Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-29
NEW DISTRICT STABLES
OBJECTION TO LATEST SITE PRO-
POSED FOR STRUCTURE.

The recommendation of the officials of the
water department to the Commissioners
that the new District stables be located
Immediately in the rear of the pumping
station on Bryant street between I'd and
4th streets il is stated will meet with
determined opposition on the part of resi-
dents of the Bloomingdale section. At the
hearing recently when residents of the sec
ton protested against the location of the
stables upon the opposite side OF Bryant
street the statement was made by more
than one protestant that 1t was hoped
that the Commissioners would not locate
the stables in their section of the city. A
number of the residents of Bloomingdale,
after reading the notice of the recon-
mendation in The Star of yesterday. stated
their intention of opposing the proposed
site.
Mr.. William G. Henderson of the North
Capitol and lexington Citizens Associa-
ton, who was one of the principal protest
ants at the recent hearing. said today:
Concerning the proposed location of the
District stables In the rear of Bryant
street. 1t seems to me that the Commits
sioners will make serious mistake to To-
cate the stables on the site proposed
The location may not be open in the
same degree to the objections urged against
the former location but, nevertheless, it
seems to me that the objections to the
former location apply with nearly the same
force to the proposed location. The fact
is that the new filtration plant should
be kept entirely free from all unsightly
and from all possible insanitary conditions
In its vicinity.
Opportunity for Park.
The filtration plant site presents an op
portunity for the creation of a magnifi-
cent park that may be made to add largely
to the Identification of Washington. Con
gress was asked during the last session for
appropriations to purchase various sites for
public parks. Here is an opportunity in the
filtration plant to have a most beautiful
park without the purchase of land or the
expenditure of money except for its beau
tification. All approaches to public parks
should be made attractive as POSSIBLE.
In tAiS particular instance. instead of de-
string to maintain storage yard for pub
lie property at practically the base of the
filtration plant park. and to place a large
District stable adjoining it, tie storage yard
itself should be removed and located else
where. that the filtration plant PARK
will be free from all unsightly conditions
at Its approaches. 1t may be a matter OF
convenience TO have storage yard and
stables adjacent to the pumping station ad-
joining the filtration plant. but neither is
necessity SO far as concerns the use of
the pumping station. The location of
storage yard and stables for the use of the
water department can be elsewhere than at
the filtration plant without changing the
pumping station and serve the necessities
of the case as well.
II sincerely hope that the Commissioners
will carefully consider this aspect of the
case and look to the future as much
To the present, and not do an act that later
may be seriously regretted. 1t may be
that the location the stables near to the
filtration plant will not pollute the water.
In Case of Epidemic.
If. however, there should be an epidemic
at any time in the District and it should
be traceable to the water supply it will I'M
doubtedly be charged up by citizens of the
whole District to conditions surrounding the
filtration plant whether 1t be due to such
conditions not, and it does seem to me
that the Commissioners should not make it
possible to have the cause charged up to
insanitary conditions at adjacent to the
filtration plant, and should at this time
take steps TO avoid any criticism in the
future for the location of District stables
from the newspaper reports that the pro-
posed stables to the of Bryant street
will be too small for the District needs
Certainly, then, the stables should not be
located on the ground proposed. Now that
the stables are to be built. let them be
built of ample size to meet the present and
the future needs of the District for years
to come.
1T seems to me that the wise solution of
the matter is to acquire land elsewhere
sufficiently ample for stables that will fully
meet the wants of the District so far as
dimensions are concerned and at the same
time locate the storage yards adjacent to
the stables, thus removing unsightly
storage yard al the filtration plant park and
avoiding the creation of an additional OBJ
jectionable condition in close proximity to
the future park. An ounce of prevention
Is worth a pound of cure and it seems to
me that now is the time to prevent objec-
tionable and possibly detrimental, conditions
being established contiguous to our fitra-
ton plant and the future magnificent park
hat can be made of it,