Evening star., 1924-10-12
VIRGINIA LEADERS
BACK BOULEVARD
Financial and Business Inter-
eSts Enthusiastic for Lee
Highway Section.


bile boulevard from Washington en-
tirely through the State of Virginia,
along the route OF the present Lee
highway, have the support of nearby
Virginia financial and business inter
ests, it is indicated in a letter sent
recently by NJ. +. Church. vice presi
dent of the Falls Church, Va, Bank.
to DIR. :. NJ. Johnson, general director
of the association.
The letter was in appreciation of
the accomplishments of the asSocia
ZION during the past two years in i'm
proving the Lee Highway in nearby
Virginia. After enumerating specific
Instances of benefit derived by the
community from the associations
efforts, Mr.. Church states:
These are only few of the bene-
fits the community has derived from
the location of the Lee Highway.
Real estate agents can tell of 1000
per cent increase in sales and 100 per
cent increase in value of property
along the line of this road in the last
two years, and | do not hesitate to
say that to your splendid manage
ment and industry, as head of the as
soclation. We are indebted for this
prosperity.
Offers Cooperation.
You spoke recently of widening
II boulevard from Washington
through the entire state of Virginia.
This is a splendid idea and if it
were not for the evidence OF your
ability to accomplish what you un-
dertake | should be more skeptical
OF this than ] was of your original
proposition but my confidence in you
leads me to believe that you can ac-
complish it and l assure you of the
1f
munity."
The remainder of the letter in part
follows:
Feeling that some recognition
should be accorded you and your
splendid Lee Highway Association
for what you have been able to ac-
compllsh in securing d splendid con-
crete and Inacadam highway through
our county and the adjoining county
of Arlington to Washington City, I
desire to say that three years ago the
citizens of Falls Church. Va, s
miles from Washington, became in
tereSted in Lee Highway. We learned
that Lee Highway Association was
reconsidering it's tentative location
between Washington and the Valley
of Virginia and seeking more direct
route through Falls Church. but we
did not believe Lee Highway Asso-
citation had influence enough to get
the road built over this route In
the direction of Washington there
was over d mile of very rough worn
out macadam.
"WeStward to Fairfax Court House
for miles was a narrow dirt
road, not graded or drained. almost
impossible after rain. None Of this
road was in the State highway sys
tenn, it was merely a county road, and
not even considered important to the
county. There were no county funds
with which to build or even maintain
Z in condition. We wished to en-
courage the Lee Highway Association
and took some ve-dollar-a-year
memberships, but remained skeptical
The next Winter. upon request OF
Lee Highway Association, the general
assembly of Virginia included our
road in the State highway system,
and we began to think that after all
Lee Highway Association was more
than mere propaganda organization.
Results of Appeal.
Two years ago you held a meeting
In Falls Church. You told us of the
wonderful progress in building Lee
Highway in the Southwest, where
You had just travelled several hundred
miles by auto. averaging 40 miles an
hour in safety. You appealed to us
to help close the two gaps above re-
ferred to. You told US of a law au-
thorizing the State of Virginia to
contract with individuals, corpora
tions. districts or counties for the
construction of any part of the State
highway system provided the money
be loaned to the State, to be repaid
without interest as State and Federal
funds became availa BILE. Our Arling-
ton-Fairfax County Lee Highway
Unit resolved to see what could be
done. Within a short time we in
duced a number of individuals to
loan 100000 for the purpose and to-
day the worn macadam gap between
us and Washington is an l8-foot con-
crete road
We then called a bond election
IN the two districts between Fails
Church and Fairfax Court Hon.e
me campaign was a hot one, the op-
position was very strong. You
!ohned US and met the opponents in
eeoate- We voted $275,0o0 bonds
Gd today the grading is done and
me concrete is being poured and an
is-foot concrete road is already COM
pleted and open for traffic for two
thirds of the distance. We exnac,
% celebrate the opening OF this en-
tire stretch of Lee Highway in De-
cember. If it had not been for Lee
Highway Association we would todav
De where we were three years ago.
When We learned the way you went
at things and that results were forth
coming wa increased our subscrin-
uons, some contributing Sl25 instead
OF IS per year to the association. ana
we never made a better investment.
Almost every day am asked tn
take a membership in some organjza-
tlon- Many. no doubt, are worthy NJ
support but here is an organization
that has proved it's ability to get re-
suits of the greatest value to the
community. and we must see to it
that it's work is not permitted tn
cease for lack of financial support
Since the location of the Lee high
way was definitely determined three
years ago scores of houses, costing
from $4,000 to $4,000 each have been
erected along and adjacent to this
splendid road between here and
Washington. More than a dozen
splendid residences have been built
along the mile gap that was con-
structed by the aid of the loan of our
citizens last year. In addition to this.
many old buildings have been re-
modelled, notably the Washington-
Virginia Railway station at East
Falls Church, which has been con-
verted from n ramshakle barn at a
cost of about $4,000 to an attractive
and serviceable public station that
eXcites the praise and admiration of
every one, and is a great asset to our
town.
Another business block of frame
construction on the main street has
been remodeled with stucco and at
a moderate cost has been converted
from an unattractive to a very at
tractive and serviceable building.
"The Falls Church Bank, organized