. We really need to get this publicized as it is a mere week away.

Karen Perreault

Virginian-Pilot Article, 6/13/03

Letters to the editor
All ears for Lafayette but no respect for us from Alma D. Kesling

Virginian-Pilot Article, 6/12/03

Letters to the editor
Mayor needs to listen to stadium opponents from Merri Ehrhard, Compass, p. 26

Virginian-Pilot Editorial, 6/11/03

Public opinion counts in Norfolk, p. B10

Virginian-Pilot Article, 6/11/03

Stadium panel plans 4 public meetings, p. B2

'The committee assigned to find a site for an athletic stadium for Maury and Granby high schools agreed Tuesday to hold four public meetings.

The seven-members committee will review a list of prospective sites next Tuesday at 2 p.m. at City Hall, 810 Union St.

The other meetings will be held June 28 at 1 p.m. at either Maury or Granby; July 8 at 6 p.m. at either Maury or Granby and July 15 at 6 p.m. at City Hall.

The committee, led by Barbara Zoby, chairwoman of the Norfolk Planning Commission, plans to recommend a site to City Council on July 22.

Zoby said time will be set aside for public comment at each meeting.

"We'd like to have input from the public," Zoby said. "Not criticism of where we've been, but input on where we're going."'

"Information on the site selection process, including an e-mail address to suggest a prospective site, will be available today on the city's Web site: www. norfolk. gov"

Port Folio Weekly Letters to the editor, 6/10/03

Save the Park from Jeanne Ullian, p. 12

Virginian-Pilot Article, 6/10/03

Mayor declares stadium plan dead; Meeting leads Fraim to end proposal for Lafayette Park by Harry Minium, p. B1, B3
"The Decision: Norfolk Mayor Paul D. Fraim said the city will not build a stadium in Lafayette Park. He also said that a committee appointed to find another site will consider building separate stadiums on both high school campuses, though the schools say there is no room on either campus."

Colonial Place/Riverview Community News Articles, June, 2003

President’s Notes ‘n’ Stuff
Craig Reilly

Is a 3000 seat Multi-Sport Complex the best use for our City’s Lafayette Park? This is the question we find ourselves asking after approximately $1.5 million dollars was added to the City Budget this year, for just this purpose. What the City of Norfolk is proposing is a multi sports complex and stadium to be shared by both Maury and Granby High Schools. In addition to the field, bleachers and other supporting facilities, a parking lot designed to accommodate 300 cars has been included in the “plans” and I use that term loosely.

The Lafayette Park Sports Complex is to be the home field of the two rival schools in the sports of football, soccer, field hockey, lacrosse and track. The proposed site location is within Lafayette Park, just south of 35th Street, where the children’s playground equipment and outdoor pavilions are presently located. I know some of our residents have been following this issue very closely, while others may be hearing about this proposal for the first time. Now is the time to ask serious and critical questions about our City Park and the future state that we envision for it. We must have quality answers, open dialogue and cooperation of all the stakeholders involved with this project.

Mayor Paul Fraim has requested time at our June Civic League to give a presentation about the City’s proposed plan to build a sports complex in the Lafayette Park. As this proposal greatly impacts the amount of green space contained in our City Park, I urge all interested Norfolk residents to attend this meeting. An issue as important as this should not be conceived, planned, budgeted and built without input and scrutiny of the citizens of Norfolk. The people that live in Norfolk are the people that care the most about our limited resources and how best to utilize them. Your voices need to be heard!

In addition to the discussion about the above-mentioned proposal we must vote for Civic League officers for the upcoming 2003-2004 term. In anticipation of the amount of time we will need for our agenda and the officer elections, next year’s budget presentation will be moved to next month.

See you June 9th!

Colonial Place/Riverview Community News Articles, June, 2003

Lafayette Park .... A Ball Park?
Ann Fitzgibbon

Norfolk’s City Council has approved money to build a 3000-seat sports stadium in Lafayette Park, next to the Norfolk Zoo, using a significant portion of the green space in this historic public park! The project will cost the city $1.5 million, using funds from both the city and the school board budgets.

