THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 19, 1996 TAG: 9604190513
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: DECISION 96
WEEK 1: CITIZENS' AGENDA
SOURCE: BY TONI WHITT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Long : 134 lines
Crime is in the headlines.
It's a topic over coffee and in the city's sandwich shops.
Making streets safe again is urgent.
But it's only part of the task confronting this struggling urban center.
Portsmouth's resurgence will also be keyed by good jobs and schools that prepare residents for them. And those jobs will also help solve the city's crime problem.
That's the sense that emerged in recent conversations sponsored by The Virginian-Pilot with nearly 20 citizens from various neighborhoods and backgrounds. The conversations were held to discover what Portsmouth residents are considering as they prepare to elect a mayor, council members and - for the first time - School Board members.
Folks who attended said that if the city could provide more opportunity for its residents, it could begin to lower its crime rate. Crime, they said, is just a symptom of hopelessness in people unprepared or unable to find a job near their homes.
``If you look at the safety issue as a complete problem, you'll see it cuts across the board,'' said Billie M. Cook, a Churchland resident. ``You can't talk about safety without talking about . . . kids who don't go to school - that's education. . . . Individuals who are not employed . . . that's economic development. When you talk about crime, you're going to hit everything else.''
Panelists said they want the city to continue addressing the crime problem, pushing the issue in courts as well as on the streets. But ultimately, they said, law enforcement will never be enough.
And, they said, citizens must take some responsibility.
``Instead of saying there's nothing we can do about it, City Hall is going to do whatever they want to do, I think people are saying no, we're part of this community and we don't like it and we're willing to work hand-in-hand with it, too,'' said Martha Ann Creecy, a business woman who lives in Olde Towne.
Despite the city's crime rate and its financial struggles, panelists said they are excited about their city's prospects.
``I think Portsmouth is right on the cusp,'' Creecy said. ``It's almost like watching a miracle. To me that's what I see because, for so long, Portsmouth has not had a good persona.''
But the city's tarnished image still colors everything it attempts, the groups said.
If Portsmouth were held in higher esteem across the region and with its own citizens, it would be easier to entice businesses, they said. Citizens point to the city's economic development plan, ``Vision 2005,'' as a sign the city is on its way.
It's a design that doesn't leave everything in the council's hands, but has involved citizens in solving the problems of urban blight and bringing in new development.
So far citizens have had a hand in luring marina developers to the area; designing a new High Street landing and ferry inlet; and designing and investing in a revitalized Effingham Street area.
The Effingham Street project, which will include retail business and senior citizen apartments, was the result of planning and interest from two churches in that area.
Businesses around MidCity have also had a hand in designing and suggesting changes for that entire section of Portsmouth.
Being involved in making the changes has given citizens a new pride about the city and has made them less critical, panelists said. It has forced them to change their own perspectives about Portsmouth.
They want to spread their new insights to their neighbors and beyond the city limits.
``I think it's like a good hunting dog; we're on a good trail so far,'' said Brian Melchor, who lives in Cavalier Manor. But, he added, ``You can build four or five museums all over the city, but until you get a handle on this crime, you're always going to have a bad name.''
Panelists said they realize that unless the people who live in Portsmouth believe the city is getting better, no one in the surrounding communities will believe it either.
They and city officials seem to agree that the city has to do a better job in emphasizing the positive things that are going on.
``It's up to the City Council down there,'' said Angela Robertson, who grew up in Portsmouth.
``They've got to do more than vote on this or that,'' she added. ``They've got to think of things that are going to make the city look good.
But Valora Baskerville, a Churchland resident, said citizens have a responsibility as well. They need to stop being territorial about their neighborhoods, she said, and start looking at what's good for the city and the schools as a whole.
``It needs to get back to the people getting together as one,'' Baskerville said. ``I think one of our biggest problems is that we're so busy fighting each other, we can't come together.''
Panelists said that the school system will be a key to economic development. It must produce graduates that will be attractive to good employers.
Residents said all graduates should either have marketable skills or they should be college-bound. But they emphasized the School Board must realize that every Portsmouth graduate isn't going to be able to go to college.
``I hope we bring some kind of business, some kind of small things that will send a message to children that you don't have to go to college,'' Cook said. ``They need to know after they go to high school there are some options out here. College is not for everyone.''
Some saw the new I.C. Norcom High School - which has a science, math and technology magnet program - as a step toward addressing the city's educational needs.
Others said it's not nearly enough, and that the city and its citizens, including parents with children in the classroom, have ignored school problems for too long.
While panelists recognize that the city is short on funds, they said the council and the School Board must work more closely together in developing and funding priorities for the schools.
Citizens spread the blame equally: on the council for not providing enough money, and on the School Board for not putting the money in the right places. They said they are tired of the two governing bodies trying to ``pass the buck'' whenever there is a problem in the schools.
Those in the conversations said a school problem is an issue for both the School Board and the City Council. The two shouldn't be separate in trying to provide quality education to the citizens of Portsmouth, they said.
``Schools affect all of us,'' Creecy said. ``If we don't have a good school system, we don't have a work force that comes out of that school system. They're not educated, whether it's educated to go to college or to go into a simple trade. It's going to affect all of us sooner or later.'' MEMO: WHAT'S COMING UP
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KEYWORDS: PUBLIC JOURNALISM COMMUNITY CONVERSATION by CNB