El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-11-23

paved roadway and the wide curb park
means the substitution Of shady lawns
and gardens for hot glaring, dusty
streets. When a householder spends his
money for parking, he is investing in
something that Will at once greatly in
crease the value Of his property, and
that will never deteriOrate, but viii
greatly increase in beauty and money
value with every year that passes while
the paving goes to pieces and has to be
done over every few years at constant
~ new expense.
FL PasO All One Park.
The extension Of the street parking
will be and remain the biggest general
undertaking before US in the way of
city improvement until the plan is made
practically universal. Under our cOndl-
tons of climate and the habits Of the
people, We do not so greatly need the
breathing spaces that have formed
the basis of park WORK in the great
cities. 1t is infinitely more important
that all our streets be made pleasant
to live upons to walk along, and to drive
over.
1t ought not to be necessary for our
people to walk or ride any distance at
all to see trees, grass, shrubs, and flow
erS growing. The highest ideal for
the FL PasO of the future is to have
every mans door. Our ideal should
be to make FL PasO as a whole viz
tually one park That is exactly what
the plan Of wide curb parking purposes
to do.
The Mesa Boulevard.
The proposed mesa boulevard, under
the fourth head in the schedule, is well
under way. It must be carried through
within the next few months, or it will
be forever impossible, for permanent
improvements will begin TO occupy the
necessary rightOfway along the mesa's
rim. The boulevard will cost the city
little at first, and can be improved as
time goes by and demand arises.
This mesa drive is the one absolutely
{ n
There is nothing like it anywhere else
in the whole United States. From points
on the proposed drive, it will be pos
sible to overlook an area as large as
the state of Massachusetts, the view
extending 50 to 125 miles in all direc-
tons across two states and two repub-
lies.
Fairgrounds.
Work under the fifth head naturally
falls TO the school authorities and to
private organizations. 1t is exceeding
" important and must be steadily car
ried forward.
Recreation Parks.
Under the sixth head, medium sized
recreation parks, the most important
new work for immediate attention is to
acquire the land adjacent to the new
high school site, and also more land at
Harris mill to supplement the little
piece already owned by the city. In
Washington park the city already pos
sesses a very valuable plot that viii
pay to take good care of. The be-
ginning Oh q LOOlOSlCd1 eAnlDlL Is al
ready there, and the site is fairly good
for a general recreation park
Two New Parks Desired.
The blocks adjacent to the new high
school park are Ideally situated for
recreation ground for the north side
population especially; the site at Harris
mill offers a beautiful location for
fine little park that could be cheaply
constructed and maintained owing to
being near the river and canal, and in
fertile loamy soil The breeze is al
ways fresh there, and there viii be
water most Of the time in the lake
above the diversion dam The prevail
ing winds are down the canyon and
mosquitoes and flies are not numerous
at that point as they are below. This
park would present a pretty prospect
from the up valley road, from the cleo
trio cars, and from trains. The city
already has a considerable tract on the
mesa at the WaterwOrks, which will,
pay to improve gradually, but no large
sums should be spent there until the
park becomes an actual necessity for
our growing city.
Small Show Parks.
FL PasO is already fairly well pro-
vided with small show parks schedule
number y. There is need for a few
others for future development, and
blocks should be acquired at intervals
in the new additions. In general these
blocks should be so selected as to lie
adjacent to the future main routes of
travel, the future 'bouleYards' or main