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April 25~ 1972
<br />
<br /> 72-160 On motion of Mr. Irvine Smith and seconded by Mr. Raymond Smith, the report
<br />from the Auditor of Public Accounts of the audit of the Municipal Court for the fiscal year
<br />ended June 20, 1971, to be received as informatimn, was adopted by the following vote:
<br />
<br /> Ayes: Holley, Johnson, King, Irvine Smith, Raymond Smith Turner Barnes
<br /> Nays: None ' '
<br />
<br /> ~2-16t The following letter from Mr. W. T. Goode, Jr., Chairman, Planning Commission,
<br />was read:
<br />
<br /> "Recently, our Office of City Planning has received from the firm of DeLeuw, Cather &
<br />Associates (Chicago) via the Virginia Department of Highways and the Southeastern Virginia
<br />Planning District Commission a draft of a report titled "SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA REGION MASS
<br />TRANSIT STUDY". This report is the product of a process launched several years ago in
<br />which National, State, regional and municipal agencies have participated. Review of this
<br />complex and technical document has been launched and will be pursued at the staff level
<br />vigorously before its initial consideration by technical committees of the Planning District
<br />Commission on May 10th. However, the Commission agrees with its Director that one action
<br />should wait no longer.
<br />
<br /> The report urges "that immediate action be taken to create a Regional Transportation
<br />District as authorized by the Transportation District Act of 1964". (Moreover, "it is sug-
<br />gested that the District be comprised of the Cities of Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake and
<br />Virginia Beach".) .The report states: "While.the present regulatory bodies would retain
<br />their legal control, their decision-making responsibilities would be reduced with the in-
<br />sertion of this additional agency concerned with quality of service and the acceptability
<br />of fare structures". ."Transit companies would continue to operate bus service.
<br />Routes, headways, and equipment Would be specified in a contractual agreement between the
<br />agency and operating companies". Our Commission feels that no National program today is
<br />moving more swiftly than "transit'r and that the Commonwealth of Virginia is now in a positio~
<br />to assist regional effbrts and committed to ko so. This Commission suggests that City
<br />Council go on record as favoring creation of a Regional Transportation District for our
<br />Norfolk-Portsmouth Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area to facilitate transit planning and
<br />development of a new and urgently-needed rapid transit system for Southeastern Tidewater."
<br />
<br /> Motion of Mr. Irvine Smith and seconded by Mr. Raymond Smith, to concur with the re-
<br />commendation of the Chairman of the Planning Commission, W. T. Goode, Jr., and copies 9f
<br />the report be forwarded to other cities in the Southeastern Virginia Planning District
<br />Commission, .was adopted by the following vote:
<br />
<br />Ayes: Holley, Johnson, King, Irvine Smith, Raymond Smith, Turner, Barnes
<br />Nays: None
<br />
<br /> 72-162 - Motion of Mr. Raymond Smith and seconded by Mr. Turner for nomination to the
<br />Board of Electrical Examiners.
<br />
<br />Mr. King nominated Mr. Leroy Green.
<br />
<br /> Motion of Mr. Turner and seconded by Mr. Raymond Smith, nominations were
<br />Mr. Green was ~e-elected a member to the Board of Electrical Examiners, for a
<br />years, expiring March 1, 1976, by the following vote:
<br />
<br />closed and
<br />term of four
<br />
<br />Ayes: Holley, Johnson, King, Irvine Smith, Raymond Smith, Turner, Barnes
<br />Nays: None
<br />
<br /> 72-163
<br />was read:
<br />
<br />The following letter received from Mrs. Donald W. Wilder, 119 B~aton Drive,
<br />
<br /> "This letter is a follow-up to our telephone conversation concerning the Portsmouth
<br />Seawall, which I feel is quite unsafe especially for children.
<br />
<br /> My 2 year old son and I have been on the seawall 3 times during the past 2 months, and
<br />each time t have driven away thinking about the hazard that ~his is for all of our children.
<br />
<br /> Shortly after the seawall was completed, my husband was there and saw several children
<br />standing near and leaning against the rails. He was concerned then about their safety. He
<br />made a phone Call to one of the city offices and Mr. Barber agreed that this was a problem.
<br />He said that many things could be done,'~uch as life nets and life preservers, and he would
<br />check to see what he could do abcut it. This has been at least t year ago, and at the prese~
<br />time, there still isn't any protection, and according to the information I received today
<br />from Mr. Barber (and told to me by his secretary), there are no plans for anything to be done
<br />in the near future.
<br />
<br /> The rails at the edge of the wall provide sufficient protection for adults and teenagers
<br />but a small child could easily slip through the rails and fall into the water.
<br />
<br /> As any parent of small children knows, a child can move very quickly and can be very
<br />independent and not want to hold someone's hand a long time before he understands the real
<br />dangers of deep water. To illustrate this point,~ my last visit to the seawall .was 2 days
<br />ago on April 17th. I kept a firm grip on my son's hand until we were ready to go to the
<br />parking lot. At the top of the stairs, my son wanted to go down the steps by himself. We
<br />were away from the water so I turned loose of his hand. He quickly changed his mind, darted
<br />past me, and I caught him at the railing over the water. Were were fortunate that he didn't
<br />fall and slide under the rail, as he fell later in the parking lot while running to the car.
<br />
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