|
3'03
<br />
<br />Fehr~arv 24_ 1~76
<br />
<br />At a regular meeting of the City Council held on February 24, 1976, there wer~ present:
<br />
<br />Jack P. Barnes, E. Saunders Early, Jr., Archie Elliott, Jr., James W. Holley,
<br />Edward L. Oast, Jr., Robert W. Wentz, Jr., R. T. Williams, City Manager, C. H.
<br />McGinnis, Assistant City Manager, Gordon B. Tayloe, Jr., City Attorney.
<br />
<br />Absent: Richard J. Davis
<br />
<br /> Vice Mayor Robert W. Wentz, Jr. presided in the absence of Mayor Richard J. Davis,
<br />and welcomed all visitors in attendance.
<br />
<br /> Rev. Eric R. Alexie, Pastor, Cottage Place United Methodist Church, opened the meeting
<br />with prayer, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
<br />
<br /> Motion of Mr. Early and seconded by Mr. Barnes, minutes of the Public
<br />February 9, 1976 and minutes of the regular meeting of February 10, 1976,
<br />as received, was adopted by unanimous vote.
<br />
<br />Hearing of
<br />to be approved
<br />
<br /> 76-74 The following resolution was presented to bliss Louise Herring, as winner of the
<br />following letter submitted in the "My City" Contest:
<br />
<br />"A RESOLUTION COMMENDING MISS LOUISE HERRING WINNER OF THE TIDEWATER AREA
<br />'MY CITY~ CONTEST.
<br />
<br /> WHEREAS, Miss Louise Herring's letter was selected as the winner of the %~y City~
<br />eontest and appeared in the VirginiarrPilot on January 25, 1976; and
<br />
<br /> WHEREAS, by being the winner of this contest she has brought much recognition throughout
<br />the Eastern Tidewater Area to the City of Portsmouth, Virginia.
<br />
<br /> NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Portsmouth that the
<br />appreciation of the citizens of this City be hereby expressed and conveyed to Miss Louise
<br />Herring for this accomplishment.
<br />
<br /> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this resolution and letter be spread upon the minutes
<br />of the Council and a copy of this resolution be presented to Miss Louise Herring."
<br />
<br />Letter
<br />
<br /> "It's ironic that a contest of this kind sh6uld be sponsored at this time for it was
<br />only a few weeks ago that I was a passenger in a car going down High St. toward the water-
<br />front when I became significantly aware of how tidy and clean my surroundings were. The
<br />d~iver, who lives out-of-town and is widely tFmveled, evidently experiencing similar feelings
<br />and remarked of how, in her travels, she'd encountered many blighted, filthy and neglected
<br />cities and what a contrast Portsmouth is to what she'd seen.
<br />
<br /> Yes, I am proud of my city, of its almost Cinderella transformation, and as I absorbed
<br />the orderliness of my environs that evening, I could not help reflect 'what used to be' --
<br />the Crawforddand Water Sts. of yesterday, and the 'new look' of those same streets today;
<br />the U.S. Post Office, Banks, Hospitals and Municipal Facilities of yesteryear, and the modern
<br />convenient and efficient replacements of today; the old Woodrow Wilson and Norcoms' of the wa'
<br />era, and the fantastic, innovative learning centers of today that have been geared to meet
<br />the needs of the intellectually crippled as well as the intellectually gifted.
<br />
<br /> Yes, I am proud of my city.? for the aforementioned things alone lets me know that we are
<br />not a stagnated, but a progressive city. One might say we're slow getting there, but the
<br />point is, we are getting there. True, we like many cities of our nation, ame plagued with
<br />economic.and social ills, lethargy and inadequate political leadership. I am Portsmouth,
<br />Your are Portsmouth, We are Portsmouth, and when we extricate ourselves from the Rip Van
<br />Winkle stauz that seemingly engulfs the many, acknowledge our individual and collective
<br />duties to ourselves (city) then once again the slow and irregular pulse b~at of an apathetic
<br />society will become a productive, yes, reporductive organism. This, I believe, we're doing
<br />as the establishment of ~ertain programs has enlisted the aid and interest of the citiz.ens.
<br />We're becoming increasingly aware that the featured part of the little man coupled with the
<br />artful performance of the 'big man' will make for greater, more effective accomplishments on
<br />the municipal stage of life. This is evidencedbby the community projects and efforts foster-
<br />ed in the varying parts of our city such as: the Mt. He~mon Redevelopment, Southside Analy-
<br />zation, etc.
<br />
<br /> t am proud of my city, for in the confines of my environs I can climb into the three-
<br />dimensional capsule of time and visit 01d Towne and Cradock which is reminiscent of the past
<br />and the culture and bea~M it had to offer; the Trinity Church, where many Revolutionary dead
<br />are buried; the Naval Shipyard, which has its place in the past, being the oldest in the U.S.
<br />the present, lending economic stability to the working mass, and the future, as we foresee
<br />its continued, maybe expanded use in rendering service to the nation's vessels.
<br />
<br /> And as I Stand on the beauteous Seawall lining our waterfront, reflections of 'Ye Olde
<br />Ferry' which was in operation 115 years engage the mind, and even in the present, this place
<br />serves as a quiet haven from the hectic, almost maddening pace of the present day society.
<br />As I sit and watch the rippling waters of the Elizabe~,~e~Carefree flight of the seagulls,
<br />as their gutteral utterances echo the muted putt'putt of the ~iver barges, I am, if but for
<br />a few moments, elevated from the plains of mere mediocrity in the calm ser~mity of this
<br />atmosphere. ',
<br />
<br /> I ~M ~ROU~ OF MY CITY~ I speak this from my heart; It
<br />but I love my city. And though it may not be what it ought;
<br />
<br />has its flaws, its incapacities,
<br />it's not what it was; and has
<br />
<br />
<br />
|