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At a regular ~eting of the City Council, held on April 2~th, l~l, there were present:
<br />
<br /> Fred Ac Duke, Frank ~. Bilisely, Jro, George Lo Grimes, C~rl C.~oughton,Jro,
<br /> James N. Howard, R. I~-wlne Smith, E. Robie Sturtevant, C.E.Warren, 1.6. Vass,
<br /> City 14anager, ~nd R. C. B~relay, Oity Attorney.
<br />
<br /> Ni,~Ates of meeting held on April 3rd were read and approved.
<br />
<br /> The following reports from the City Manager were read:
<br />
<br /> 1st - "At the regular meeting of City Council held on February 13th, 19~1, you referred
<br />to me the following petition containing forty-nine signatures:
<br /> 'We, the undersigned petitioners, of the City of Portsmouth, Virginia, hereby
<br /> petition the City Council of the City of Portsmouth, Virginia, for the unin-
<br /> hibited use of the Glensheallah and the City Park ~mlf courses, located in the
<br /> City of Portsmouth, Virginia, and owned and operated by the municipal government
<br /> of the City of Portsmouth.
<br /> We are citizens of the City of Portsmouth and feel entitled to the full time
<br /> use of the said courses and we therefore make this petition for the facilities
<br /> and accommodations as to golf. Ye are members of the negro' race a~d taxpayers
<br /> and therefore feel entitled to sh~re in the benefits and opportunities- afforded
<br /> other t~o~0ayers similarly situated.'
<br />
<br /> I hereby sub,it the following report:
<br /> 1. To. comply with the Petition ~uld in my opinion violateSection 18-327 of the
<br /> Code of Virginia
<br /> 2. The operation of the ~olf Courses referred to in the petition was at ~he
<br /> ~time the petition was filed sad mow is supported from fees collected fr~n those
<br /> ~ho play golf *m said courses and not maintained from the general taxes levied
<br /> by the City.
<br /> 3 To provide a separate golf cenrSe of comparable size an~ condition ~ould cost
<br /> thousands of dollars and the City does not have funds available in the current
<br /> budget for such a purpose.
<br /> ~. The City Nanager and City Engineer have investigatted several locations and
<br /> suitable sites for a golf course for the Negro race of the City of Portsmouth com-
<br /> parable to the golf courses'now used by ~he white race of the City. These investi-
<br /> g~tic~s h~ve been made for the purpose of securing necessary infors~tion to enable
<br /> ~he City ~anager to make a recommendation to Council concerning this n~tter.
<br /> 5. The question of permitting the Negro race to have the uninhibitable use of one
<br /> of the golf courses on one or more days each week h as been consid~ as a
<br /> rary solution of- the problem until a new golf course could be de, eloped.
<br /> 6. The City Manager invite_d Attorneys J ~a~es Over,on and Victor Ash, rspresesting
<br /> the petitioners, to meet at his office for the purpose of discussing the questions
<br /> referred to*in this report. The Conference was held at 10:00 A~N., Friday, April 20,
<br /> 19~l at which time Attorneys James Overton and Victor Ash, representing the peti-
<br /> tioners, City Attorney Barclay, Mayor Duke and the City Hanager representing the
<br /> City. The City Manager stated that he thought that the Attorneys for the petitioners
<br /> had been rather hasty in bringing court proceedings in the case since the case in-
<br /> volved many angles, both ~s to legality and finance, and that he had not had suffi-
<br /> cient time to make a comprehensive report to the City CoUncil, The City Nanager:
<br /> outlined to those present his ideas concern~n~ the purchase o~ land end the construe-
<br /> tion of a golf course and the d~w~lopment of ~ park for the sole use of the negr~
<br /> race and also the use of one of the present golf courses one or more days per week
<br /> by the Negro race until a new golf course could be developed and asked the-attorneys
<br /> representing the petitioners if such an arrangement would be satisfactory to them
<br /> and their answer to both proposals was an emphatic No.
<br />
<br /> Under the cir~,,~tanees, I am submitting this report for your. consideration
<br /> without a recommendation.a
<br />
<br />On motion filed.
<br />
<br /> -2nd - "Attached hereto is a letter frc~ A.J. l~pp, Superintendent of Schools, trans-
<br />mitting a resolution requesting $88,998.~0 from the equalization part of the State School Constructioa Funds,
<br />which will he applied to the construction of the new X.C. Norcum High School. I reco~mead the adoption of the
<br />resolution."
<br /> Resolution -
<br /> "WHEREAS, the SchcolBoard for the City of Portsmouth on the
<br /> 2~th day of April, 19~1 presented to this Council, an application ad-
<br /> dressed to the State Board of Education of Virginia for the purpose of
<br /> securing S~ate School Construction Funds in the amount of.$88,998.90
<br /> for the new school Building (or for adding to or improving the present
<br /> school ~ilcb~g) ~t Airline T~rnpike between PL~mtlton Avenue and Howard
<br />
<br /> RESOL~, that the applicatic~ of the City School Board to
<br /> the State Board of Education of Virginia for $88,~98.~0 from the School
<br /> Construction'.Fu~ is hereby approved.
<br /> The ouneil of said City has, or will, provide sufficient funds
<br /> through cash appropriations and/or levy, to complete this project. If the
<br /> S~hool Board has sufficient funds on hand to complete the project, permis-
<br /> sion is hereby granted for the use of said funds, for the purpose designated
<br /> in the applica~n."
<br />
<br />City Attorney, and by the
<br />
<br />On motion of ~r. Howard, said resolution was adopted, subject to the approval of the
<br />follo~ng vote:
<br />
<br />Ayes: Duke, Bilisoly, Grimes, Houghton, ~oward, F~h, ~turtevant, ~arren
<br />Nays: None
<br />
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