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 Each
community begins with a dream. A dream for opportunity. A dream of
cohesiveness among citizens. A dream of a heritage that will be passed
on to future generations. And each community carries with it stories of
how it began, struggles that have shaped it, and milestones that have
sustained it. One of America’s most unique qualities is her communities.
Our nation’s history is written in the buildings and landmarks, and on
the Main Streets of our communities.
Unfortunately, many of these historic communities face potential
deterioration as a result of unfortunate natural events, destruction,
urban development, or even a lack of resources or motivation to
provide the necessary upkeep. Communities all across our nation have
stories of towns once lively in industry destroyed by natural disasters,
economic hardship, or industry shifts. Main Streets have been neglected
and have lost their beautiful touch. Buildings face the potential of
being abandoned after newer and more modern buildings have replaced
them. Sadly, with each of these situations, parts of our American
heritage face extinction.
But in many communities, we are beginning to see hopeful citizens
respond in a determined effort to preserve. They are establishing
rebuilding plans and working together to mobilize other citizens to join
their efforts. They are finding the necessary resources to turn their
communities around and are encouraging the appreciation of our American
history. They have realized that by committing to historical
preservation projects, they are creating historic landmarks in our
communities to be used and enjoyed for the benefit of future
generations.
In the Western portion of the Fourth District Congressional District of
Virginia is a city that has weathered some pretty strong storms. The
City of Petersburg, once a booming port city known as a prime
transporting center for tobacco and cotton, faced unfortunate
destruction in a 19th century fire that wiped out the city and, even
more recently, in a tornado that ripped through downtown in the 1990s.
But as a result of the commitment of others, Petersburg has since begun
a heightened revitalization effort to draw residents, tourists, and
businesses back again to the once bustling city. Over the past few
years, Petersburg has seen extensive renovation and economic growth,
particularly along the historic Sycamore Street, in the Union Train
Station, and in its Farmers Market.
 In
the small town of Hopewell, a popular attraction called the Beacon
Theatre provided entertainment to the Hopewell community since the late
1920s when talkies were the most popular form of film. For years,
citizens of Hopewell spent their Friday and Saturday nights at the
Beacon Theatre, and it quickly became known as the town’s social
epicenter. But in 1981 the doors of the Beacon Theatre closed for good,
and the once lively town attraction
became deserted and rundown. Years later, a grassroots effort to restore
the old theatre was underway and the community began steps to restore
the old theater. In 2005, the Beacon Theatre opened its doors once again
for a grand reopening gala that boasted a newly remodeled Beacon
Theatre. The theater has one phase left before it is fully renovated to
originally beauty, but citizens of Hopewell are proud of their theater
once again.
A few hours away in the community of Smithfield, the quality of the
historic Main Street began declining in the late 1960s. By the
mid-1970s, the sharp deterioration of Main Street was unmistakable, and
the once beautiful and bustling street was nothing for the Smithfield
community to be proud of. A few citizens began an effort to revamp Main
Street, which stretched over years. Finally, in 1999, the Main Street
project was completed. Main Street now has brick sidewalks, period
street lights and street signage, wonderful landscaping, resurfaced
streets, street art sculptures, drainage enhancements, and additional
parking. It even has informational kiosks on local history. The
preservation effort for Main Street has resulted in an award-winning
downtown.
Near the Eastern Shore in the City of Suffolk, the local Suffolk High
School was relocated to a new facility after years of history in its
original building. Instead of tearing down the old high school building,
the community decided to pursue extensive renovations to create a
multidisciplinary arts and community center, where they could preserve
the history of Suffolk High School and create a place for members of the
community to enjoy. Contributions from Suffolk High School alumni, along
with federal grants and the commitment of the Suffolk community helped
to create the center, which is now called the Suffolk Center for
Cultural Arts. Suffolk’s Center for Cultural Arts houses a theater,
galleries, restaurant, a school museum, technology labs, and various
visual arts studios, rehearsal and workshop spaces.
