THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 5, 1996 TAG: 9607050132
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH THIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: 86 lines
Nine years ago, Brenda J. Johnson moved to South Norfolk to be with her new husband.
But she had one major stipulation for staying there: She wanted to see a reversal in the downward spiral of the once-proud neighborhood.
Now Johnson, 48, believes she's finally got her wish. Dressed all in red and sporting a bright blue hat in honor of the July 4th holiday, Johnson could hardly hold back her joy Thursday.
``The pride of Chesapeake is coming back,'' she said, surveying an estimated 4,000 friends and neighbors who gathered for the holiday in South Norfolk's newly renovated Lakeside Park.
Neighborhood leaders hosted a parade and an all-day festival in the tree-shaded park, which borders a scenic lake.
It was an old-fashioned, small-town-U.S.A. party, complete with local celebrities singing oldies and country ballads, crafters selling preserves and crocheted dolls and grilled hot dogs scenting the air.
``We've got a lot of people who could have gone out of town, but stayed especially for this,'' said Jeffrey A. Rowland, a School Board member and organizer of the event.
Rowland and others were there as much to celebrate their community's renaissance as the nation's birth.
Decades ago, longtime South Norfolk residents say, their neighborhood was one of the most affluent in the area, with manicured lawns, sprawling Victorian homes and neighbors who knew each other's names.
But when the city of South Norfolk merged with Norfolk County to form Chesapeake in 1963, the neighborhood began a slow, painful decline.
The seat of political power landed in the Great Bridge area. Businesses and new residential development migrated toward other sections of the city, such as Western Branch and Greenbrier. Families moved out of South Norfolk. Many stately homes were carved up into rental apartments and allowed to deteriorate.
``We have been so neglected for so long,'' said Joyce A. Coleman, corresponding secretary of the South Norfolk Civic League and an organizer of Thursday's festivities.
Coleman and other longtime residents have struggled for years against the tide. City officials designated the area a historic district and appointed a commission to recommend ways to improve the neighborhood. But those steps appeared to bring few changes.
Over the past year, however, the improvements have been steady.
Renovations have begun on a historic four-room school building on Bainbridge Boulevard. When it opens early next year, it will be Chesapeake's first museum and information center.
In December, repairs were finished on the Jordan Bridge, which connects South Norfolk with Portsmouth. The span, considered by residents to be a vital transportation link, was closed for a year and a half while city officials debated whether to fix or abandon it.
Last June, the Police Department established a community policing unit, and chose South Norfolk's Second Precinct as the unit's base. Community police officers patrol on foot and on bicycles, as well as in squad cars, in an effort to get to know residents and to recruit them to help solve crime-related problems. Residents say the program has made a big difference in their perception of how safe the neighborhood is.
And this month, city inspections officials are kicking off a new program to enforce building, zoning and safety codes in South Norfolk. Inspectors, who normally operate on complaints reported to their office, instead will select sections of the neighborhood and then search for violations. Residents say the new Neighborhood Preservation Program will force property owners to clean up violations such as overgrown yards, abandoned cars and dilapidated buildings.
Also this week, Mayor William E. Ward recommended that the City Council establish a South Norfolk Empowerment Corporation, a group that would focus on creating jobs and cleaning the neighborhood.
``The city is devoting a lot of resources here now,'' said Police Officer T.J. Myers, assigned to South Norfolk's community policing unit. Myers has been on patrol there for a little more than a year, and Thursday stood chatting with some residents in the park as he munched on some of the food served up under big tents.
``People are starting to get involved in the community,'' Myers said. ``In the past year, we've definitely seen a big change.''
Coleman attributes that in part to residents who have become increasingly vocal about problems in their community. ``The city is starting to show they care about South Norfolk, because we're starting to fight for our community,'' she said. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
CHRISTOPHER REDDICK/The Virginian-Pilot
Nita L. Cofield rides a star-spangled bicycle down Rogers Street in
South Norfolk's Fourth of July parade Thursday. by CNB