A grass roots effort to preserve this precious piece of urban green space is under way. POPPS, Preserve Our Public Park Spaces, is a group of concerned citizens from many Norfolk neighborhoods, not just Colonial Place and Riverview, who are working to prevent this project from claiming our City‘s central park space. Our goal is simple: NO Stadium In Lafayette Park.Our concerns include:

Once gone, the green space in Lafayette Park cannot be reclaimed or replaced. The area targeted for the proposed stadium contains mature live oak trees, a stream and a children’s play area. The zoo, a cemetery, and a fragile wetland, part of the Lafayette River, border the site.

Where was the process? The money to build a sports stadium and displace public park property was added to the city budget after the last public hearing (part of the usual budgeting process) was held.

We were denied due process to discuss this significant budget item. Most citizens first learned of the City’s intention to replace public park space with a multi-million dollar stadium and parking lot when they read an article in the Virginian-Pilot. The article appeared less than a week before the City Council voted on the budget. When several Norfolk citizens tried to speak to the City Council at the May 20th meeting regarding the budget item, their requests to formally state their opinions were denied by the Council. These residents were told the previous public hearings were the only times discussion of the budget would be heard by Council. This position was stated by the Mayor and supported by Council, despite the Mayor’s admission that the budget item was added after the public hearings.

Is the stadium necessary? No formal study or needs assessment was conducted to determine the facility needs for the two primary users of the proposed stadium - Granby and Maury High Schools. Nor was an environmental study conducted.

Virginian-Pilot Article, 6/9/03

Letters to the Editor
Weighing the options for a high school stadium from Phil Morales, p. B10

Virginian-Pilot Editorial, 6/8/03

Second stadium search--and this time it's public, p. J4
"Having demonstrated the worst way to choose a site for a high school football stadium, Norfolk has a chance to demonstrate the best way."

Unofficial Notes from POPPS.org Meeting, 6/5/03

POPPS general meeting Thursday, June 12th at 7 pm at Church of the Epiphany, 1530 Lafayette Blvd, in the Parish Hall.
POPPS is organizing into committees. Check their web site at www.popps.org
Norfolk Preservation Alliance, Ballentine Civic League, Villa Heights Civic League, and Ghent Civic League representatives attended the meeting and expressed support in various capacities.
Nearly 200 signs and 20,000 flyers have been purchased
Plans continue to organize an event in Lafayette Park on Sunday, June 22 at 2:00 pm

Virginian-Pilot Article, 6/5/03

Norfolk: Panel to start seeking best site for high schools' stadium, by Ronnie Ratliff Jr., p. B2

"A seven-member committee will meet Tuesday to begin searching for the best site for a 3,000-seat stadium for Granby and Maury high schools, Norfolk officials said Wednesday.

Barbara Zoby, the chairwoman of the Norfolk Planning Commission, will lead the Sports Field Site Stadium Task Force. The other members are Barry Bishop and Anna Dodson of the Norfolk School Board; Glenn Bonney of the Civic Facilities Commission; Kerry Lynch of the Norfolk Planning Commission; George Curtis of the Norfolk Recreation Commission; and Franklin Thornton Jr. of the Design Review Committee."

"The committee's first meeting will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday in City Council chambers, 810 Union Street. It is open to the public."

POPPS.org Upcoming Events, CPRV Listserv, 6/4/03

POPPS Upcoming Events

Meeting for program committee for Picnic in the Park meets today, Wednesday, 6:30 pm. Contact Lana Pressley at 477-3593 or LMPressley29@aol.com . Please contact her if you want to help on the committee...even if you cannot make today's meeting.

POPPS general meeting tomorrow, Thursday, June 5th at 7 pm at Church of the Epiphany, 1530 Lafayette Blvd, in the Parish Hall.

Colonial Place/Riverview Civic League meeting, Monday, June 9th, at Stuart School, 446 Virginia Ave (turn off Colonial Ave), enter the Cafeteria off the parking lot, at 7 pm. Mayor Fraim is scheduled to speak. Everyone is welcome to attend. You do not need to live in Colonial Place/Riverview.

