The Washington times., 1931-05-09
u S. Budget Slash Held Unlik ely to Affect Capital
BOWMAN CALLS
FAIRGROUNDS
INADEQUATE
Many Children Hurt Yearly
Due to Lack Of Recreation
Space, P. T. A. Leader Says

Due to Lack of Recreation
Space, P. T. A. Leader Says
Contracts for construction ~
two school building projects
have been awarded by the Dis
trict Commissioners.
The contract for the erection
of the new Alexander Shepherd
School, Fourteenth Street and
KaImia Road Northwest, was
awarded to the LOudOn-R Rust
Company, of this city, which
submitted a low bid of S95,665.
The T. T. Taylor Company.
also of this city, was given
contract to erect an eight.rOOm
addition to the Ben w. MurCh
School, Thirty-Sixth and EllicOtt
Streets Northwest. The firm
submitted a low bid of $86,52O.
proper Fairgrounds and ad
Gquate areas for school chill
dren at play are not provided
by District officials. The need
for such grounds should be at
tended to Immediately.
MANY children are MANNED
every year because they have
not sufficient Fairgrounds in
which to participate in games
both during and after school
hours.
THE safety Of Washington
children depends upon adequate
facilities being provided"
MudhOIeS To Play In
This statement was made by
George Bowman. president of the
Abbott Parent Teachers Associa-
ton and a member of the board
of Langley Junior High School.
who added:
"The Fairgrounds at CoIur,-
Sia Junior High School, in
which the students of Abbott
now attend classes, are mud
holes that are a disgrace to the
city, as we'll as being extremely
poor places for the children to
play"
The Fairgrounds at Columbia
were in such a bad condition
yesterday that little girls playing
with basketball frequently found
it necessary to wade through
mud almost to their shoetops to
retrieve the ball.
Boys playing in the larger yard
at the school were trying to run
bases with pounds of sticky mud
clinging to their shoes. 1t could
hardly be said that a good time
was had by all-especially The
mothers struggling to keep both
their children and tReir homes
clean.
Some Improvement PIanaed
Officials, it has been announced,
plan to have the grounds of
number of schools improved. in
Guiding the grounds at Langley
Junior High School.
The older schools. however. arc
not included in the favored list
for improvements.
Among those mentioned to re-
ceive immediate attention were:
Oyster, Langdon, Paul Junior
High, Van Buren, ii. d. Cook.
Military Road, Webb, Buchanan,
Gage, Mott, WOrmley. Hine
Junior High, Bowen, Emery and
Ketcham.
Requests for improvements at
a number of the older schools
have been made by Parent
Teacher Associations, but with
little or no effect.
The Blake School. North Capt.
tol Street between K and L, is an
other where improvement of tha
playground is an immediate ne,
ceSSity.
Conditions Condemned
Conditions at the Blake School
have been condemned by the Cen
tral Citizens Association and the
Board of Education charged b.
that body of neglect of the duty
to take action to remedy the sill
uation.
The Central Citizens AssoCia-
tion, nearly six months ago, madc
formal complaint of broken
and unwaShed windows, improper
ventilation, lack of adequate light
ing. unclean conditions inside the
building and DETACHMENT of the
exterior of the building by star,
IlngS and natural forces.
On January 5, Superintendent
OF Schools Frank w. Ballou rc.
piled by letter to the compliant.
ignoring everything but the Dr.
faced exterior. He said the ian
itor had been instructed to shoe
the starlingS away.
Committee Is Named
Aroused by the failure OF the
Board of Education to act, the
Central Citizens Association has
appointed committee to appear
before the education committee
OF the Federation of Citizens AS
sociation, with a view toward con-
solidating civic organizations IN
determined drive for improve
ment Of the sad condition OF Dis