THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 25, 1996 TAG: 9601240147
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TERRI WILLIAMS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
About 100 citizens from across Hampton Roads learned last week of regional efforts to enforce housing codes.
It was all part of a regional forum of the Hampton Roads Coalition of Civic Organizations, at the Visual Arts Center. The organization meets monthly at various locations to discuss regional and neighborhood issues.
Representing Suffolk's interests were Andrew B. Damiani, businessman and former mayor; Talmadge Jones, president of the Suffolk Federation of Civic Leagues; Housing Official Vanessa Savage; Wendell Waller, senior assistant city attorney; and Housing Inspectors Donald Bennett, Susan Dillard, Leona Johnson and Geraldine Staten.
City officials and civic leaders from Hampton, Portsmouth, Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake were also on hand.
Residents discovered a common bond during the three-hour session: unresponsive government.
``Suffolk is a unique city,'' said Talmadge Jones. ``Our water sources are owned by Chesapeake and Portsmouth. . . . We go before City Council, and they don't listen. . .''
``Tal, we all have the same problems,'' said Les Fenlon, with the Virginia Beach Council of Civic Organizations. ``It's not unique to Suffolk. . .The challenge is finding ways to work as a region.''
The group dicussed ways to combat their problems.
Damiani said residents could ``police their neighborhoods'' by doing the following:
Invite landlords and school and church officials to civic meetings to discuss their concerns.
Learn more about the building codes.
Fill out housing inspection complaint forms and (in Suffolk) turn them in to the Bureau of Inspections at 438 W. Washington. Hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Lobby the legislature as a region for tougher code enforcement laws.
Damiani said Suffolk is experiencing new growth, but the challenge is combating blight in the existing, older neighborhoods. Damiani said he hopes city officials will provide incentives for developers to construct in older neighborhoods such as Hall Place.
New schools in older, near-downtown neighborhoods also attract progressive residents, thus increasing the tax rates and property values, he said.
Meanwhile, the inspections department is undergoing transition with a new, systematic inspections program. Enforcement is now done under a civil penalties process instead of criminal misdemeanor.
Waller said the positive impact of the program is the city's collecting more money through penalties. Violators can be assessed $100 per violation. But Waller hopes ultimately that judges will become more educated to how important code enforcement is.
``Blighted, abandoned buildings breed crime and drugs,'' said Waller. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
LINKING UP
The Hampton Roads Coalition of Civic Organizations is developing
a Homepage that will allow citizens from all cities to work together
on issues affecting Hampton Roads. It will appear on the Internet.
A meeting to inform citizens on how to connect to the Homepage
will be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 7, at Chesapeake Central Library, 298
Cedar Road.
The next meeting is scheduled at 10 a.m. Feb. 17, at South
Norfolk Memorial Library, 1100 Poindexter St., Chesapeake.
For more information about the HRCCO, contact Talmadge Jones at
484-7820.
by CNB