Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-01
STEADY GROWTH THE RULE
IN SUBURBAN TAKOMA PARK
Many New Houses Building and to Be Built
in Nearby Town Library Nearing
Completion-O Other improvements.

| Like many other suburbs of Washing
| ton, Takoma Park is enjoying material
prosperity in these days. when the Ma
| tional Capital and it's environs are grow
| ing so steadily At this season of the
year particularly. when mankind in gen.
eral most strongly feels the desire to get
| closer to the soil. and when city men in
very considerable numbers permit the ap-
| peal of the country to permeate their sys-
TENS to the extent that they join the
ranks of the commuters. Takoma is only
, one of the near-city towns to feel the
! impetus Of a new and larger development
as its quota of new citizens arrive. buy
property, and buy or begin to build for
| themselves new homes. Takoma Park is
UNIQUE among the suburbs of Washington
| in that it is literally two towns in one,
part of the settlement being in the Dis
| trict of Columbia and, of course. under
the Jurisdiction of the District govern
ment, while the other section lies In
| Maryland and is controlled by its own
mayor and town council
On the Maryland side the town has jus,
recently completed a new filtration plant
at a cost of over $4,000, which has been
pronounced by the state board of health
as the best in the state. giving almost
L perfect results. he IOWH IC1CINcS . itS
| water supply from the Sligo stream
| which runs for number OF miles
through Montgomery and Prince Georges
counties. The town is provided with a
water system. complete in every detail,
with a large pumping plant. The sys-
tematic distribution of fire plugs about
the suburb provides ample protection
| from fire and the pressure is greater
| that that of Washington. There is a
| high water tower on Carroll avenue,
which lie about
| to be reprinted and fitted with modern
electric devices to prevent its overflow
| ing. The water and sewer systems.
which were constructed several years
among the more important improve
ments which the town has made.
New Bridge Spans Sligo.
Within recent months the old wooden
bridge across the Sligo stream on Car
| roll avenue was replaced by a modern
| steel and concrete bridge. costing over
$4,000. which was built by appropria-
tions from the state and the Takoma
town council and by public subscription
| from taxpayers along Carroll avenue.
The reinforcement. steel beams and rail-
! ings are of open hearth steel and placed
| in concrete The west approach IS
| graded to width of twenty feet. The
roadway Of the bridge and the west ap-
proach is macadamized to width of
sixteen feet. The ratings and the ex-
posed bearing blocks are painted an
| olive green.
| The bridge is approximately 30 feet
| i'm length with width Of sixteen feet
and a height above the water line of
over fifty feet. The bridge was construct
| ed by the Washington. d. c.. Sanitarium
| Association, which corporation was
awarded the contract in competition to
construct the bridge and TO do the grad
| ing and excavating.
| On the Maryland side the town is gov
erned by a mayor and town council con-
sisting of six members and a town clerk.
| The mayor is Wilmer c. Platt, who is
| serving his second term, besides having
| been a member of the council for sew
eral years past. The other members of
the council are E. Z. Blodgett. H. f.
| Rogers. S. w Will ans, ii. r. Taft. r.
d. Rush. l.. r. Grabill and town clerk
and treasurer. Ben G. Davis.
| Another Improvement, which has done
| much to increase the real estate values
| In Takoma Park, is the excellent system
Of cement sidewalks which have been
constructed within the past few years.
! They were constructed at the expense of
| the owners of adjacent property. By en-
| actment of the council all property own
ers were given five years in which to pay
| for the sidewalks, but all the walks were
| completed and paid for in little over a
year The old sidewalks were of wooden
1 yoti