Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-06
PLAYGROUND SUPERVISOR ASKS
7 COL. GRANTS AID FOR FUNDS
Mrs. Susie r. Rhodes Makes
Plea at Columbia Heights
Citizens Meeting.
Head of Park Commission
Discusses Needs Along
Upper 18th Street.

Characterizing the Fairgrounds in
the District as shabby and worn out
and asserting she is ashamed of them
Mrs. Susie Root Rhodes, supervisor OF
Fairgrounds for the District, made q
direct plea to Lieut.. Col. U. S. Grant
Sd. to seek additional funds for play
ground purposes. at a meeting of the
Columbia Heights Citizens Association
in the Columbia Heights Christian
Church last night.
Mrs. Rhodes plea was made from the
platform at the meeting with Col. Grant
seated next to her. It followed an ad-
dress by Col. Grant, who, as superin-
tendent of public buildings and public
parks in the National Capital and the
executive officer of the National Capt.
tai Park and Planning Commission had
told of some of the problems of those
organizations and mentioned some of
the handicaps due to lack of appropria-
tionS. A few minutes before he had
presented certificates in behalf of the
Columbia Heights Citizens Association
to the winners of a better lawns con-
test conducted by that body during the
Summer.
Stresses Playground Needs.
After expressing approval of efforts
of Col. Grant in the past to obtain APP
preparations for Fairgrounds and de-
claring she believed she has always APP
proved of everything he has done, Mrs.
Rhodes took occasion to stress the need
ground purposes.
I'VE haven't as many Fairgrounds as
we need and we haven't opened some
we have. There are not any in Column
bia Heights. The Fairgrounds are shabby
and WORKOUT and I am ashamed Of
them" Mrs. Rhodes said. She then
told Of the operation of Fairgrounds as
well as can be done under the circum-
stances and stressed their advantages.
Mrs. Rhodes also stressed the need Of
more swimming pools and suggested
that swimming be made compulsory for
graded school pupils because of the
physical benefits to be derived from
swimming.
, Col Grant had spoken in a general
/ way of the need of certain develop
ments along upper Sixteenth street and
some of the difficulties encountered. He
declared the Piney Branch Valley
"offers a real hydraulic problem"
pointing out that more and more water
is drained in to the valley faster than
before as additional streets are paved,
developed and drained into the valley.
Some work will have to be done in
the valley, he said, to keep it from
being washed out.
Col Grant also asserted that the
lack of adequate crosstown streets in
the Columbia Heights section offers "a
real traffic problem in the section.
Prize Winners Rewarded.
The following winners in the better
lawns contest, in charge of committee
of the association headed by j. Clinton
Hiatt, were presented the certificates
of award by Col. Grant:
First award, J.. L. Grand, 1901 Har-
ward street; second, John Crilly, 5000
Thirteenth street; third, Louis p. Gatti,
3517 Sixteenth street; fourth, John
KalivretenoS, 1341 Girard street, and
fifth, M. j. Silverman, 1900 Randolph
street.
The committee also reported that the
entire stretch on the south side OF
Spring road between Fourteenth and
Fifteenth streets, schools, lawns and
Meridian Hill Park were deserving Of
special mention.
The association adopted q resolution
urging that one of three methods be
employed in the transfer of real estate
with view to preventing loss to limo
cent purchasers" of securities where
overcapitalizaticn ard excess values
have been brought about through GER
tain real estate operations.
The three recommendations, as made
by the associations committee on tax
alton, Harley v. Speelman, chairman,
were as follows:
/. That the assessed value with date