Picnic in the Park, Sunday afternoon, June 22nd. More info to follow

Virginian-Pilot Article, 6/4/03

New Norfolk task force to seek alternative site for stadium by Debbie Messina, page B7

"Lafayette Park is still on the table as a potential site for a high school sports stadium, yet Mayor Paul D. Fraim will ask a new task force to explore alternatives to the controversial location."

"It [the new task force] will consist of two members from both the Planning Commission and School Board and one member from each of three existing citizen advisory groups for recreation, civic facilities, and design review. Specific people have not been selected yet except for Planning Commission chairwoman Barbara Zoby."

He [Mayor Fraim] invited citizens to attend the task force's first meeting, which will likely be held next Tuesday in City Council chambers.

"Fraim said the task force will report back to the council July 22 with its recommendation."

Unofficial Notes from City Council Meeting held 6/3/03

City Council will appoint a committee as early as tomorrow (Wednesday, 6/4/03) to look into the stadium issue.
First meeting of this committee is scheduled for Tuesday, June 10th, at 2:00pm at City Hall.
The Mayor and City Council are still committed to building a stadium for Maury and Granby.
All locations, including Lafayette Park, remain on the table.
Meetings with individuals and groups concerned with the stadium issue will be scheduled by the committee.
Goal is to reach a consensus by the July 22, 2003 City Council meeting.

Unofficial Notes from the Park Place Civic League Meeting held 6/2/03

Mayor Fraim along with Mr. Paul Riddick spoke at the meeting.
"Facts" from Mayor Fraim

Harbor Park: seats 12,000; these games draw 400-500
Turf at Harbor Park is too valuable to allow high school teams to use it when wet so many games are called/postponed/moved when it rains
Would be used for football, soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse
Equity: 60% of Norfolk High Schools have a stadium; 40% do not
3000-seat stadium with 1500 seats on either side
Booker T has 500/2000 per side
$1 million from City Budget; $500,000 from School budget; may need a little more
No track--would take up too much room and moves stands back
Mayor Fraim and Mr. Riddick said they would approach City Council tomorrow with a proposal to set up a committee to look into the stadium issue. Council would appoint 7-8 committee members who in turn would meet with community groups on evenings and weekends. Mayor Fraim suggested the committee members include representatives from the School Board, Parks and Recreation, Design and Review, Planning Commission
Stadium site requires 3 acres
Foreman Field now belongs to ODU; has astroturf, which makes it a hard surface and difficult to reline for various sports
Lafayette Park is approximately 90 acres; Zoo takes up 55 acres; 35 acres remain; stadium would take up 10% of that space
Approximately 600 parking spaces in Zoo parking lot; would need about 200 more
Would need to move children's playground; it is in poor condition
Stadium would fall south of 35th Street
Would plant trees to screen if in Lafayette Park
Idea is to have a stadium built within 18 months - in time for next season

Virginian-Pilot Article, 6/3/03

Foes of Lafayette stadium organize by Debbie Messina, p. B1-B2
Civic group opposes venue; city leaders reconsider plan

Virginian-Pilot Article, 6/1/03

Editorial Page J4

"Zoo and stadium a bad marriage"

POPPS.org, 5/31/03: Order a Sign/Brochures Flyer

Printable order form

Ann Fitzgibbon/Rosemary Zemanian

POPPS.org, 5/30/03: City Council Meeting on June 3

Friends and neighbors,

I called the Clerk of the Council. Next Tuesday's (June 3) council meeting will begin at 2:30pm. If you want to speak, you may, but only for 3 minutes per person. So come with a timed, prepared statement. And, remember to get there at least 15 minutes early to sign up. I'd suggest earlier, if it appears there will be many of us.

(text deleted)

Susan Burnett

POPPS.org, 5/30/03: Site for Next POPPS meeting

Good afternoon POPPS!

