THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 16, 1995 TAG: 9511160249
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B11 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TONI WHITT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
Residents and city officials tired of feeling defensive about their city's image took the offensive Wednesday.
They led more than a dozen military and housing officials on a tour of Portsmouth's neighborhoods.
A Navy admiral, a Coast Guard captain, a couple of chief petty officers and a host of housing specialists walked through two historic homes. They caught glimpses of waterfront vistas. They drove past the schools, while getting the scoop on education in Portsmouth. And they visited the Portsmouth City Park, complete with a stop at the boat launches and a rolling tour of the golf course there.
The idea was dreamed up by three longtime Portsmouth residents.
Ann Douglas Smith, a Portsmouth Realtor; Martha Ann Creecy, active in the Olde Towne Civic league; and Ida Kay Jordan, a Park View resident who is an editor with The Virginian-Pilot, were especially concerned that military personnel are warned to stay away from the city because it's dangerous, crime-ridden and unattractive.
They said those characterizations of Portsmouth were a bum rap and decided it was time to take the military on a tour of the best places in town. When city officials caught wind of the idea, they liked it so much that they rented a tour bus and catered a lunch in the city's Art Museum.
``Portsmouth is not the crime-ridden city you read about in the paper or hear about by word of mouth,'' Portsmouth Mayor Gloria O. Webb told the group. ``We're a 30-square-mile city surrounded by water.''
Before the bus tour, Steve Herbert, the assistant director for Portsmouth's economic development department, gave the group a slide presentation of Portsmouth's future and the projects that are under way.
``The plan is 8 months old, and clearly the work is in progress,'' Herbert said. ``It's all moving at a pace much quicker than we even anticipated.''
That sentiment was echoed later by Adm. W.R. Rowley, the commanding officer for the Naval Regional Medical Center.
``It's happening even faster than I thought,'' said Rowley, who had heard about the improvements but hadn't had a chance to see them firsthand.
Several housing specialists said the tour, which included 15 neighborhoods, was eye-opening.
``This is good for you, Admiral, you haven't see a lot of this,'' quipped Loretta Loveless, a housing specialist for the Naval Regional Medical Center who grew up in Portsmouth.
``That's right,'' Rowley replied. ``I've seen a lot of it from the water, but I haven't see a lot from the land.''
Loveless had to admit that even she hadn't been to the Commodore Theater - a World War II era movie theater with a huge screen and state-of-the-art sound system - since its renovation.
The tour steered clear of the city's worst areas - the place where crime has given Portsmouth such a bad reputation. But that was the point - to show that Portsmouth is not all blighted, that there are serene waterfront areas, good schools and cultural offerings.
J. Thomas Benn III, chairman of the Portsmouth School Board, stood up on the bus and began swaying as it went around the curve in front of Churchland High School.
``Portsmouth public schools are among the best in the region - contrary to what you have heard or what you may have told some people,'' Benn told his captive audience. ``You can enroll your kids in the school of your choice here. You just call me or you can call Dr. (Richard) Trumble (the school superintendent) and we'll help you enroll your children in the school of your choice - Virginia Beach and Norfolk won't offer you that.''
But the best news for the housing officials came from Martha Ann Creecy, who emphasized that housing in Portsmouth is more affordable than in many other cities.
``Keep in mind that the houses here are a lot cheaper, and you can get a lot more for your money,'' Creecy said. ``You can get a home for $10,000 to $25,000 less than in other cities.''
Loveless said affordability was important to many military families. Her office deals with Navy personnel of all ranks looking for homes to rent.
``We just don't get information on these apartments,'' Loveless said, ``so we can't refer people to them.''
But city officials and civic leaguers remedied that. They sent all the visitors home with canvas bags imprinted with the Children's Museum logo and filled with all kinds of information on Portsmouth - including an eight-minute video of the city's best attractions.
The videotape highlights the city's museums, restaurants, festival place and historic districts, as well as its tours by boat, horse-drawn carriage, trolley and on foot.
``This is nice,'' Master Chief Odis Brice said of Norfolk Naval Shipyard. ``We usually only have time to warn the sailors not to walk alone and to be careful where they go. We never have time to talk about the nice things.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
CHRISTOPHER REDDICK/The Virginian-Pilot
Coast Guard Capt. B.W. Platz was among military officials who got a
guided tour of Portsmouth and a special invitation from the city to
show him that it's a good place to live.
by CNB