THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 21, 1996 TAG: 9604190175
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 40 lines
When you see workers tearing up the park at the foot of High Street, just remember what's ahead.
The new inlet up to Water Street will be the single loading point for the Elizabeth River Ferry, bringing visitors to a place where they can see the Children's Museum and the wonderful vista of High Street.
Vision 2005 consultant Ray Gindroz sees the project as ``breaking through the wall around Portsmouth's treasures.''
``Images and self-images here are all negative,'' Gindroz said. ``Much of that is because all the treasures are hidden.''
High Street is one of the treasures, he said. Bringing people to an open space at the end of Portsmouth's beautiful main street is the place to begin.
The ferry dock at Portside has been very successful and people have loved it. But many people get off the boat with no notion of where they are going or what Portsmouth is like. Unless they have children and came especially for the Children's Museum, many do not make the effort to find out if Portsmouth is anything but Portside and what they see from that location.
When ferry riders look up High Street from the boat, they will see much that is intriguing. They will see the Children's Museum with its tall atrium just a block or two away. They will see a wide tree-lined street with an assortment of historic buildings.
High Street is a treasure, a beautiful downtown that never will be matched by any of the suburban cities who have talked a lot recently about creating central business districts.
By opening the street for the ferry dock, we will bring more people to High Street and they will help make it a viable business and recreation area. by CNB