THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 29, 1995 TAG: 9501270762
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: John Pruitt
LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
For those beginning to despair that perhaps they were almost alone in treasuring the remaining remnants of Suffolk's past, there's a good dose of encouragement in the supportive letters received by those boosting efforts to preserve the former railroad depot on Main Street.
The writers - many of them quoted in a story and letters published in this edition, say clearly that they're weary of having landmarks leveled by bulldozers, particularly when nothing better than a parking lot or fallow site follows.
The message is too late for some buildings - including the former city hall and city market and some significant homes that once graced downtown, but it is precisely the type of rally needed to protect such structures as the railroad depot.
As a reading of the letters shows, sentiment runs deep. The writers talk of much more than structure; it's a repository of memories they hold precious.
On the editorial page, however, a citizen bemoans the reliance of would-be restorers on federal grant funds. Federal money, he argues, means federal strings - strings that the community might not want.
His argument might be valid, but it's not as if Suffolk's not applying would somehow save the money. It's been appropriated, and competing grant applications are being taken from all over - including neighbor Franklin.
The money is going to be awarded, and the only thing Suffolk's or Franklin's deciding not to apply as some form of protest would accomplish would be to assure that neither city got a dime.
Strings or no strings, $400,000, which is what Suffolk seeks, is one big chunk of money.
Still, correspondent Eugene Sankey sounds a valid warning about over-reliance on the federal government to enable communities to do good things. As helpful as federal dollars would be and as much as many of us hope Suffolk will gain favor, I'm convinced that ``ownership'' of a project is key to its success.
That is, I hope support for restoration doesn't rest entirely on grant approval. The rewards of ``ownership'' are rich: residents of a drug-infested neighborhood decide they've had enough, unite and drive out dealers by vigilance and cooperation with police; a graffiti-covered neighborhood gets a new look when youthful volunteers paint over it and vow to report anyone restoring the graffiti.
And, in an example that parallels Suffolk's situation with the train depot: a group of residents of Ashland and nearby residents determine to make use of a decaying facility and, with hands-on labor and all sorts of fund-raising efforts, transform it into a museum.
The depot, it seems to me, is a perfect rallying point for those who say they care about Suffolk. That's no less so if the grant is forthcoming or if it's denied.
There needs to be a lead organization that will take ``ownership,'' preserve the structure and make it available for public use. Why hasn't a group such as the Board of Realtors, the Suffolk Division of the Chamber of Commerce or some other private agency stepped forward?
While the city certainly has interest in seeing that its history is preserved, this preservation isn't necessarily a city project. If it were, that would be of little comfort; the former Suffolk High School sits decaying, and the former Nansemond County Clerk of Court's Building was razed for a pie-in-the-sky scheme that never rose from the parking lot.
Most encouraging about the letters, I believe, is the oft-repeated belief that enough of Suffolk's history has been leveled, and the writers are ready to help save the station.
The challenge now is to extend that energy beyond letter-writing to work demonstrating ``ownership,'' particularly if the grant isn't forthcoming.
Preserving this link to our past deserves our support. by CNB