THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 10, 1994 TAG: 9410060014
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 43 lines
I was disturbed by the Sept. 29 Daily Break article ``Venice on High Street.'' Portsmouth certainly has made mistakes in the effort to revitalize downtown and, ultimately, the city's image. Efforts requiring public/private partnerships are often messy, but to ignore the successes that have happened because of partnerships misleads your readership.
Listing a canal with gondolas on High Street, a theme park, a Ferris wheel and a 180-foot waterspout as what ``Portsmouth folks envision'' misrepresents the ongoing efforts and overlooks a number of things people from all over Hampton Roads are coming to Portsmouth to enjoy.
Consider: Tidewater Community College moving its art department to the former Famous department store; the Portsmouth museums, including the expanded Children's Museum to which your article referred, the Art Center, the Lightship Museum and the Naval Shipyard Museum; art galleries such as Olde Towne Gallery and Art Atrium, a gallery devoted to African-American artists; the Commodore Theater; numerous specialty shops and restaurants. Nearby historic residences and churches add to the richness of downtown Portsmouth. Churches and other organizations try to meet the ever-escalating needs of urban homeless citizens.
After many years of ``stops and starts,'' Portsmouth is beginning to reap the rewards of working toward a vital downtown. There are still many challenges, including development of an overall plan incorporating the current projects. Another challenge is to identify funding to bring dreams to fruition, as your article mentioned.
But finding public or private funds for revitalization projects in Portsmouth, as well as neighboring cities, will be even more of a challenge as long as you publish tongue-in-cheek articles that present the unrealistic ideas of a couple of residents as the total of efforts being made to improve the city.
TRISH PFEIFER
Portsmouth, Sept. 29, 1994 by CNB