On East Washington Street in Suffolk in the 1920s was a bank devoted
to securing loans for African-American farmers and entrepreneurs,
established to help black farmers and businessmen who were struggling to
find financial means. Since closing its doors in the tide of the Great
Depression, the old brick building which housed the Phoenix Bank of
Nansemond has endured years of vacancy and sporadic use as a Chinese
take-out eatery. But as the result of a community effort, the building
is being transformed into the Suffolk African-American History Museum to
showcase African-American contributions in commerce and trade, farming,
education, medicine and religion.
These success stories of historical landmark preservation in our
communities have a unique element to them—a joint effort of local
business, families, and local government committed to making a change so
that we can all celebrate the rich heritage of community. To assist
them, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources is dedicated to the
stewardship of Virginia’s significant historic, architectural, and
cultural resources. Federal programs and assistance available to
communities help encourage the preservation effort. Federal grant
opportunities, such as the ones available through the Keep America
Beautiful and Preserve America programs, offer great and necessary
resources for investing in our communities. In fact, Petersburg just
recently received a grant in the amount of $100,000 for historical
streetscape enhancements from the Department of Interior as a part of
the Preserve America program. Each citizen, community group, and every
dollar raised is wonderful news for Petersburg and other communities as
they work to preserve the rich history that surrounds us and continue
their revitalization efforts.
When we take the time to invest in our communities by rebuilding what
has been broken and finding what has been lost, we not only see a change
in the community infrastructure, but we begin to see a change in its
citizens. Neighbors wave to each other as they pass by, individuals slow
down from their busy lives to spend time with family and friends, and
citizens feel a renewed pride. We need to take time to visit the
wonderful historic treasures we have in the 4th District of Virginia and
enjoy the treasures inside each of our unique American communities.
For more information on
the historical preservation projects mentioned in this editorial, please
use the links below.
Petersburg, Virginia -
http://www.petersburg-va.org/
The Beacon Theatre -
http://www.beacontheatre.org
Main Street, Smithfield -
http://www.smithfieldva.gov/mainstreet.html
The Suffolk Center for
Cultural Arts -
http://www.suffolkcenter.org/
How to Get Involved -
http://www.dhr.virginia.gov
A Trend of Product Recalls
 Just
a year ago, you wouldn’t have guessed that some of the threats to face
our children in 2007 would be Polly Pocket, Thomas the Tank Engine,
Elmo, or Big Bird. But these children’s characters—usually associated
with playtime, learning, and fun—are among an alarming series of product
recalls of Chinese imports of defective goods containing hazardous
levels of lead paint, loose magnets, and chemicals. In fact, just this
week Mattel Inc. pulled over 7.3 million toys from store shelves because
they contained harmful lead paint.
As parents and grandparents, these toy scares leave us with a less-than
comforting level of trust towards the safety of the toys we are buying
for our children. Other consumers are feeling the same lack of trust
towards food and hygiene products—seafood, toothpaste, and pet food have
all been among the recalled Chinese-imported products that have made it
to consumer’s homes this year.
While the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) are increasing their watchfulness of Chinese
imports and are requiring China to improve the country’s food and drug
safety by the end of the year, we as consumers want the peace of mind
that our latest trips to the grocery store or toy store aren’t going to
end in another round of product recalls - or worse, danger to us or our
families.
To allow you to stay up to date on the latest recalls, the FDA hosts a
website that lists all recalls, market withdrawals and safety alerts
filed for U.S. products in the past 60 days. The site lists the product,
the audience that should be concerned, and other detailed information on
the recall or safety alert. You can even sign up to receive product
recall emails from the FDA. You can access the FDA’s recall site at
http://www.fda.gov/opacom/7alerts.html.
Another recall site, www.recalls.gov,
lists information on recent recalls from a number of government
regulatory agencies including consumer products; foods, medicines,
cosmetics; motor vehicles, car seats; environmental products; meat and
poultry products; and, boats and boating safety.
Additionally, I will be traveling to China in the latter part of
August to meet with President Hu Jintao and other Chinese government
officials. On our agenda is the discussion of economic trends in China
and their effect on American relations, including this important issue
of product safety. For more information on this trip to China, I
encourage you to read
A Comprehensive Response to China. |
