INTRODUCTION
The City of Petersburg's future economic viability depends on the degree to which it is able to capitalize on its comparative advantages and its assets, such as its historic harbor area at the head of the head of the navigable portion of the Appomattox River. Historically, the City's harbor served as the focal point for a tremendous level of activity in the City. Unfortunately, due to various factors, the harbor is no longer accessible to the downstream navigable portions of the River. This is poised to change, however, for the better and with potentially dramatic positive results for the City, as the City seeks to restore the harbor and make it once more a focal point of the City and its historic downtown. Restoration of the City's harbor will serve as a catalyst for downtown revitalization, enhance opportunities for historic preservation, and restore the City's waterfront to a vibrancy not seen for half a century.

In this effort, though, much depends on the dredging of the Navigation Channel of the Appomattox River. The Navigation Channel connects the harbor to the River. Without dredging, the Navigation Channel will continue to silt in, choking off the remaining navigability of the River and further isolating the harbor from points downstream. The City has been working for nearly 20 years to have the Navigation Channel fully dredged, With new partnerships and additional studies near completion, the project is ready to resume.