November 3, 2007
Dredging project: $$$
Today’s P-I notes that US Rep Randy Forbes (R-VA) “placed a $1.5 million allocation for dredging in the House-passed 2008 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill. That bill hasnít been looked at by the Senate yet. After the two chambers agree on a final version, Bush will review it.” The article also notes that the tests aimed to see if the river’s pollutants can be broken down should be completed in a few months.
Given all his years of seniority and his great political influence, Norman Sisisky was unable to make this project happen. I am quite sceptical that a weak junior congressman in the minority party will be able to bring home the bacon for Petersburg. What is Forbes incentive to help Petersburg at all? Petersburg is a city where a republican is lucky to get even 10% of the vote. My understanding is the dredging of the Appomattox will cost between $25-$30 million to complete in today’s dollars. Assuming the $1.5 million appropriation becomes law and that the funding continues at a similar level in the future, the dredging will take at least another twenty years to complete.
My God! That is a whole lot of timne and money to reach that goal. Are there other options for how to make Petesburg attractive along the rivers edge?
The harbor is a result of a failed Federal Project which dates o/a 1906/7. It was to bring commerce and prosperity to Petersburg as you read the pamphlet of the day. Today it is a candidate for the EPA!
Not enough public outrage!
Has anyone figured out what crime in the city has to do with cleaning the harbor?
you people don’t get it. the fed or the army corps has more vital projects then this non commercial harbor to work on. but if they could just jump start it. imagine if pburg spent 4-5 million to start the project. lets say build a coffer dam at the already silted up area under 95. istall some form of bulkhead, wheather it be temporary steel sheathing or a nice stone wall around the harbor proper. redirect the storm water through a teporary culvert and pump the damn hole dry. now you have a big dry hole. you can easier localize any of the creosate from the old rail tie factory that caused the pollution. it’s also a million times easier to dig with a bucket and truck then with the last slurry method. now pburg would have spend a small amount of money on a great resource and other people and businesses would see that we are serious about helping ourselves and would gladly invest here. so that initial 4-5 M would be a force multiplier in an economic sense. imagine a small marina/restaurant/meeting center just like down the road at smithfield station. some parks an outdoor stage. imagine little kids renting a rowboat to go fishing with their dads on the river. as for crime, people won’t invest here unless they are safe. but criminals will always have aboadoned houses and buildings to do evil things in if some person or business doesn’t renovate and use that space. so they go hand and hand. as for the above stated cost that isn’t true. the price jumped from less then 15M to around 40M at the last round of meetings, when the contract to extend the rights to buy the piece of property for the sludge dump site was terminated. it doesn’t make sense to through away money for an option to buy something that you have no intention to use. some say the corps raised the number to purposely stop the project becausing pburg was just wasting it’s time since it wasn’t serious. typical it only knows how to spend other people’s money. now think if it would have been better to spend 5M on a golf course or the harbor?
GROLSCH2 is a genius! Look around. You have two Interstates. You have a viable river. You have a BRAC decision. You have history. You have low cost real-estate. You don’t need another golf course when Ft Lee has 18 plus holes and the surrounding area has numerous options. How many downtown harbors are in the central VA area? I bet if I were to canvas the building owners of the downtown area it would read like a who’s who of Petersburg and the immediate area. And exactly what are they waiting on to do their developments of those properties again,….oh yeah, free federal help to make them more rich. That’s right, never invest your own money save for that seed money. I bet if I wanted to buy something run down that has just a view of the potential project area, it would cost more than a updated mansion on Monument Ave in Richmond. If the current community leaders (government and private sector) wanted to find an answer to the issue they could. They just have to stop asking, ìWhat’s in it for me?î, and start asking, ìWhat’s in it for Petersburg and generations to follow.î
on CNN: House votes to override Bush veto of $23 billion water bill
If some of the spiritually “bankrupt” and “poor” politicians can find money for their provocative “earmarks” around the country, and some of these “so called leaders” can find and raise the millions to run their election campaigns, Etc., they should be held accountable for past harbor failures here in Petersburg. Doing nothing should not be an option. Take some pictures and start sending them!
Watch some news and do some checking on what our money is spent on in this country, and then come back in this forum and tell us how Petersburg is being selfish.
Petersburg has been “dumped on” for years! Is it still happening? Somebody made money here, and now it is said that our harbor is polluted! Sounds real familiar doesn’t it?
We have the Regional District 19, Regional Mental Hospital, Regional Sexual Predator Place, Regional Sewage Disposal, Regional Etc. among other related destinations.
Why can’t we have a clean harbor? When will we get sick of “3rd World Country” type visions and pollution just a few blocks from our City Hall and our Sycamore Street?
#7 PS: … and just a block from residential housing.
on CNN: Senate overrides Bush’s water bill veto. And with that, the water bill passes and its $23b in projects is authorized.