Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-19
CLARENDON VOTES
TO build FIRE HALL
Citizens Corporation Rejects
County Aid and Will Con-
struct Own House.
Epecial Dispatch TO The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
CLARENDON, Va. July 19.-De-
termination to erect a fireman's hail
In Clarendon without county aid was
last night registered rhen the Claren-
don Citizens Corporation. holding
company for the citizens association, in
special meeting. by vote of 7 to 4, de-
clined an offer of the board of super
visors to contribute equally with the
association the sum of $4,000 for such
q building.
Following defeat of the motion favor
ing acceptance of the proposition OF
the board. which was offered by John
=. Bushong. the meeting authorized the
appointment of a committee of three
to cooperate with like committee of
the Fire Department to purchase a
site for the proposed structure and TO
plan for its erection. Those assigned
to this task are A. !. Porter, chair
man: L. c. McNemar and H. B.
Mitchell.
Plan Rejected.
Pleas Of members favorable to the
boards offer that the building when
completed would be maintained by the
county and the citizens would be re-
lieved of all worries in this connection
were unavailing. .
Of the board to contribute to the con-
struction of the building had been pur-
posely kent from the minutes CT its
meeting and there was doubt in their
minds If the appropriation would ever
be made Resentment also was ex-
pressed at the reported attitude of the
board In insisting that the citizens
share of the cost Of construction should
be taken entirely from the proceeds of
l. - Yatl Il ,,.k
through solicitations of the Fire De-
partment in other communities which
Il serves.
Members pointed out that Community
Hall was sold with the idea of taking
the proceeds and erecting more mod
ern structure to house the civic actiVi-
ties of the town and expressed the view
that II half of the sum now in hand
was used for a f1rehouse the sum re-
manning would be insufficient to accom-
plish this purpose.
H. w. Beattie declared that it would
be just as sane to ask the civic bodies
of Ashton Heights and Lyon Park to
sell their community buildings and con-
tribute the money to the establishment
of a headquarters for the department
aS it is for the board to expect the
Clarendon citizens to take money raised
from the sale of its building and use it
In that way.
Question Boards Right.
"By what right has the board to tell
us how we shall spend out money!" L.
c. McNemar asked. They tell us that
we shall not go into other communities
and ask for aid and that the citizens
share shall come from the associations
Community Hall fund. The money
raised through the sals of old Com
munity Hall was put into the building
by the people of Clarendon when there
was but few scattered homes in Ash
ton Heights, only one in Lyon Village
and not many more in Lyon Park and
Aurora Heights. The newcomers in
these communities are getting the same
fire protection rs the people of Claren-
don. and 1t is only fair that they make
contributions to new home for the
Fire Department.
IF we donate $4,000 to the building
what are We going to do with the other
$4,000 of the Community Hall fund?
Gould we erect a community building to
provide ample space for an up-to-date
library and to house other civic &C.
tivities of Clarendon with that amount?
We cannot"
Mr.. McNemar also pointed out that
the citizens corporation was instituted
primarily to manage money intrusted
to its care to the best interests of the
citizens. and expressed the opinion that
1T would be illegal for the corporation
to give the money to the county, which,
he said, it would be doing if the money
we're put into building that would be
controlled by the county
This action of the corporation leaves
the matter where it was about a week
ago. when the organization donated
without reservations $4,000 to the Fire
for new home. At that
time the plan was to raise a $4,000
fund for the building: $4,000 from other
communities served by the department
and $4,000 out of county funds. Now
that the countys offer has been swept
aside. the corporation and f1remen will
continue with the first part of the plan,
that Of seeking aid in the other COM
munities.
Heads Of civic organizations in these
recently met to determine
what should be done in the matter, but
deferred action pending negotiations |
between the Clarendon citizens and the |
Board of Supervisors. With this phase !
Of the project closed it is expected that |
another meeting of the assoeia ton lead |
ers will be held in the near future.
NnIITlI AnAIIITrFn