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Portsmouth Council names block of Randolph Street “DAP Senior Way” to honor longtime pastor
Summary
Portsmouth City Council unanimously approved an honorary street-name designation for a one-block portion of Randolph Street to honor DeBlommie Atwood “DAP” Peace, following a family presentation and brief public comment.
Portsmouth City Council on Tuesday approved a resolution designating a one-block portion of Randolph Street as “DAP Senior Way” in honor of the late DeBlommie Atwood Peace.
The vote followed a public hearing during which Devise Jeanette Peace Branch, the pastor’s daughter and a 45-year Portsmouth resident, described her father’s decades of community service, including pastoral leadership at Zion Bethel United Church of Christ and programs for youth, seniors and people recovering from substance abuse.
The designation covers the segment of Randolph Street between Des Moines Avenue and Lansing Avenue. The council clerk read the resolution language before family testimony; the council voted to adopt the resolution 7-0.
Branch told council that Peace led Zion Bethel to grow in membership and community involvement, organized summer Vacation Bible School programs that served about 100 children each summer, hosted regular feeding programs, and led drug-abatement marches that contributed to closing known drug houses in the neighborhood. She said he served on the civil service commission for more than 30 years and founded the Union Christian Bible Institute in Portsmouth.
Resident Sheila Joseph also addressed the council in support of the designation, saying Pastor Peace “meant a lot to a lot of people” and that she supported the street name honor.
This was a public hearing item. The planning commission had recommended approval and city staff confirmed the public right-of-way for the designated block is owned by the city. The council adopted the resolution without amendment.
The new honorary name will be ceremonial; the clerk’s reading and council action did not change legal property addresses or street-name signage authority beyond the resolution’s direction to memorialize the pastor’s contributions.
