DATE: Tuesday, June 10, 1997                TAG: 9706100267

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: JEFFREY S. HAMPTON, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY                    LENGTH:   81 lines

PARTY FOCUSES ON NEIGHBORHOOD EAST BURGESS STREET RESIDENTS INVITE HELP IN IMPROVING AREA.

Residents of East Burgess Street want their neighborhood looking nice, and they've demanded help from landlords.

``We're going to jump down their throats and teeter on their wishbones until they do something,'' said Valerie Van Opynen, a resident of East Burgess Street and organizer of a well-attended block party held Sunday evening.

Van Opynen and members of the Elizabeth City Historic Neighborhood Association cooked burgers and hot dogs and served sodas and cake to more than 100 residents, two City Council members and the chief of police.

Van Opynen hoped to bring attention to three problems she believes need fixing in her neighborhood: several old Victorian homes along the street are in need of paint and repair, a noisy tavern sits at the eastern end of the tight row of houses, and cars race up to 60 mph along the long, straight street.

For Sunday's party, police put up barricades on each end of the 300 block and ECHNA members set up a large table of food in the middle of the street.

``I've been here three years, and it's the first time I've seen children play in the street safely,'' Van Opynen said.

Rock music played from a radio just loud enough to be heard. Children chased a puppy and bounced basketballs between sips of root beer. Older people sat in lawn chairs in the shade of a crape myrtle. Young fathers and mothers pushed baby strollers along the sidewalk. The gathering represented blacks, whites, Native Americans and Asians.

``This is nice,'' council member Anita Hummer said. ``I'd like to see more neighborhoods do this.'' Councilman Don Cherry was also present.

East and West Burgess streets are split by Road Street, a north-south thoroughfare through the middle of town. The five large blocks of East Burgess Street are not known for crime or drug dealing, as is the west side, and the residents want to keep it that way.

``This street was a pretty thing,'' said Lillie Simons. She and her husband, James, have lived on East Burgess Street since 1958. ``The streets were brick. The houses were fixed up. The cars didn't fly up and down the street. There were large trees on each side that lapped over. You felt like you were driving down a tunnel. I believe I knew just about everybody on the street.''

``It's still a nice neighborhood,'' said Patty Oxx, who has lived on the street for about 30 years. ``The location is marvelous. I can be anyplace in five minutes.''

Tracy and Larry Chamberlain moved to Burgess Street from Maryland just over a year ago with two small children and are renting a house.

``This is a quiet neighborhood,'' he said. ``We've had no problems with our landlord at all.''

Burgess Street used to be called Pleasant Street and was part of the original first ward of Elizabeth City, Van Opynen said. Several of the two-story homes were built in the 1800s and feature intricate Victorian architecture. When older residents died, the homes gradually became rental properties, Simons said.

At least four rental houses are across the street from Van Opynen's house, which she owns.

They all need paint and landscaping.

ECHNA plans to lobby the City Council for a law that will require landlords to keep their houses looking good or face a lien against their property.

``It's called `Fix It Or Lien It,' '' ECHNA member Bettie Lyons said about a program in Washington, D.C.

For homeowners who can't afford to pay for repairs, ECHNA offers financial and hands-on help.

Police Chief Michael Lloyd said the city might remove asphalt to expose 20-foot sections of the old brick street in hopes of slowing the speeders.

Lloyd said Jerry's Tavern, on the corner of Poindexter and Burgess streets, is out of place and zoning laws could possibly force it to move.

``You don't see a bar on Church Street. You don't see a bar on Main Street,'' Lloyd said. ``Why should there be one here?''

Once some of the changes are made, ECHNA plans to make Burgess Street part of a historic walking tour, much like the one that loops from Church Street to Main Street just a few blocks north.

ECHNA is a non-profit organization formed in 1985 by residents in the city's current historic district of Main, Church and Selden streets. ECHNA helped restore the Pendleton House and to publish ``On the Shore of the Pasquotank,'' a book about local historical architecture.

``What are we going to do next? One nice weekend we're going to scrape and repaint a house,'' Van Opynen said.

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