I spoke with the rector of Church of the Epiphany (an Episcopal Church in the historic Lafayette-Winona neighborhood) and asked the Reverend Richard Bridgford if we could use Epiphany's Parish Hall for weekly civic issue meetings on Thursdays @ 7pm.

Reverend Bridgford agreed to this.

So, if there is group consensus, we have a meeting place.

We will need to respect the Parish Hall as we would respect our own homes. I know that everyone will do this, so if the group likes the location, this should meet our meeting needs.

Address: 1530 Lafayette Blvd. (I bicycle to the parish on Sundays and the cross streets that I remember are 26th Street and Granby Ave.)

Best regards,

Ruth

POPPS.org, 5/30/03: Fraim to Speak at Park Place Civic League Meeting

Good afternoon friends and neighbors,

I talked with the President of Park Place Civic League, Nelson White, earlier today. I asked him if it would be all right with him if we attended his civic league meeting on Monday night. He said that it would be okay - that their meetings are open to the public. He did say that he wanted to give the residents of Park Place a chance to ask their questions. The main focus will be the stadium - but they have other issues they want addressed too. He also said that he did not want the meeting to become contentious. So, I think we should respect his wishes and behave accordingly. I know we would do that anyway. As Rodney mentioned last night, the meeting will be held at Monroe Elementary located at 520 W. 29th and Newport Aves.

Regards, Kathy Stark

POPPS.org, 5/30/03: Report of Initial Meeting of Preserve Our Public Park Spaces

Thanks to all who came out last night for the meeting. The name of our group to ensure that Norfolk does not build a stadium in Lafayette Park is Preserve Our Public Park Spaces (POPPS).

Web site is www.popps.org (it may not be up yet...but will be shortly). Info also available at www.CPRV.org

Yard signs and flyers are available from Colley Avenue Copies & Graphics Inc, 4211 Colley Avenue, 440-4000. Cost of 1 yard sign and 100 flyers is $15. Ann Fitzgibbon is negotiating other package deals.

Mayor Fraim will be speaking to the Park Place Civic League on the stadium on Monday, June 2 at 7 pm. Encourage people opposed to the stadium in the park to attend.

Next City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 3 at 2:30 pm. Encourage people opposed to the stadium in the park to attend.

Mayor Fraim will be speaking to the Colonial Place/Riverview Civic League on the stadium on Monday, June 9 at 7 pm. Stuart School 411 Virginia Avenue. Encourage people opposed to the stadium in the park to attend.

Preliminary planning is underway for a "Picnic in the Park" to be held on Saturday June 14 to rally public opposition to the stadium.

Write, email, call all the City Council members (not just the ones from your Ward/Super Ward) and encourage others to do so also, on this issue.

If you know of others that want to join POPPS, have them e-mail me wallach@whro.net or call at 622-8315.

I am refining the e-mail list and should be able to export it to those who need it.

Thanks for your public spirit.

Andy Wallach

CPRV Listserv, 5/30/03: Oral History Interview re: Lafayette Park

Oral History Interview with MR. FREDERIC HEUTTE Norfolk, Virginia June 28, 1979 by James R. Sweeney, Old Dominion University

Sweeney: I would like to ask you some questions about the parks system in Norfolk. First, what were your ambitions for Lafayette Park which is popularly known as City Park and how did you go about achieving your goals?
Heutte: Up until that time Lafayette (City) Park was the only piece of land of 110 acres which was entirely devoted to planting and it was nice except that it had been neglected and I wanted to make that sort of the jewel of the city within the city because it was. The Azalea Gardens were not in the city and I worked to get the conservatory rebuilt and perhaps a lot of people don't recollect, but the Norfolk greenhouses or conservatory were built for the Jamestown Exposition. But when I came in 1937 there was no glass left in them; they were all skeletonized. So that was rebuilt. Now incidentally, Colonel Borland was interested in that part of it. We rebuilt the City Park conservatory and I was very ambitious to make it into a botanical garden but then all of a sudden, we got to skip a little bit there, Mayor Duckworth, who's quite an administrator and very much interested; when he came into the picture he saw a different picture. He saw the Norfolk Botanical gardens because I was trying to make the city park a botanical garden and Azalea gardens. So he said well, we should have both and they should be in under one roof and he is really the man that started it. He and Mayor Martin got the money to do what has been done there since, the development of the buildings and more land.
Sweeney: How about the zoo, was the zoo there when you came?
Heutte: Yes, the zoo was there at the Lafayette Park but it was only a small zoo. Not having been trained in that phase of park work, I wanted to maintain it just as a children's zoo rather than what they have now, which is wonderful. That really was not developed. The present zoo was not developed until after I left the park as superintendent.

