Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-17
DISCUSSION OF LOCAL NEEDS.
Mass Meeting Of Congress Heights Cti'
zens Held Last Night.

mass meeting of citizens of Congress
Heights, which was devoted to discussion
of local needs, was held last evening In the
Methodist Episcopal Church, on Nichols
avenue under the auspices of the Congress
Heights Citizens Association. President O.
A. Emmons occupied the chair. with Mr.
William NJ. Sirich in the secretary's place.
The meeting room was we'll filled with cit
liens, who had responded on receipt of spe-
cial invitation.
In opening the meeting the president
stated that the citizens Of the community
are again confronted with a plan to dispose
of portion of the wooded property west
of Nichols avenue to the government tor
the extension of the Government Hospital
for the Insane. A resolution was passed
and placed in the hands of the legislative
committee for action setting forth the OPP
position of citizens to this contemplated
STEP
A running debate occurred on the propo-
sition of mountaineering the thoroughfare
of Nichols avenue between the transfer sta
ton in Anacostia and Congress Heights,
where the street cars now operate on a
single track, and President Emmons stated
that the refusal of the Commissioners to
permit the undertaking was due to the fact
that they considered the street was too
narrow. Mr.. Gustave Bender called atten-
ton to the fact that the government hospi-
tai is about to erect costly fence on the
right-hand side of Nichols avenue, and he
believed the government should be asked
to donate several feet of ground to add to
the width of Nichols avenue before this
fence was put in place. He advocated sys-
tematic work with this idea in view, and
urged that Congress be communicated with
in regard to the matter
The question of water and sewer facilities
for Congress Heights led to a discussion, in
which Messrs. EmmonS, Bender and But
terfield participated. President EmmOns
named Mr.. Bender, Mr.. Robert Pitts and
Mr.. Charles Bonini as a committee to pros
ecute the claims of citizens for these i'm
provementS before the proper officials.
President Emmons stated that in short
time more fire-alarm boxes will be installed
in the suburb, and also announced that the
question recently agitated of street cars
failing to await the arrival Of passengers
had been settled in favor of the citizens.
Among those who took part in the various
discussions relative to the towns needs
were Rev. William L. Orem, Mr.. E. E.
Fisher Frank E. Butterfield and Mr.. Geo.
Wrenn.
The Sunday school of the Congress
Heights Methodist Episcopal Church, Rev.
William L. Orem pastor has elected officers
as follows to serve during the ensuing year:
George w. Fowler, superintendent; Mrs.
Fielder Magruder, assistant superintendent;
Herbert Talbert, secretary; Miss Emma
Joyce, treasurer; Daniel c. Smthson, Choir
lister: Miss Emma Bender organist; Will
liam Fowler, jr., librarian.
Work on the construction Of the Congress
Heights Methodist Episcopal Church has
been practically completed, and although
the congregation is as yet occupying but
the rear portion of the edfce it is hoped
by the officers of the church that next
month will witness the reoccupancy of the
main section, when it is intended to hold
dedicatory exercises to commemorate the
event. A large sum of money has been ex-
pended in remodeling the church, with the
result that the old chapel has been sup
planted by a modern eG1ifice, with various
church rooms, properly heated and lighted
by electricity. George w. Fowler was the
contractor for the work