THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 18, 1995 TAG: 9505160139
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS
SOURCE: MIKE KNEPLER
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
Imagine hordes of Norfolk civic league members donning short pants, flowery shirts and auto-focus cameras and traipsing to downtown tourist attractions.
Probably not.
But neighborhood activists could be changing their attitudes about tourism after more presentations by the staff of the Norfolk Convention and Visitors Bureau.
That's the opinion of Jim Janata, new president of the Norfolk Federation of Civic Leagues.
Janata long has contended that downtown promoters ``talk about Norfolk to everybody in the world except the people who live here.'' And that has made many residents resentful of City Hall's annual $1.2 million grant to the visitors bureau.
So, last Thursday, Susan Bak, the bureau's acting director, told the civic-league federation:
``You probably don't think of Norfolk as a visitor destination. That's because we live here. You never think of what's in your own back yard as something that someone else would travel to come and see.''
Revenues directly generated from conventions and tourism were $52.5 million in 1994, up from $37 million in '90, Bak said.
Bak also claimed a $289 million overall impact, including jobs and businesses such as restaurants.
These figures convinced Janata, who said: ``I had always thought that the Norfolk Convention and Visitors Bureau was just welfare for downtown hotels. .
Janata also said he has learned from Norfolk's tourism brochures and plans to visit places such as the Moses Myers and Willoughby-Baylor historical homes and the Hunter House Victorian Museum.
Another benefit from better communication between the bureau and neighborhoods: Residents will be more informed when telling out-of-town guests about the city's attractions.
``Maybe this is part of the way to get rid of the stigma in Norfolk,'' Janata said.
Bak and her staff are available to speak to other civic leagues. Visitors bureau: 441-5266.
CIVIC CALENDAR:
Public housing task force. 3 p.m. today, Berkley-Campostella Early Childhood Education Center. James Stockard Jr., housing commissioner from Cambridge, Mass., will discuss innovative programs.
Also, Mayor Paul Fraim wants to dispel rumors that Norfolk will force residents from their homes. The task force, he said, is a ``sincere effort to improve the lives of residents of public housing. You can be for public housing while still questioning the need for public housing projects. People can still get subsidized housing without concentrating the residents in enclaves of poverty.''
``Opportunity Fair,'' 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Booker T. Washington High School. Free information on getting and keeping jobs.
There will be job counselors, business representatives, military recruiters and volunteer agencies. Bring identification and information about job experiences.
The program is aimed at inner-city residents, ages 15 to 25, but is open to all Norfolk citizens. Sponsors are the Church Street-Brambleton Avenue Clean and Safe Committee of the Downtown Norfolk Council and PACE. Call 623-1757.
``Youth Vigil,'' 6-9 p.m. Sunday, Chittum Field, Norview High School. Teens and community leaders from across Hampton Roads will discuss AIDS, violence, staying in school, drinking and driving, and respect. Call 583-3810 or 588-3746.
Hearing on public housing, 7 p.m. June 1, Ruffner Middle School.
``Urban Summit,'' reports on regionalism in Hampton Roads and across Virginia. Norfolk Waterside Convention Center. by CNB