Kathryn Stark

CPRV Listserv, 5/30/03: Oral History of Foreman Field

http://www.lib.odu.edu/aboutlib/spccol/oralhistory/oduhistory/heuttetranscript.html

Oral History Interview with MR. FREDERIC HEUTTE Norfolk, Virginia June 28, 1979 by James R. Sweeney, Old Dominion University

"Heutte: I wanted Lafayette Park to be a sort of landmark unto itself and I wasn't so particular that it should become a recreation area as it has become. That's different people's opinion naturally. There were a couple of small nurseries in town here in Norfolk and they had small live oaks and they were going out of business. So the first lot of oaks that I planted there was a hundred. I bought a hundred small oaks and planted them all around the park there.
Sweeney: You kept on adding to it for a while?
Heutte: Yes. The Lafayette park is pretty well developed now, except as I say, you might say it is practically 75% recreation now but its still a nice park and it has some nice trees.

Jeanne Ullian

CPRV Listserv, 5/30/03: Oral History of Lafayette Park

http://www.lib.odu.edu/aboutlib/spccol/oralhistory//oduhistory/scottmrstranscript.html

ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW with Mrs. Thomas Lawrence Scott [Feb. 5, 1976] [by James R. Sweeney, Old Dominion University Norfolk, Virginia

"Q: I guess then you were not here at the dedication of Foreman Field in 1936. Would you have any recollections of attending football games at Foreman Field?
Mrs. Scott: Yes, we did go to the football games and we had fairly nice attendance. At that time in the late thirties, we were also having big teams into Norfolk, as well as being Athletic Director at William and Mary, Tommy of course had charge of the advertising, the tickets, getting things ready for the big teams to come in. Like our Shriners games, and when the big teams came in like Duke and the University of Virginia, or even our high school games, Maury and Granby was one of the big games at the stadium and high schools used this stadium. The stadium wasn't built just for William and Mary. The stadium was built for William and Mary, the City of Norfolk, and the State of Virginia. It was made to be a place where Norfolk citizens could enjoy part of our college, and we could bring sports into the city where we had no facilities until this time. So we went to the big games as well as to Tommy's games."

Jeanne Ullian

Virginian-Pilot Articles, 5/29/03

Editorial page B8

Granby Street doesn't need stadium traffic or noise
Letters from: "Expediency and hypocrisy, not democracy" from Andrew J. Wallach

"Stadium issue deserves debate" from Lynn Oliver Adams

"Speeders on Granby Street" from Richard A. Horwege

"Consider other area" from Joyce W. Chappell

'Undo "done deal"' from William and Barbara Scott

Portfolio Weekly Articles, 5/27/03

Bouquets, Brickbats & Binkies (p. 10)

Word for Word (p. 6)

CPRV Listserv, Organizing/Plannning Meeting Scheduled, 5/26/03

There will be an organizing/planning meeting at my house, 545 Mayflower Road, this Thursday, May 29th, at 7 p.m. to organize a group and develop a plan of action to address Mayor Fraim's decision, supported by the City Council, to fund a high school athletic field (stadium) in Lafayette Park. If you cannot attend but want to be included, e-mail or call me.
Andy Wallach
wallach@whro.net
622-8315

Virginian-Pilot Article 5/26/03

"End run on stadium means no neighborhood is safe" by David A. Spriggs. Page B10

Virginian-Pilot Article 5/23/03

"Good faith between city, civic leagues is 2-way street" by Dave Addis. Page B1-B2

Virginian-Pilot Article 5/22/03

"School board approves funds for Norfolk stadium" by Philip Walzer. Page B1 and B4

Meeting with Mayor Fraim, 4:30pm, Lafayette Park, 5/21/03

Mayor Fraim met with a small group from the neighborhood as well as other interested parties at the site at 4:30pm today. No official summary available yet.

