THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 9, 1994 TAG: 9410070256
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
The federal government has added insult to injury.
As if holding about half of Portsmouth's land off the tax books weren't enough, the United States government now exhibits contempt for the city and its people.
The former Armed Services YMCA at 509 King St. is an eyesore in Downtown, going to seed before our very eyes.
Not only is the abandoned building a mess. The grounds are totally ignored with overgrown trees and weeds growing several feet tall around the building. The unkempt yard is clearly visible from County Street.
Typically, finding somebody who can talk about the problem was not easy.
The City Assessor's office simply shows that the land belongs to the federal government. The Armed Services Y staff at Virginia Beach reported that the building belongs to the Naval Shipyard.
At the Navy yard, a captain who deals with the Y programs said he had nothing to do with the building and referred a caller to a commander on the base. The commander, likewise, knew nothing and mentioned a civilian in Norfolk, who could know something about the building.
The civilian said the federal government does own the building. But she could talk only to citizens, not to reporters who had to speak to a public information officer. However, the PIO was out of the office.
It's pretty obvious that nobody is taking responsibility for the property.
Meanwhile, where is the city? Inspectors must occasionally journey down County Street, which leads almost directly to the City Hall offices.
Of course, if the city cleans it up, it could collect any liens placed on the property for the cost of the work only if it were sold by the federal government.
The backside of the old Y is an eyesore just a short distance from Columbia Commons, where the city recently spent $4 million to install underground utilities, a handsome fence and other amenities.
The Y building sits in the middle of the area where many millions of dollars have been spent on streetscaping. It faces the entrance to the new apartments in the old Downtown YMCA building, where private investors have turned a shabby building into a pleasant and useful place.
That the federal government would hold the property off the tax books rather than sell it to private owners is bad enough. To allow the building to become a Downtown eyesore is contemptible.
It's a little thing, but it reveals a lot about attitudes toward this city on the part of other government agencies who control so much of Portsmouth's land. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MARK MITCHELL
YMCA building in Portsmouth in disrepair.
by CNB