HomeProgress-Index, 03/20/2006
Lee Park Golf Course restoration must be part of ongoing revitalization effort
To the editor:
There was a very interesting editorial in the March 12 edition of The Progress-Index that praised the great progress being made in the revitalization of the downtown/Old Towne section of Petersburg. I would have to agree with everything that was written. My wife and I spend a good amount of time riding around the city, especially the Sycamore Street, High Street and Old Towne section. There is a good deal of restoration and construction work being done. The Petersburg Historic Foundation, the Cameron Foundation, and many private groups seem to be involved and deserve a great amount of credit.
The editorial also stated that the city officials want everyone to know about the revitalization that is going on in the city. For the past several weeks the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and the city administration have been giving tours to key personnel from Fort Lee in order to show them in great detail the progress being made in the city.
The article also stated that a citizens group is leading the charge to develop Petersburg’s waterfront in anticipation of the dredging of the Appomattox boat harbor.
Fort Lee is anticipating an influx of approximately 20,000 personnel within the next five years and according to the editorial, there is going to be an increase in demand for housing, services, jobs , etc.
It appears that Petersburg is making progress toward the long term goals of attracting tourists. I have a vision of tourist boats coming into Petersburg from as far away as Virginia Beach with stops in Norfolk, Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Hopewell. This is turn could result in an interest for two- or three-day visits to our Old Towne and downtown area. This would create an industry in itself for horsedrawn carriages and tour buses to carry tourists around to the various historical places of interest such as Blandford Church, Pamplin Park, Olgers Museum. There could be two- or three-day vacation packages that would include such things as hotel stays, trips to Southpark Mall, golf, inclusive with meals and visits to some of the restored homes in the area. There would be a demand for a waterfront area that could result in attracting customers into the various eating establishments in the Old Towne area as well as visits to the shops and art galleries that are waiting and ready for them.
Of course in order to handle these tourists Petersburg needs to pay attention to other areas of the city.
One of these areas is the Lee Park Golf Course which has been deteriorating for several years. The last article that I read concerning the course was in The Progress-Index and it stated that the city would start work on grounds in the spring of 2006. I have seen no activity to date. There was also a rumor that Virginia State University had some interest in assisting the city to develop the course.
Until Petersburg starts developing a plan for the whole city and not just Old Towne, there is not much to create tourist interest. The private citizens and various foundations in the area are working very hard to accomplish their tasks but the city needs to come through with the plans for dredging and developing boat harbor and restoration of the Lee Park Golf Course. This seems to be the key to further development of tourist attractions in Petersburg and surrounding areas.
Sincerely,
Kenneth Spain
Colonial Heights
