Evening star., 1939-07-20
Barrett Opens
-Four More
Fairgrounds
Grounds Will Not Go
Into Use Until
Roin Stops
(Picture ON page Az

-Four additional school Fairgrounds
were officially opened today by Lewis
R. Barrett, director of recreation for
the District.
The grounds, together with all
others where no shelter houses exist,
however, were not to go into use
until the rain stopped. Mr.. Barrett
SAID this had always been estab-
Hshed practice on all grounds.
Three of the four were selected
from list of ten possibilities he had
compiled after consultation with the
Community Center Department, the
opening of which, in the light of a
comprehensive official traffic survey.
would be of some advantage. The
other was not on the list made public
yesterday, but was added when it was
learned that one of the ten was al
ready open under the voluntary su-
pervlsion of the principal of the
school in question.
The four opening today are at the
Harrison School. Thirteenth and V
streets NV; the Cleveland School.
Eighth and T streets NV: the
Grimke School, Vermont avenue be-
tween T and U streets NV. and the
Bundy School. 429 o street NV, The
latter is the one not already on Mr..
Barrett's list of TO- The Bundv
School building is obsolete and is
now IN use as school storehouse. 1t
mas, however limited grounds suita-
BILE in a measure for the use of
younger children.
Mr.. Barrett ordered the opening
OF the Bundy School grounds when
he learned that the principal of the
Gales School, Massachusetts avenue
and G street NV. had thrown its
grounds open to play under her su-
perviSion.
Citizens Break Open Gate.
Last night group of citizens.
evidently bent on formulating
spectacular solution to recreation
problems as regard traffic safety,
broke open gate to the grounds of
''iN "NDb SSlIOOI, lltSeIlH dIO
RoSedale streets NE.
Mrs. Florence H. Rogers. SUPER
Vlslng principal of schools in the
area, Including the Webb. said TODAY
little damage had been done to the
school or its grounds. She said
that entering the school grounds
evidently was done by adults who
had placed a sign written in black
crayon on cardboard on the school
gate which said, in effect, that the
rights OF citizens were being violated
by refusal to open more school
grounds as a traffic safety measure.
Mrs. Rogers said she was in ia.
vor OF opening as many grounds as
seemed advisable and had so rec
commended to the Board of Edu-
cation before. but she said she could
not open the grounds unless they are
supervised.
Mr.. Barrett has contended that
grounds already open are available
to children within a quarter-mile
radius and that the number and
spacing of open grounds therefore
has little bearing on their efficacy
as traffic safety measure. In this
case Mr.. BaTrett's contention is
supported by the fact that the Rose
dale Playground, at Seventeenth
and Rosedale streets NE. only two
blocks away, is already open. The
Rosedale Playground is an area of
several acres while the Webb School
grounds are decidedly small.
Others May Open Soon.
Other schools whose grounds may
De opened soon. providing enough ad-
ditional w. P. A. supervisors are
available, are Curtis, Smallwood,
Ambush, Bryan, Wormley and Bell
Schools. Six w. P. A. supervisors
were obtained today by reshuffling
of existing W. P. A. personnel to take
charge of the four newly opened
grounds Two supervisors will be
placed at the Cleveland and Bundy
Schools, while Harrison and Grimke
Schools will have one supervisor
each. Mr.. Barrett said.
Meanwhile Is additional w. p. A.
supervisors were available today un-
der a proposed project to add so
additional supervisors to present rec
reation personnel. Mr. Barrett said
he did not know how soon the other
IS would be available.
The Is, he said, would be used to
enlarge the supervisory staff at nine
play areas in need of more super
vision. The nine are areas in Lin
coin, Franklin. Stanton and CALM
ger Parks. Burroughs, Rosedale and
Garfield Fairgrounds and Randall
and Banneker Recreation Centers.
Mr.. Barrett reiterated his stand
today that the major remedy for
child traffic accidents is safety edu-
cation and that Fairgrounds are af-
fected in the problem mainly insofar
as their power to attract children
is concerned.
Seeks to Better Programs.
He said that as soon as reorgani-
zation of the District recreation set
up is effected he would bend his
efforts to bettering the caliber of
playground programs and to seeking
improvement funds to better the
physical characteristics of the areas.
The recreation system as it exists,
from the standpoint of number and
spacing of areas. is virtually ade-
quate. in his opinion. Because added
school Fairgrounds for the use of
small children would be of value to
a certain extent in congested areas
he is opening those designated to-
day and may open additional areas,
providing enough w. P. A. assistance
is available.
Steps to inaugurate traffic safety
education already have been taken
by leading colored citizens in the
neighborhood of Banneker Recrea-
ton Center on Georgia avenue. The
citizens there, Mr. Barrett said to-
day. are preparing to recommend
that traffic safety games be played
at the center and at neighboring
areas and that parents be instructed
in safety rules.