|
January l~th. 19bP.
<br />
<br />"Mr. Ni E. Haug, ~&ty~Eaaager,
<br />The Hamemable City. Co, until,
<br />Portsmout~, Va.~
<br />
<br />Gentlemen:
<br /> At. a meeting of tl~e Bes~d of Directe~sof ~he0hambe~of Commerce,
<br />held on December 30th, 19~l, I wa~.directed to call the-attention of the City Manager and
<br />the Honorable City Council to the matter of improvements ef certain streets in the City,
<br />with ~he request~that ~hese sugges.tions be taken under adviseme~ and if consistent with
<br />your views on this mat~er, that-the improvements herein suggested be.made.
<br /> Of the four items which your attention is respectf~ully ~alled, we
<br />sire to mention them in the order of their importance, as numbe~ !, 2, 3 and 4.
<br /> {I I
<br /> mprovements ~o Effingham ~t., south from County ~t.
<br /> Extension of ~ounty~St., west to the Airline Blvd.
<br /> 3) Install stop signs on Old ~estern Branch Blvd.~ at
<br /> intersection of High St.
<br /> (4) Continue white light system on High-St. to city limits.
<br />
<br />Respectfully submitted,
<br />
<br />J.N~ O~er~on, Se~retar~y,
<br />Portsmouth Ohamber of Commerce."
<br />
<br />"Honj L~slie ~T.~ Fom,~Ac.ting Namer,
<br /> City Of Por~smo~$h, ~a.
<br />
<br /> D~ar Sir:
<br /> As promised in~ my~reoen~ letter'-in reply to yours of December 3tst,1941
<br /> the'!.Housing~ Autho~rity o~ ~Oi~ Of Por~h ~sdis~ssed ~ ~estlon~ich you~m~de
<br /> ~o the~Gi~y Go~oilon Dec,her 23r~, regaramng ~ DOS~ponemenz oz~ne eonsm~eti~n o~ ~ef-
<br /> fry ~ilson Homes. ~s te~er is~o~ s~rization of ~he status of ~e pro~Ject to daze.
<br /> On Jul~16~h, 19~, the loe~ ~us~ Authority entered ln~o a contract
<br /> wi~ the Oily Council of the Oity of Portsmouth, ~ as a Sl~ Ole~anoe eontract. Based
<br /> o~ ~e~D~vlsimons of t~t ~eement ~d the a~n~ent ~here~o, ~he local Housing Authority
<br /> made~app~ca~ion ~o the USUrer ~unds with which to p~secute ~he slum clearance p~Jec~.
<br /> The ~application~, induing ~1 ~ec~io~ ~ta~ was for~lly approved by the President~ a
<br /> Loan ~eement was executed~ approved, ~d we were av~rlzed to p~ceed accordingly.
<br /> Since the declaration o~ ~ar, we~ve been advis~ by ~he US~ ~o p~ceed as rapidly as pos-
<br /> sible ~th const~uctien.-o~ ~is project ~ ~ke Housing ~s~may be available ~his s~mer.
<br /> Je~fry Wilson ~mes is.far more th~a housing praJect which ~ll pro-
<br /> vide over fifty new dwelling units in ~he 0ity. It is a ~lum Clearance project w~ch will
<br /> p~vide one hunted and~ seventy four~ save, s~itary and ~dern~ dwelling units for colored
<br /> people whose incomes are below the mtnim~ neceasary for ~hem $o obt~n s~e and ~ni~ary
<br /> dwelling ~i~s else~ere in ~he Ci~y. To~using Authority ~s de~e~inedby resolution,
<br /> ~o give preference in ~en~ selection for this p~Jec~, to ~se colored f~illes w~ s~e
<br /> engaged in Defense ae~ivi~ies, after t~se eligible persons new.living on ~e si~e have been
<br /> accomoda~ed.
<br /> We believe ~t as the duly authorized housing agency of ~he City of
<br /> Ports~u~h, which has eree~ed two housing projects for ~i~e people, we owe~ inescapable
<br /> to ~he ~lored citizens of ~he Oity ~ assistt~em i~~ he im vemimp~ving ~heir living con-
<br /> o~l~g~on
<br /> dittone, to ~ Oily of Ports~uth as a whole, to s~ar p~ men~ of blighted ~eas in
<br /> o~er to reduce er!me, deli~uency ~d tEorali~y (which are ~he direc~ benefits of ~uch a
<br /> p~Jec~)~ and we beli~ve ~at we owe ~ ob!igation~tO t~ GoTe~en~ qf~ ~he U~ited States in
<br /> prose~ng ~ ~e best of our ability, our contrac~ with ~hem ~0 i~ve ~uSing COheSions
<br /> in this key defense city.
<br /> Y~r a~en$ion Is ~spectful!y directed ~o the fac~ ~hat the Oi~y ~s
<br /> a subs~i~ investmen~ in school proper~y In ~s suffer~
<br /> ing materially though ~he deterioration Of ~he
<br /> largely ~medied th~$'~e developmen~ of
<br /> area in the vicinity of the school, w~ch Is a~ended by ~he ~jor of the
<br /> c~ldren of ~his community, is obviously beneficial; ~he st~oilizatien or improvement of
<br /> adJacen~ private p~per~y v~ues s~uld no~ be over~oked~ nor should the fact that the City
<br /> ~11 eollec~ over $15,000. In de!inquen~ t~es as resu!~ of o~ purc~se of ~e proper~y,
<br /> P~er housing of defense workers is an essential par~ of our war effo~
<br /> ~d the mo~le of o~ Defense workers must be kept a~ iZs ~ghes~ pe~. ~ny of the i~or -
<br /> ~t tasks in our defense indus~ries ~e pe~o~ed by colore~ ~ke~s, a number of W~me ~
<br /> be accommodatedin JeffryWilson Homes.
<br /> ~ne moral effect of such a proJec~ influences Ere people ~n the resi-
<br /> dents of the project i~self, ~d the pos$ponemen~ of ~he de~e~pmen~ at t~s time would r e -
<br /> sul~ in a lowe~d morale ~oughou~ the City ~s a ~ole And have a serious effect upon the
<br /> p~ductivit~ of ~hese essential ~rkers.
<br /> The erection of Jeffry Wilson Homes, Va~ 1~3, on vac~t l~d ~s been
<br /> s ges~ed $o the City In ~he pas~ ~d failed $o mee~ with a~roval because it was ~hough~ ~
<br /> ~?~ ~ ~ltm~nate unsafe and ins~itary dw~!lings~at the~ime adequate dwel~gs we~ ~
<br /> ~ ~t~e~ ~han to po~Wone de~lition ~l a I~ter ~e~ We believe ~hat c~nsidering_ ~
<br /> the area selected for Jeffry Wilson Homes, tl~s opinion is ~e~ so~d because of ~ ei~ty .
<br /> seven hullings ~o be demolished~ a~ !eas~ sixty are wholly ~unsafe ~d ins~itary. Els
<br /> they p~vide over one hundred f~ily dwelli~ u~s, the moral ~arac~er of the area gener-
<br />
<br />
<br />
|