Evening star., 1936-09-10
Satisfactory Surfacing for
Recreation Areas Is
Urged in Report.
SWIMMING FACILITIES
DEVELOPMENT SOUGHT
Subcommittee Also Favors Light.
ing of Downtown Areas for
Use at Night.

flduIllIlS OOuluLSStOl IldS cApCllOCu
S3,700,0OO acquiring land in Washing
ton for playground and recreational
facilities, providing 16 new areas and
extending 10 existing areas, many in
connection with school grounds, II
was revealed in a report of special
subcommittee of the District Recrea-
ton Committee made public today.
The subcommittee. known as the
Co-ordinating Planning Committee
headed by Lewis r. Barrett, the Dis
trict's co-ordinator of recreation
urged that a satisfactory surfacing
for Fairgrounds be developed; the
dual use of school buildings for school
and recreational purposes; develop
ment of a satisfactory system OF
swimming facilities, and intensive use
of downtown areas through night
illumination.
"If funds could be provided fol-
preparation Of development plans fol
areas in advance of the ALLEGATION OF
funds for actual construction work
1t would contribute to greater eff
cheney and economy as well as expe-
dite the development" the committee
said.
Surfacing Is Problem.
Developing a satisfactory surfac-
Ing for Fairgrounds is a problem in
Washington, as it is in every other
city in the United States. The COM
mittee early undertook an exhaustive
study of this problem with the hope
that it could find type Of surfacing
with, the necessary hardness to de-
crease maintenance costs,s sufficient
resiliency to prevent injuries. and
make it practical for Washington.
This study has advanced to the
stage of putting down some expert
mental surfaces for testing and OBJ
servation Cat Peabody School.
THE dual use of school buildings
for school and recreational purposes
upon which the Proposed Recreation
System Plan for the District of Co
1umbia has been predicatsd. creates
the practical problem of constructing
new school buildings with this dual
use in mind and adapting the old
buildings to this use. The enormous
saving which will accrue to the tax
payers in city the size Of Washing.
ton through finding practical ways tt
surmount the difficulties involved ir
this dual use as against the construc-
tion of separate buildings for rec
reational purposes is of sufficient i'm
portance to demand the best effort;
and cooperation of all concerned.
THE committee has undertaken this
problem and expects from time to
time to present its findings and recon-
mendations with respect to specific
buildings.
THE development of a satisfactory
system of swimming facilities to meet
the needs of the people of Washing
ton presents certain basic problems
Initial Cost Is Large.
Modern standards for outdoor
swimming pool and bath house con-
struction are such as to demand a
large outlay of money for the initial
cost of construction as we'll as for
maintenance and operation. When it
Is considered that such facilities can
be operated not to exceed three
months of the year, it becomes ques-
tionable as to the number of such
plants which community may right
fully be expected to support. The
possibility Of supplementing a few,
well-located, outdoor pools serving
large geographic districts, with a
system Of indoor pools, located possibly
in connection with the junior and
senior high schools of the city, where
swimming instruction and limited
community use may be extended
throughout the IL months of the
year, is a problem which the COM
mittee feels is worthy of considera-
ton. Accordingly. this problem is
under study by the committee at this
time
"The cost of acquiring improved
central and most congested sections
of the city, and the necessarily
limited areas which can thus be made
available, justify special efforts to
obtain more intensive use of these
areas such as might be provided
through lighting for night use. The
committee has given some study to
this matter and expects to continue
its study looking forward to the
making Of recommendations on. spe-
cific areas"
Barrett emphasized that the COM
mittee is without binding authority
and was organized with the permis-
sion Of the District Recreation Com
mittee.
The plans laid down in the report
are to form the basis of future Works
Progress Administration and Public
Works Administrations activity, as far
As recreational areas are concerned
Barrett explained.