Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-04-01
Claims City Is Likely
To Lose School Site
To the Editor Of The star:

4
Your editorial In The Star criticiz-
ing the Western High School gymna-
SUM, under the heading Unnecessary
Ugliness.' prompts me to invite your
attention to the possibility that a new
Junior high school may be misplaced.
The facts are as follows:
The District Commissioners and the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission have been negotiating for
the purchase of % acres for com
bined Junior High School site and
community recreation center and
park in the vicinity of Brightwood. A
suitable tract bounded by Third and
| Fifth streets and running north from
Sheridan street to Takoma Park was
finally agreed upon. BY joint negotia-
ton, the price of the land was brought
within the limitation imposed by Con-
gress for the first time since ii was
applied and the District and park Of
fcials were ready to buy it. The COM
munity recreation center is the first
of it's kind proposed for the city. The
junior high school will serve the ter
ritory in the Brightwood section north
of Kennedy street. If the two blocks
proposed for the junior high school are
not acquired by the District, the Park
Commission cannot secure its land for
the community recreation center, as
the whole tract was brought within
the price limitation by agreement for
its sale for both school and park pur-
poses. Neither purchaser can secure
it's tract separately and independent
of the other. The land is ideally sit
uated for the purposes in view, being
undeveloped and in a residential COM
munity, between two car lines, but
sufficiently removed from traffic dan
gers, street noises and commercial
districts. The junior high school will
adjoin the new Whittier day school
on the south side of Sheridan street
between Fourth and Fifth streets,
which would be desirable from admin
istrative and other viewpoints.
This school and park tract would
have been acquired last week had it
not been for an eleventh-hour sugges-
ton from DIR. r. w. Ballou, superin-
tendent of schools, that the site for the
school be located two blocks south
and a few blocks west of the Sheridan
street location. This late suggestion
has been taken up by the purchasing
officials of the District, notwithstand-
ing the Sheridan street tract has been
sought by them since last November,
and the combined school and park
project since last Winter.
There Is now danger that this Junior
ing drawn by the municipal architect,
and which will cost $475,000, exclusive
of the site, may be located near the
Brightwood car barn on Georgia ave-
nue., which presents traffic and other
objections, it being in a commercial
district, in sharp contrast to the resi-
Dental character of the Sheridan
street location.
Not long ago the thirteenth police
station was placed next door to the
new Brightwood day school at Thir-
teenth and Nicholson streets. l am
asking consideration of this matter in
order that this new Junior high school
shall not be similarly misplaced. No
serious consideration was given to this
Georgia avenue site by an official COM
mittee which inspected prospective
sites last July and which included
Asst. Supt. of Schools r. l..
Haycock. DIR. II. b. Learned of the
Board of Education and representa-
tives of the interested citizens associ-
atoms. ] am at g. loss to understand
why Mr.. Haycock and the citizens as
sociations were not consulted in the
final survey for the location of this
site. Had they been 1 do not think
this present situation would have
arisen. as l am sure they would have
unanimously agreed on the Sheridan
street tract.
The organized citizens of the Dis
trict approve the school and park
project for the Sheridan street area.
The Federation of Citizens Associa-
tons referred to it's education COM
mittee for action a resolution indors-
ing this tract, which has been ap-
proved by two local associations
Manor Park and Takoma Park.
The Commissioners should be urged
to take prompt action to secure the
school tract in order that the park
area may be secured. The Commits
sioners are charged with the sole re-
sponsibility of land purchases The
school authorities have no say in the
matter, under the law authorizing
these purchases, yet they have In
jected themselves into the situation
and effectively blocked the entire trans
action. While the Commissioners will
be technically at fault If they fail to
secure this tract, the real RESPONSE
bility will fall on the school author
tiles. Members of the Board of Edu-
cation have been informed of the stu
alton, and 1t is to be hoped they will
see the wisdom of making this desir-
able addition to the school and park
facilities of the city.
e. III. PULLMAN,
President,
Manor Park Citizens Association.