THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 15, 1996 TAG: 9609130240
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
SOURCE: John Pruitt
LENGTH: 67 lines
A couple of observations and comments from the peanut gallery:
PLYWOOD CITY: Anyone driving through central Suffolk might get the notion that Hurricane Fran ripped through here with a vengeance.
How else to explain all the boarded-up and/or tin-surrounded buildings, especially on Main and East Washington streets?
Well, the Main Street structures are an old story. Some are boarded up ``temporarily'' while awaiting restoration.
``Temporarily'' apparently means much longer to some people than to others.
Some of the buildings are boarded for protection from vandals. Heaven only knows when - or if - any effort will be made to transform them from eyesores to the grand places they have the potential to be.
The good news is that some Main Street houses that have been neglected for years have been purchased by people who intend - and in some instances have begun - restoration that will bring pride. Grants also are in place for restoration of the former CSX railroad station for public use.
Still, one has to wonder about some other Main Street buildings. They've been surrounded by tin or plywood so long that it probably isn't even noticed by the thoroughfare's regular users.
Not so of newcomers and visitors, however. They wonder, with justification, what kind of city would let this happen. If they knew how long some of this stuff has been in place, they'd really be puzzled.
The presence of this mess must dishearten those who have worked so hard on behalf of restoration. Even if the depot and the privately purchased buildings become showplaces, it doesn't diminish the impact of ramshackle buildings in the same area.
As for East Washington, it was struck by Hurricane City Hall. To accompany the new courthouse with old-fashioned, ground-level, acres-consuming parking, the city condemned several East Washington buildings and now has ``protected'' them with plywood.
All I can say is that's one strange notion of enhancing downtown, as the city keeps saying it's doing with the construction and requisite destruction. In the place of viable businesses in architecturally interesting buildings comes parking for the courthouse complex.
In the interim, windows have been covered with unpainted plywood. That surely must put off patrons of remaining businesses and further damage the downtown the city says it wants to revive.
DEAF EARS: Too seldom does city government give the impression that taxpayers, the very people for whom government works, have an inkling of how things should be.
The message is, essentially: leave us alone, and let us do our jobs with your money; we know what we're doing and how best to do it.
In many instances, the workers are highly competent. But the most competent, I'm convinced, always welcome ideas for improvement.
At a civic meeting last week, a neighbor offered a delightful idea: volunteers to boost the work of the obviously undermanned housing inspections office.
Instead of encouragement, though, he'd gotten a litany of reasons why it wouldn't work. What's the threat? He isn't talking about taking people's jobs; he's talking about helping them become more efficient. Such programs do work elsewhere.
Instead of dismissing the idea simply because it isn't top-down or from within government, the city should explore it, see what benefits and problems other cities have encountered and determine if an appropriate program can be devised for Suffolk. MEMO: Comment? Call 934-7553, or use e-mail address published on this
page. by CNB