
DATE: Thursday, October 23, 1997            TAG: 9710210110

SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS         PAGE: 05   EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Letters 

                                            LENGTH:   87 lines

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR - NORFOLK

Please ban trucks through Berkley

A senseless killing has come to fruition, as I feared, because of the travels of long-distance trucks through the community of Berkley. On Oct. 11 at approximately 3:45 p.m., a long-distance oil truck struck and killed a 16-year-old boy while he was riding his bicycle through his neighborhood.

These trucks, most of which are based in Chesapeake, speed through the Berkley neighborhood as if they were going through a commercial zone. Proper authorities have been notified that these long-distance trucks were driving too fast through this community, sometimes in caravan style. Promises were made to study this intrusion into the community. Correspondence was sent, but there has been no response to date to this potential explosive dilemma.

I observe these trucks mornings and afternoons as I go to and from work across the Berkley Bridge. As I watch my thoughts have been, ``Nothing is going to be done to stop the trucks from using this community's roads as a thoroughfare until one of the community's children is killed.''

It is hard for me to understand, with children on Halifax Street and Obendorfer Road going to catch the school bus or playing; the Southside Boy's Club located on Berkley Avenue; St. Helena Elementary School on the corner of Main and Liberty streets; Bell Diamond located on Bainbridge Boulevard and Halifax Street where children's activities abound, and the cycle begins again at Liberty. What procedures were utilized in giving the businesses permission to use the Berkley community as a shortcut?

The Berkley community is full of families who should be treated with as much respect as other citizens in affluent communities that have signs saying ``No thru trucks.'' We should also have a say in what type of traffic travels through our community. Are the ``big businesses'' going to be allowed to take over and dictate to our community at the expense of our children's lives?

Wake up, Berkley community, and protest to save children from senseless killings, such as what happened Oct. 11.

Shirley Stokes

Obendorfer Road

Signs disappear

I am writing to object to an unfortunate development in the race for Norfolk's Commissioner of the Revenue. Recently I put out signs supporting Sharon McDonald for commissioner, and Don Beyer for governor. Many of my neighbors did likewise. It wasn't long before my signs supporting Sharon were surreptitiously removed from all our lawns, although the Beyer signs remained. I have heard of other similar occurrences throughout Norfolk.

I am not saying that Sharon's opponent was aware of these events, or that he would condone such actions. But now, with this letter, he is aware and I would hope that he would discourage (maybe even forbid?) his supporters from continuing this practice.

This kind of behavior does nothing to promote the ethical standing of the candidate whom the supporter hopes to benefit.

Honey Biberman

Thole Street A tribute

The following is a tribute to Dr. Herman D. Clark Jr., assistant superintendent, Norfolk Public Schools.

I was employed in the Norfolk Public Schools System some 30 years myself. It was a joy to see Dr. Clark make things happen at Bowling Park Elementary School and I regretted not being able to tell him.

To publish this will remind others of his many accomplishments.

The Man Across the Street

I knew that you were leaving,

And I needed to let you know,

That Bowling Park would not be the same

Yet it was time for you to go.

Not that I said hello every morning,

Nor bid you goodbye at noon,

But I was satisfied in realizing

That education was in full bloom.

I was conscious of the very fact

That certainly in due time,