Virginian-Pilot Article, 5/21/03

"Stadium proposal raises neighbor's ire" by Harry Minium. Page B1 and 4

CPRV Listserv, 5/20/03: Message from Andy Wallach, CPRV VP

CPRV was well represented at the Council meeting today. The Mayor did not allow us to address the Council but met with interested people in the conference room afterwards for about an hour and a half. Besides the Virginian Pilot, Channel 3 covered the meeting and interviewed CPRV residents afterwards. Should be something on Channel 3 this evening/nite.

Andy Wallach

CPRV Listserv, 5/20/03: Draft of Board Letter to City Council

The following is a draft of the statement I plan on presenting at the City Council meeting Tuesday afternoon, May 20th.

I am Andrew Wallach, the Vice President of the Colonial Place/Riverview Civic League, residing at 545 Mayflower Road. The Colonial Place/Riverview Civic League Board of Directors voted unanimously last evening, Monday May 19th, to oppose, at this time, the appropriation of funds and the authorization of the project to construct a high school athletic field in Lafayette Park. The first time that members of the Board learned about the proposed sports complex was in the Virginian Pilot on May 14th. The City Council and Government has gone on record that they will consult with residents in planning for the future of our City. I quote the Council’s Vision:

Norfolk is a national leader in the quality of life offered to all its citizens.

This is achieved through effective partnerships between city government and its constituents.

The Colonial Place/Riverview Civic League Board requests that the Council delay approval of funding for the high school athletic field, item 3 in the General Capital Improvements Project Fund, and that the Council and City partner with the residents of Norfolk in determining the necessity and location of a new high school athletic field prior to approving funds.

CPRV Listserv, 5/20/03: Board Action on Sports Complex

At our regular Board Meeting last night (Monday, May 19, 2003) the CPRV Board drafted a letter to the city demanding that the Sports Complex project in Lafayette Park come to an immediate halt until the community is more informed.

Like everyone else we "read all about it" in an article entitled "Norfolk: Raises, projects are part of spending increases" that appeared in the May 14th issue of the Virginian-Pilot. In the continuation of the story on page B3 there is a paragraph that reads: "$1 million for a 3,000-seat sports complex to be shared by Granby and Maury high schools. The complex will be built off Granby Street next to the Virginia Zoo and could be open by this time next year, Fraim said."

At this time our information places the stadium immediately north of the Zoo entrance off Granby and running parallel to Granby with a nearby parking lot. It would have permanent stadium seating with facilities (restrooms, vendor stations).

Craig Reilly, CPRV President, has been inundated with calls opposing the project. The CPRV Civic League will have speakers and others in attendance at the Budget meeting set for 2:30 today (Tuesday, May 20, 2003). The meeting is open to the public; you are encouraged to attend.

Of immediate concern is the complete disregard by the city of any input from the community PRIOR to announcing the project. Mayor Fraim has offered to speak at the June 9th Civic Club meeting.

A page will be set up on the CPRV web site (www.cprv.org) concerning this issue.

Contact the Mayor and our Councilperson:

Send an email to City Council

Mayor Paul D. Fraim
Office of the Mayor
1109 City Hall Building
810 Union Street
Norfolk, VA 23510
Phone: 441-2909
Fax: 664-4679
E-mail: ccouncil@norfolk.gov

Barclay C. Winn
Office of the City Council
1006 City Hall Building
810 Union Street
Norfolk, VA 23510
Phone: 664-4290
Fax: 664-4268
E-mail: ccouncil@norfolk.gov

Jeanne Ullian
Webmaster
(submitted on behalf of the CPRV Board)

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