
DATE: Tuesday, November 11, 1997            TAG: 9711110255

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   99 lines

NAUTICUS NEIGHBORS DON'T WANT TO LIVE NEXT DOOR TO A BATTLESHIP

The nicest thing that some residents of Harbour Place condominiums can say about the prospect of having the battleship Wisconsin as a neighbor is that it couldn't be any worse than looking at Nauticus.

And the city-owned maritime center, a 70-foot-tall gray, hulking monolith, doesn't have many friends next door.

``You're going to have a great big monstrosity of a boat, plus a big monstrosity of a building,'' resident Dan Anderson said Monday of the Navy's proposal to berth the massive, 887-foot-long warship downtown.

In an emergency meeting of the condo association Monday night, about four dozen residents met privately with Mayor Paul D. Fraim and City Councilman Mason Andrews to voice their concerns and learn more about the Navy's offer to park the Wisconsin most likely in a basin between Nauticus and the condominium.

While most residents said landing the ship would be a wonderful opportunity for Norfolk, they have serious questions about putting it in the relatively narrow basin, which would require extensive dredging.

``It's an elephant in a bathtub,'' said Edythe C. Harrison, the namesake of the downtown opera house and a Harbour Place resident who also sits on Nauticus' advisory board.

Navy officials approached the city about the idea, saying they need more pier space at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, where the World War II-era ship is now docked. The service would pay to move the ship and prepare a new berth, estimated at $3 million to $5 million, and also provide the $200,000 needed for annual upkeep.

The Navy would retain ownership of the vessel but allow people to tour its teak deck and inspect the ship's big 16-inch guns for free.

It's not a done deal yet. The Navy has to find the money and then win the approval of the City Council and other government agencies that oversee dredging and environmental issues.

Public reaction to the idea has been overwhelming supportive, and even residents at Harbour Place agreed Monday that it could draw tourists and contribute to downtown's rebirth. But they made clear they don't want it in their back yard.

``I feel there's other places they could put it where it wasn't so crowded,'' said Louise J. Lilly, who lives in a fifth-floor condo. ``With that ship right here under my nose, I'm not in favor of it at all.''

Like Anderson, who moved into a fifth-floor condo after the building's conversion from a cold-storage facility in 1985, many residents were drawn by the stunning vistas it offered of the Elizabeth River. But for many, those views disappeared when Nauticus opened in 1994.

Besides blocking views, many residents worry that the Wisconsin, one of the world's largest-ever battleships, would increase congestion, traffic, noise and parking headaches.

Fraim said the city will review alternative locations, but was unsure whether other suitable spots downtown existed. Also, officials have eyed linking the ship with Nauticus in hopes of boosting the center's lagging attendance.

``There are concerns about location, which are understandable,'' Fraim said. ``The hope is to have the best solution for everyone.''

Plans still are only preliminary and informal, he said.

Some Norfolk residents who don't live downtown say the ship shouldn't be berthed beside Nauticus.

``We have a beautiful harbor and it's nice to look at, and you're going to have three football fields of ugliness,'' said Robert Reardon, a Colonial Place resident.

Reardon suggested the city consider docking it near Harbor Park. He added that the Navy's offer to foot the bill doesn't wash.

``The Navy doesn't pay for that,'' Reardon said. ``It comes out of the taxpayers' pockets. For $3 1/2 million, there's a lot better things we could do - and we put in a battleship.''

But that seems to be a minority viewpoint. Over the weekend, when details of the proposal became public, more than 800 callers from across Hampton Roads voiced approval in a Virginian-Pilot INFOLINE call-in poll. Fewer than 30 opposed the idea.

Andrew Mullins, a Navy man who lives near Harbour Place in the downtown Tazewell Place condominiums, said having the ship at Nauticus would be ``absolutely fantastic.''

``It would definitely put us on the map,'' Mullins said.

Harbour Place residents acknowledged that their objections probably won't get very far.

``Somebody told us last night that we were fighting a losing battle, because there's so few of us and so many for it, and they're probably right,'' eighth-floor resident Betty Moore said. ``But we'll see.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

HUY NGUYEN/The Virginian-Pilot

``You're going to have a great big monstrosity of a boat, plus a big

monstrosity of a building.''

Harbour Place resident Dan Anderson,

on the Navy's proposal to berth the 887-foot-long battleship

Wisconsin next to Nauticus

Talk Back Tuesday

Do you think berthing the battleship Wisconsin alongside Nauticus

would be good for downtown Norfolk?

To respond, call Infoline at 640-5555. When you hear the

greeting, press 2004 to say yes, or 2005 to say no. You will be

asked for a brief comment.