THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 20, 1995 TAG: 9510180144
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Ida Kay's Portsmouth
SOURCE: Ida Kay Jordan
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
Tuesday was a good-news day in Portsmouth.
The Coast Guard is moving 600 jobs from New York to the Fifth District headquartered here, making Portsmouth the center of the entire Atlantic command.
The Navy is going to start moving nuclear waste, temporarily stored at the shipyard, out to the West now that the courts have cleared the way, lifting an injunction that has prohibited use of an Idaho site.
The state is opening a regional Historic Resources Office in Portsmouth on the third floor of the old Pythian Castle, where an art supply store and cafe are expected to open on the first floor.
It's days like Tuesday that help you believe Portsmouth is on its way to a fine future in the 21st century.
The news about the nuclear waste probably is the best of all. There's no doubt that getting rid of the dangerous materials nearby improves our image. Despite the fact the city might be perfectly safe, there's no doubt that having nuclear waste stored here is a public relations nightmare.
The decision to move the Coast Guard jobs here makes sense, but not all government decisions are sensible and logical. We could have been on the losing end of Coast Guard reorganization.
It appears that about 164 jobs will definitely be coming to Downtown Portsmouth. However, there's the chance that 449 other jobs in the Maintenance and Logistics Command could be based elsewhere because the space will be acquired by the General Services Administration.
While it might make logistical sense to put the offices here, that does not mean it will happen - and it will be interesting to see whose politics are best.
Actually, there are some spaces downtown that would be excellent locations for the Coast Guard Command, including a bank building right across the street from the Federal Building, home of the guard's 5th District. Let's hope our real estate folks and our politicians have started the ball rolling in this direction.
In addition, the city needs to mount a campaign to get the people moving here from New York interested in living in Portsmouth. Perhaps we need to put together a package and a party to introduce them to the city. This should be done as soon as possible to head off the usual bad-mouthing of Portsmouth that seems to occur when people associated with the military or with large corporations are being transferred to the city.
Finally, the opening of the state Department of Historic Resources regional office in a historic landmark building Downtown gives a lot of credibility to our historic areas.
The office, headed by Randy Turner, will house three professionals: two architects and an architectural historian. They will be available to consult and assist with restoration and renovation efforts in the region, which includes all of Hampton Roads, the Northern Neck and the Eastern Shore as well as a big chunk of Southside.
Among the office's duties will be helping communities take stock of historic resources, helping property owners qualify for tax incentives, fostering cultural and community pride, creating jobs and enhancing tourism and recreational activities.
The state folks will begin operation early next month on the third floor of the Pythian Castle, corner of Court and County streets, the old lodge that was remodeled some years ago to house offices upstairs and the French Bakery in the corner space. The building has been empty in recent years.
The first floor now will house an art supply store and a small cafe, according to an announcement Tuesday, and the second floor will be turned into artists' studios.
The location of an art supply business on that corner makes sense. A lot dedicated solely to parking by students at the TCC Visual Arts Center is across the street. By putting something on the corner to attract those students, we should be able to attract more of them to park in that lot instead of in street spaces.
It was coincidental that three news stories, all with important implications for Portsmouth, broke on the same day. But the psychological effect of all that good news couldn't be better if it had been planned. by CNB