Evening star., 1937-02-04
JEFFERSON SCHOOL
NEED IS PRESSING,
COLLINS BELIEVES
Junior High Building Most
important in Supply Bill,
He Thinks.
SUBCOMMITTEE SEES
TWO PROPOSED SITES
Chairman Thinks Land for New
Structures Should Have Been
Purchased Earlier.

Construction of a new Jefferson
Junior High School in Southwest
Washington Is the most important
school item proposed in the 1888 Dis
trict supply bill. in the opinion Of
Chairman Collins of the House Dis
trict Appropriations Subcommittee.
Something certainly should be done
to relieve conditions there" Collins
said today after he and two other
members Of the subcommittee inspect
ed two sites under consideration for
the proposed new building. The pres
ent Jefferson School. at Sixth and D
streets southwest, is located near rail-
road tracks, and the smoke and noise
Of the trains handicap the work of
the students, it was pointed out by
school officials, who accompanied the
legislators on an extensive tour
At the same time Collins said he Is
opposed to building the new school on
the proposed site at Seventh and I
streets southwest. He indicated he
would favor construction on land ad-
jacent to the present building at Sixth
and School streets. This site, he said,
would not be too near the railroad
tracks.
Failed to Look Ahead"
After inspecting other sites proposed
for new schools and Fairgrounds, and
school buildings for which appropria-
tions have been recommended in the
1888 budget, Collins said:
Its too bad that all the money the
District has spent for schools in the
last two years wasn't used a few years
earlier. when land was so much cheap
er. 1t seems to me We have failed to
look ahead and plan for the future"
Supt. of Schools Frank w. Ballou
was unable to accompany the group
on its tour because of illness. Robert
L. Haycock. first assistant superin-
tendent of schools; DR.. H. A. Smith,
assistant superintendent. and Garnet
C. Wilkinson, first assistant superin-
tendent, led the inspection trip.
Nathan c. Wyeth. municipal archi-
test, and Capt. H. S. Bishop, Assistant
Engineer Commissioner. also made the
tour with Collins and Representatives
Starnes. Democrat, OF Alabama. and
Engel, Republican, of Michigan.
Lenox Site Visited.
The group also visited the site pro-
posed for new school to replace the
present Lenox Vocational School, to
be erected on Potomac avenue between
Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets
southeast.
Other schools and proposed school
sites inspected were the Bundy
School, on o street between Third
and Fourth streets; Grimke School,
Vermont avenue; Banneker Play
ground, site OH Concord avenue
for proposed grade school, site for
proposed new Margaret Murray Wash
ington vocational school. the site OF
proposed new Takoma High School,
the Shepherd School and a site at
Fourteenth and S streets.
A plan whereby the District would
sell it's present Jail building and use
the funds derived in the construction
of new Jail on another site owned
by the District was suggested yester-
day by Chairman Collins after he and
other members of the subcommittee
had inspected the present institution.
Agree New Site Needed.
Collins agreed with Thomas NJ
Rives, Jail superintendent, that the
present structure is inadequate to
meet present needs. Rives believes a
new building should be constructed
on a new site because of the proximity
of the present structure to the ex-
panding residential areas in that
vicinity. He has suggested as site
District-owned property at Blue
Plains.
Collins said he couldn't see much
chance for the District to get an
appropriation for this project very
soon because of its present financial
situation.
Rives explained to his visitors that,
because of overcrowded conditions,
many prisoners are forced to sleep
on mattresses on the floors. He point
ed out any sort of an epidemic would
be extremely dangerous under such
conditions. He feels new building
with a capacity Of 1000 is needed to