Evening star., 1938-12-16
Planners Vote
Fight for Unified
Park System
Recreation Program
Under One Control
Seen 30% Better

The National Capital Park ane
Planning Commission today votec
to continue the fight for establish.
ment of a unified recreational sys.
tenn for the District of Columbia
The commission also will cooperate
with the District Commissioners ir
their efforts to obtain a Nationa
Guard armory, continue cleaning uE
of Washington slum areas and tt
develop the Fort Drive, it was voted
The unified recreational system
approved by presidential commit.
tee headed by Frederic A. Delano
chairman of the Park and Planning
Commission, is expected to increase
the efficiency of maintaining Fed.
eral and District recreational ia.
cilities. Members of the commits
sion believe that results could be
increased by at least 80 per cent
with the same expenditure of funds
under the unified plan. Details o1
legislation to be submitted to Con.
gress will be approved at the com.
missions January meeting.
The commission will seek fund.
for the development of the For
drive, connecting Civil War fortifi.
cations from Chain Bridge to Rocl
Creek Park, during the coming ses.
sion of Congress. A committee COM
posed of Chairman Delano, Vict
Chairman Arno P. Cammerer, 1t
Col. David McCoach, the District
Engineer Commissioner, and c
Marshall Finnan, superintendent o1
National Capital Parks, was ap.
pointed to carry on the campaign
for the funds for the drive.
Laboratory Approved.
The commission approved plans
for construction of a new expert
mental laboratory for the Bureau OF
Standards in the bureau grounds
near Van Ness street NV.
Plans for further development OF
Fort Dupont Park and of a con-
Meeting park link between that park
and the Anacostia parkway also
were approved.
The completed plans will make
Fort Dupont Park second only to
Rock Greek in size, with a total of
425 acres. Plans call for immediate
construction by Civilian Conserva-
tion Corps workers of a golf course
from Fort Dupont down hill through
the connecting parkway to Anacos-
tia Park and back to Fort Dupont.
This Is expected to be one of the
best courses in the city.
The commission also approved
plans for development of the large
recreational center at Thomas JEFF
ferson Junior High School. Tennis
courts and facilities for volley ball,
basket ball, field hockey and softball
will be- provided. a.
B Street Development.
The commission acted yesterday
to guarantee the future development
OF B street Sc. as a monumental
extension Of independence avenue.
Under these plans, independence
avenue eventually will be developed
from the Anacostia River, east of
the Capitol, to the Washington
Monument grounds on approx
mately the same scale as Constitu-
ton avenue.
To insure against encroachment
on the right-of-way east of the
Capitol, the commission approved
an addition to the District Jail with
public works funds only on condi-
ton that it should be so designed
as not to interfere with the future
development of Independence ave-
nue. into the great sports center
proposed in Anacostia Park.
The commission approved plans
for the construction with public
works funds of a heating plant for
Gallinger Municipal Hospital, clear
Ing the way for this much-needed
project.
Plans for an administration
building at the District Training
School for Boys also were approved
by the commission.
Sewer Project Approved.
Approval also was given to the
proposed McComb street sewer di-
vorcement plan presented by the
District Sewer Department. Plans
for an extensive Rock Greek sewer
diversion plan intended to eliminate
the last of the pollution of this park
stream were considered but were
referred back to District officials
and to G. Marshall Finnan, superin-
tendent of National Capital Parks
for more detailed study.
The commission gave its approval
to final plans for street and side
walk developments in the northern
half of the District Municipal Gen.
ter. Construction of a double
administration building for the
District Government with District
and public works funds is about te
begin in this area. The plans were
presented by Capt. H. G. White
hurst, head of the District Depart
ment of Streets and Highways, and
John Nolen. ir- director of r,1anniy,o