Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-04-06
Municipal Recreation
Under School Board
Control Provided
Saving Of $4,000
Yearly Seen Under
D. c. Supply Bill Terms

y. -. SuPPIy Dill IeIWS
Transfer of the Municipal Play
ground Department and all its &C
tivities from the control of the Com
missioners to the Board of Education
is provided in the 1910 District
budget, reported today to the House.
The plan, developed after three
years of attempts to coordinate the
Districts play activities, now scat
tered among several agencies, would
save some $4,000 a year according
to calculations by public school au-
thorities.
Apparently the outdoor facilities
and fee programs under the Welfare
and Recreational Association of the
National Capital Parks Office will re-
main separate.
The transfer plan, the Collins
subcommittee reported, had the ap-
proval of the Board of Education
and the District Commissioners,
but in the case of the latter it was
second choice, for they had testi-
fed before the District Legislative
Committee they favored as a first
choice the merger of all play activi-
ties under a joint board similar to
the plan suggested by Griffenhagen
g. Associates in their plan for Dis
trict reorganization.
Details Not Written In.
Details of the partial consolida
ton plan. apparently, have been left
to the discretion of the Board OF
Education, probably subject to some
"gentlemens agreements" with the
appropriations group.
It appeared that the staff Of the
Playground Department, or most OF
it, would be preserved in the trans
fer, but probably with slash in the
salary of Miss Sibyl Baker. super
visor of the Playground Department
She now receives $4,000.
The job of Lewis r. Barrett, fol
three years assigned to the task Of
coordination of District recrea-
tional facilities without power tt
enforce any of his plans, apparently
also is preserved. but details of the
revised setup were not revealed. II
was said he still is lin the picture.
His $500 salary, it was revealed
still is carried under the appropria-
ton for National Capital Parks.
Presumably, Mrs. Elizabeth K
Peoples, director of the Community
Center Department of the public
schools, whose salary is fixed a,
$4,000, will remain in charge of this
phase of the consolidated program
Reports from some sources in
dicated that Birch Bayh. now d.
rector of health and physical edu'
cation for white schools under the
school board, was being considered
for appointment as assistant super
intendent of schools in charge OF
recreation. There were reports also
| that the co-ordinated program
would be handled under a new di-
vision to be known as the Depart
ment of Health, Physical Education
and Recreation of the Uublle
Schools. A plan offered by DR.
Frank w. Ballou. superintendent OF
schools, proposed salary OF $4,000
| for such a POSITION.
| The work of Mr.. Barrett as CO.
ordinator was supported in testi-
mony by Miss Baker, Arno B. Cam
merer, director of the National Park
Service; C. Marshal Finnan, super
intendent of National Capital Parks
and Thomas S. Settle, secretary OF
the National Capital Park and
Planning Commission.
At Chairman Collins request
Mr.. Barrett submitted to the sub
committee a proposed consolidation
of recreation under director OF
recreation somewhat SIMILAR to that
proposed in the Griffenhagen re-
organization plan. Mr. Barrett S
plan proposed to save S3l,584 out OF
the annual budgets of recreational
agencies in the city. This plan
would have consolidated admins
tration of the recreation system
under one head.
Savings Under Ballou Plan.
DR.. Ballou's proposed consolida-
ton affects only the community
centers and municipal Fairgrounds.
Savings under this plan would be
effected as follows:
l, Consolidation of personnel and
salary adjustment without, however
disseminating the services OF exist
ing employees.
2. Use of employees interchange
ably between the two types OF rec
reational project.
3. Continuace of the existing rec
reation services provided by the two
agencies throughout the year, but
no expansion to other sections of
the city.
q. Both directors are to be con-
tinued in service, but with modified
status and salaries.
S. Elimination of maintenance di-
vision employees of the two depart
ments where duplication would
exist.
6. Articulation of the programs of
the two departments to permit
steady 12-month service.
7. Use of the dual system as in
the schools.
At one point Mr.. Collins quizzed
Mr.. Barrett carefully on what he
had accomplished during his term
as co-ordinator. He asked Mr.. Bar
rett if he thought he earned his
salt" at a salary of $500 a year.
Mr.. Barrett answered in the af-
firmative and added he did not
think he had been able to make the
mint r;h,,tiop RI recreation work in