Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1922-03-03
Town OF Takoma Park Needs New
School.

AT special meeting of the Town Coun-
Gil of Takoma Park. Nd, held February
24th, steps were taken to make request
for an appropriation of $4,000 by the
county for new site and school building.
1t was shown that the taxpayers of Ia
koma pay to Montgomery county SIC, 900
annually for school purposes, or half of
what is requested for a new building.
The Council voted an appropriation of
$500, and with similar amount to be
made by the authorities of MONTGOMERY
county, it is proposed to make temporary
repairs to the school building pending the
construction of new building. The plan
calls for selling the present site and build
ing and securing larger and more central
location.
AT the meeting Mayor Wilmeth presided,
with Councilman Taft. Bliss, Adams, Shade
and Town Clerk Davis. Mayor Wilmeth has
appointed a committee, composed of DR.. C.
c. Galloway, president; Mrs C. B. Smith,
ii. F. Taft. John R. Adams and Roy Y.
Ferner, to investigate and report on con-
ditions in the Maryland school.
The appointment of this committee is
the result of an insistent demand on the
part OF the taxpayers of Takoma Park for
modern school building. In the mean
time, efforts will be made to have the
present building put in sanitary condition,
jeopardy from fire removed, and lighting
facilities improved.
In lengthy petition filed with the town
authorities 1t was pointed out that the
building on Tulip Avenue is out of date,
has never been finished, is poorly arranged
for school purposes, is badly in need of
repairs, is unsanitary and unsafe, great
fire risk is due to furnaces being directly
underneath the school rooms, no windows
are on west side of the structure, there are
no fire scapes-leaving children in dan
ger of being trapped in rooms.
The location is bad and should be
changed to ground more suitable to the
needs of the school and more advanta-
seously situated as regards present popu-
lation.
Takoma Park taxpayers assert that these
conditions are working real hardship on
those citizens who have not the right to
send their children to the District of CO.
lumbia schools, by either being forced to
pay burdensome tuition for outside school
ing or sending their children to the Mary
land school, which is not equipped to give
child is justly entitled to and which every
enlightened community is morally obli-
gated to furnish its children.
Residents of Takoma Park point out that
Takoma is by far the largest town in Mont
gomery county. and according to the last
census is the fourteenth largest town in
the State. The population is growing by
leaps and bounds and at the present time
is approximately 1000. The municipality
has taxable basis of $1.58O, 800, and pays
a total county tax of about $4,000.
Building activity is constantly on the
increase, and for the past few years on an
average of between rs and 100 new resi-
dences have been built each year. These
residences are all of high type of con-
struction and are occupied by home own
ers. Approximately one hundred new resi-
dences were constructed during the past
year, and it is expected that this con-
struction will annually add to the taxable
basis approximately 100000 each year
The constant and rapid increase in popu-
lation is greatly increasing the school
needs of the town.