Evening star., 1922-04-07
NEW GEORGETOWN
PLAY SITE TO OPEN
|NMONTROSEPAR
Space at 3Oth and R Streets
Will Be Turned Over
to Children.
GIFT OF $1,000 EXPECTED
TO PURCHASE EQUIPMENT
Keen Interest Being Aroused
Among Citizens, Who Are Anx-
ious to Make Donations.

Another playground is to be added
to the inadequate number which the
District now has for it's children. One
corner of Montrose Park. at 3Oth and
r streets. Georgetown has been set
aside for the use of the children or
the vicinity, particularly those al
tending the Jackson School. and the
work of preparing it has been started.
Lieut.. Col. Charles o. Sheriff.. OF
ficer in charge of public buildings and
grounds who controls this park. ana
Mrs Susie Root Rhodes. director or
municipal Fairgrounds. were on the
proposed playground site today. They
discussed the proposed section to be
allotted for play purposes and Col.
Sheriff. agreed on the necessary
amount of land to- be given over for
this purpose.
$1,000 Gift Expected.
With authority obtained for the
use of the plot, efforts to put it in
shape quickly for use by the children
will be hurried. A Fairgrounds super
visor will be assigned. And the
equipment will soon be provided.
Nearly $1,000. it was learned, may
come from 4 local organization for
the equipment of the Fairgrounds.
and this will make it unnecessary to
touch the District funds for the
equipment. Mrs. L. ID. Smoot. presi-
dent of the Jackson School Parent
Teacher Association. said today that
she probabl would be able to make
an announcement of the donation
next Monday. but at this time was
unable to divulge the name of the
still going on. In addition to this
donation, W. X. Reeves has informed
the association that he would furnish
loads of sand for the children's sand
piles. These will be delivered as
soon as the boxes are erected.
The permit for the use of the park
as a playground is the elimination
of nearly a years efforts on the part
of the Parent-Teacher Association OF
the Jackson School. The children of
ever, and the park is just across the
street. 1t will be known as the jack
con School Fairgrounds. although
that name does not confine it's use
to the pupils of this particular
school. However. as the, plot to
comparativ small, its use will be
restricted to the use of children
twelve years of age and under. 1t
will not be large enough for laying
out base ball diamonds and plots for
other games that take large amount
of space.
Park Beauty to BE Preserved.
Every effort will be made by those
in charge of the work of equipping
the Fairgrounds to retain the beauty
of the park and make the play
grounds a beauty site. while serving
as play spot for the children. In
stead of the group swings on stands.
the swings will be hung from the
limbs of big trees in the plot. and
the little children will be able to
have that freedom of swinging which
they usually have only when they go
to the country on a vacation.
Associations in various parts OF the
city are beginning to take an active
interest in the movement to obtain
more Fairgrounds for the children.~as
a result of the crowded conditions
and inadequacy of District play
grounds. as pointed out in the series
of articles which have been appear
ing in The Star. The fact that sew
eraI of them are beginning TO raise
funds for the equipment of play
grounds for their, children and that
people are contributing is a concrete
indication that the population is will
ing to pay the bill in order to get the
children off the crowded streets.
Georgetown is badly in need of
more Fairgrounds. The report of the
investigation of the children's bu-
reau experts says of this section:
S,643 Children in Georgetown.
This is a very large district. The
child population of Georgetown is
S.s43. of which 7,211 are white and
1.432 colored This is a section, how
ever. of comparatively low density in
the main. In the most thickly settled
part there are Ell persons per acre.
Land is relatively inexpensive on
the outskirts of this district SO that
full-fiedged Fairgrounds should be de-
veioped. Broken bits of land here and
there do not serve as areas large
enough to give to children the whole
sweep of a playground program. The
S.643 children should be provided for
by allotting to this section at least
ten acres of ground for the white, to
be converted into a playground and
athletic field combined.
The Rose Park playground, for the
colored, is not large enough. One quar-
ter of an acre is cramped and un-
satisfactory. Further, this park is
loaned. not owned by the District.
Two or three acres, therefore, should
he set aside to meet the play and ath-