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In the
Portsmouth City Council vision statement, the only place name the
document mentions is that of Portside. Should Portside be that big a
deal for the city? Does it rank with being a "world class maritime
center, . . . a financially prosperous community" or with "education . .
. the foundation of our social, political, and economic wellbeing?" If
so, how many of your tax dollars are you comfortable devoting to that
particular activity? These are but a few of the questions that surround the Portside issue. To find out what the citizenry thinks, Portsmouth City Watch dedicates this space to a citywide dialogue of this hot topic . To participate, send an email to Portside@portsmouthcitywatch.org. Please include your name, neighborhood, polling place, and a contact telephone number. (If you live outside of Portsmouth, please substitute your city/county for the neighborhood and polling place information.) To afford you a modicum privacy protection, Portsmouth City Watch will identify your article by name and email address only. |
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| March 8, 2005 |
After discovering the duplicity some on the city staff have exhibited in the past, it would not surprise me if the proposal to hold concerts at Portside was offered as a "poison pill" with the foreknowledge that it would be vigorously opposed by a vociferous faction of Olde Towne residents in order to kill any chance that the facility will be permanently re-opened. Olde Towne residents are correct that big concerts at Portside are inappropriate and ought to be staged on days set aside for public access at the nTelos Pavilion. What many of us wanted to see at Portside was the re-establishment of vendors and a place to sit, eat or drink quietly, enjoy the waterfront, and meet friends seven days a week. Portside was our "town square." When it was destroyed and not rebuilt, it was like the center of Portsmouth was ripped out for many of us. I would think that this concept for Portside would be considered an enjoyable amenity to which Olde Town residents could easily walk. When the large concerts scheduled for this summer raise the expected howl of protests from Olde Towne due to the inevitable few incidents of public drunkenness and urination, traffic, and noise, it will create the justification for city council to sell the property to developers, which is what they really have wanted to do all along. |
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| Last updated April 29, 2005 | |