THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 30, 1997 TAG: 9701300007
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 23 lines
I was born and educated in Norfolk, so I've seen the transformation of the downtown area. I've witnessed the closure of the department stores that were its mainstay, like Ames & Brownley, Rices and Smith & Welton. I also remember the Kirn Memorial Library when it was a Norfolk jewel.
So what about the library? It's not an income producer like Harbor Park or the future MacArthur Center (which remains to be seen). But neither is Nauticus. Several hundred thousand dollars are need to maintain Nauticus, and now more money is being spent for a consulting firm to tell City Council what's wrong with it.
Well, council, before you spend yourself silly - if the taxpayers have to foot the bill for Nauticus, why not make it the library? It's got space, great location and it's definitely an underused building.
GWENDOLYN G. HOLMES
Virginia Beach, Jan. 21, 1997