VIRGINIA BEACH
In order to staff a new museum commemorating Princess Anne County's only black high school, all of the city's historic houses might be open fewer hours.
The city budget, up for a vote May 12, doesn't include $65,000 to cover the costs for an educator and supplies for the museum, which will focus on the former Princess Anne County Training School. Black parents paid for the land in 1926 and later helped pay to build the school in 1937. It was renamed Union Kempsville High School in 1961.
The city schools already have spent $500,000 to turn a corner of the new Renaissance Academy into a museum that showcases the history of the school, which was demolished to make way for the construction of Renaissance. The museum and new school, located near Witchduck Road, are expected to open in January.
Alumna Margie Wilson Coefield said she is worried the city is backing off its commitment to the site. "How can it function if money isn't allocated as promised?" said Coefield, who graduated from Union Kempsville in 1962.
A preliminary agreement calls for the city to staff and manage the museum.
Lynn Clements, director of the city's department of museums, said two full-time educators - down from three - plus part-time staffers and volunteers will run the city's historic homes as well as the new museum.
"We will probably reduce all the hours for all the houses," she said. The Lynnhaven, Francis Land and Adam Thoroughgood houses each are open Tuesday through Sunday.
City Manager Jim Spore said Virginia Beach is not abandoning the Princess Anne County Training School/Union Kempsville museum.
"We're definitely committed to opening it," he said. "It's a priority."
Plans call for a 1,400-square-foot space with interactive displays featuring school memorabilia such as yearbooks, class rings, photographs and letter sweaters. The school's tiger mascot will be rendered in the carpet at the entrance, and a replica of the school stage will be at the back. Placards around the room will outline the history of the school in the context of the area's segregated educational system.
The school was open from 1938 until integration in 1969.
"Very few people know the history of that school," said Laurice Malbon Yarn, who graduated from Union Kempsville in 1965. "If we don't start putting people through that museum, some of that history will be lost."
Lauren Roth, (757) 222-5133, lauren.roth@pilotonline.com.
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My old school was torn down,
My old school was torn down, never replaced and we all went to other more modern schools. Can I have a museum also?
Oh wait, there already is one...well, can I have my own?
Wake up folks....there is only so much of your money left to tax!
Is this a function of city government?
I don't think so. I'm tired of TAX DOLLARS being spent on funding private special interest items like this. If there is such a demand for this museum, then let the people that want it come up with the money for it and volunteer to operate it. If this project had to be run as a business and had to pay for it's own existence, it would never get off the ground. It's time to STOP throwing away may TAX DOLLARS. I don't expect tax dollars to fund my special interest or hobbies, why does everyone else think tax dollars should pay for their interest or hobbies? Think of how much money we'd each have to give to our own interest if the government would stop picking our pockets to fund their little projects to make themselves look good so they can get re-elected. That's where TERM LIMITs come in. If we invoked a two term limit, we'd get rid of the corrupt politicians that monopolize seats of public trust.
Use volunteers
At the city council meeting, several people showed up who were passionate about this museum. Most of them were likely retired. They should put their passion to work and volunteer to staff this attraction.
School Museum
Unfortunately, with the economy right now, temporary measures like this often have to be taken until funding is available.
There is a museum in Murfreesboro, NC (Jefcot Museum)and to my knowledge, this museum has only volunteers as tour guides. We have been twice and found that those volunteering really enjoy what they do and seem to have a lot of interaction with the visitors because they really appreciate the items in the museum. Having volunteers at this time may work at least temporarily. Especially if you have some senior citizens that are willing to volunteer. I generally find these citizens to be the most interesting when it comes to history as they have lived through many changes in their lifetime.
P.S. I recommend the Jefcot museum to anyone over 40. One of my favorite items there is the bathtub that folds up to the wall like a treadmill.
Museums have so much to offer for the young and old alike.
What's this? Plans for the
What's this? Plans for the Renaissance Academy have changed? Oh no, how could that be???????
This is yet another unfortunate occurrence in the saga of the Renaissance Academy. Sadly, it appears that the misinformation and failure to come through on promises and plans has gone beyond the school division and infiltrated (infected?) another organization of good, dedicated, hard-working people.
Misplaced priorities - cut Mayor Sessoms' speech writing staff
More examples of city spending that is out of control. Mayor Sessoms can write his own speeches, reduce his staff of speech writers and stop hiring outside consultants to write his speeches. That change alone would allow the city to adequately staff our museums. One also needs to question a cost of $65,000 to hire 1 person to staff the new museum. Clearly in times of high unemployment we can hire 1 person for a more reasonable salary? These small items in the $1.9B budget pale in comparison with the MASSIVE EXPENSES Virginia Beach is contemplating for building and operating a nice-to-have LIGHT RAIL development project. In a “budget” of $1.9B the city has more than enough money to pay for its required core services. A large problem is ever increasing debt services costs that keep eating up the ever increasing tax money that has flooded the city’s coffers since 2000. Since 2000 the city’s “budget” has increased by more than a whopping $700M a year! The problem is misplaced priorities and too much tax money spent on “wants” and not enough being spent on real needs.