My man Steve Randolph is an eternal optimist. He’s found the following quote about days past:
“City Proposes $1.70 Rate on Real Estate
Headline – Manassas Journal-Messenger
April 21, 1977
“Twenty residents attended the hearing which did not produce
protest or outcries about the proposed budget … Praise was
given the council …”
I love Steve but I don’t expect we’ll get much praise…:)
April 10, 2009 at 3:06 pm
They must have been family members of the Council.
April 10, 2009 at 3:08 pm
doubtless….:)
April 10, 2009 at 5:10 pm
“Praise was given to the council by Maury Gerson of Ivy Glen Court,
William Kervick of Barrett Street and Wade House, Chief of the
Manassas Volunteer Fire Company.”
MJM (April 21,1977)
Granted, not a large number, but important people in our little town.
(Also James Champion of Pickett Lane asked “Do you think you
have enough now?” – which, not knowing his tone, could be
taken several ways.)
– Note that the Manassas City Council Proposed Fiscal Budget 2010
Annual Operating Budget and Capital Improvement Program will
be presented this Monday- April 13th – time certain 6:45 PM.
(Councilman Marc Aveni, Finance Committee Chairman is slated
to give the presentation). Like every regular meeting, there will
be Citizen Comment time at 7:30. A Public Hearing on the Proposed
Budget will be held April 20th at 7:30 PM.
April 10, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Fifty Years Ago-
“The benign town government of Manassas may have
worked itself into a fix. About three months ago, merchants,
with stores in downtown Manassas griped that there were so
many shopping centers springing up in Manassas’ booming
suburbs that folks didn’t seem to get downtown to shop anymore.
The town was dying inside out they said. So, Town Hall had all
the parking meters removed. This, it was reasoned, would help
lure back the reluctant shoppers. It hasn’t worked out
that way. A a matter of fact, business hasn’t picked up and, so far,
the town is out over $7,000 in revenue. A Town Hall
spokesman wearily stated “Now folks will be madder than hops if we replace if we replace those meters … its a dilemma.”
MJM (April 23, 1959)
(Remember several still near the Post Office and Rohr’s Store
on West Street until the late 1970’s.)
April 10, 2009 at 5:54 pm
I remember some of those parking meters. You can still see the patches in the sidewalk in some places…love the “benign” characterization….
April 10, 2009 at 6:40 pm
– Any “praise” for council through the years falls into an old
reporter’s criteria for news – “man bites dog”.
– “Benign” is a great adjective and also like the term
“madder than hops”.
April 10, 2009 at 9:24 pm
I guess we also must put into context the following…..
that there were so many shopping centers springing up in Manassas’ booming suburbs that folks didn’t seem to get downtown to shop anymore.
I
April 11, 2009 at 2:02 pm
I like the quote from Mr. Champion asking if the Council “had enough now” with the tax rate of $1.70. What is interesting about it is that it came two years after the then Mayor Parrish stood before the County Supervisors and said (and I paraphrase here) with the tax rate you are hitting us with and not fully delivering services, and what we have to tax the town to pay for services you are not providing, if we can’t work it out, we are going to file to become a city. And of course, the City Council did that July.
I found that little gem of information in the “Prince William County Newsletter” in the RELIC at Bull Run Library. Was researching the history of the Prince William Commission on Aging this summer and came across that. That little newsletter being a private publication is just chock full of tidbits like this one.
April 11, 2009 at 4:30 pm
I’m just a newcomer — 1981 — but I do remember buying stacks of cloth diapers and a diaper pail from Rohr’s before my daughter was born in 1986. Thank goodness there’s still places like New Method Cleaners and J.E. Rice True Value hardware store. They haven’t gone the way of Kline’s. Watch “Wal-Mart – The High Cost of Low Price.”
April 11, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Manassas Parking Meter Saga – Part 1
“Town Manager G.Y. Carpenter and the Manassas Council were
stymied from operating the new parking meters in Manassas until
June 10th by an unidentified group of Manassas businessmen.
Manassas attorney Leonard Lomas paid Carpenter a visit last
Wednesday afternoon and requested a copy of the parking meter
ordinance. There wasn’t one.
Carpenter called a hurried meeting of the Council Thursday
morning and they passed the ordinance, however, under the
Town charter it can not go in effect for thirty days.”
Manassas Journal-Messenger (May 8, 1952)
(Cindy, still remember the wonderful personalized Easter baskets that
Rohr’s offered – and so do my now grown children).
April 13, 2009 at 10:16 am
Perhaps, in a few years, you computer folks can tailor SimCity
for a community like Manassas. (The player is given the task
of maintaining the happiness of the citizens with both their services
and budget/tax rate). Everyone could try keeping their balance
on that high wire.
April 13, 2009 at 1:49 pm
You could, in fact, learn a good deal about running a city by playing that game….
April 16, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Those of us who have lived (and will probably die) ALL OF OUR LIVES in this town …miss ALL of the stores that have come and gone out of old town. LOVED IT back in the day and day before that, and day before that…however I do remember “old town” being a “ghost town”.
I’m glad it came back and I support those folks as much as I can!!!!! I would hope that others would too.