Evening star., 1937-12-17
RESERVOIR SITE
TO Be. CONVERTED
TO TENNIS COURTS
is to Be Constructed at
Sixteenth Street Location
at Cost Of $121,00O.
200 MEN TO BEGIN
WORK ON MONDAY
W. P. A. to Build Them-Funds
Not Available to Complete
the Entire Project.
The long debated question of whether

The long debated question Of whether
to convert the old Sixteenth Street
Reservoir into sunken garden or use
the property for recreational purposes
was definitely ended today with the
! beginning Of construction work which
will result in establishment of Is addi-
tional tennis courts there.
| The Fine Arts Commission yester-
day approved generally the plans for
the project. Temporarily at least, the
existing tennis courts will remain, but
ultimate plans call for their re-
location, construction Of a field house,
baseball diamond, soccer field and the
setting aside of areas where football,
softball and lacrosse may be played.
The work will be done as District
Works Progress Administration project
under the supervision Of the Once Of
National Capital Parks. Construction
OF the additional tennis courts is ex-
pected to cost about s121 900.
Work to Start Monday.
1t Is planned that some 200 men
will begin work Monday and probably
| about $50 will be given work in all
on the present job. The workmen will
be selected from the eligible lists certi-
fed by the District Public Assistance
Division, it was announced by Otto
Cass, deputy District w. P. A. admin
istrator. They will be paid the COM
mon labor wage of s48 a month, he
said. The real work drive probably
will not be started until Wednesday or
Thursday. Mr.. Cass said.
First, he said, permit will have to
be obtained for permission TO blast the
walls. Later the two deep pits former
ly used as reservoirs will be filled in
and the surface graded. Just how long
it will take to complete the courts
is not known yet.
C. Marshall Finnan, superintendent
of National Capital parks, under whose
supervision the project will be carried
out, made it clear today that no funds
at present are available for any work
beyond the grading. The plans call
for the reduction of half the present
| height of the pits, he said. e2-sA
Mr.. Finnan declared the plans have
received Endorsement OF officers Of
the various citizens associations in
the area to be served by the recreation
| center.
Some Have Objected.
| Probably the first suggestion of con-
verting the old reservoir into a recre-
| ational grounds was in 1924. when
Engineer Commissioner James F. Bell
recommended the site for municipal
structure or city athletic stadium some
two years before the reservoir was
abandoned as water storage plant
Members of about six citizens asso-
Citations whose territory would be
served by such project have been
recommending its use as a swimming
pool, playground, sunken garden and
other things since that time
Strong objection was voiced by the
neighboring residents who claimed
conversion of this site into recrea-
| tional project would result in de-
valuation of their property. They
protested further that boisterousness
and much noise would accompany
such project.
Additional recreational sites and
facilities have long been petitioned for
by such groups as the Columbia
Heights Citizens Association, Petworth
Citizens Association and Citizens
Forum of Columbia Heights. Besides
these, several other organizations have
long contended such an outlet for the
energy OF youth would help reduce de-
linquency in these areas.