Evening star., 1939-07-14
Recreation Committee
Names Barrett Administrator
New Official to Speed
Work for More
Fairgrounds

The Districts new Recreation
Committee held its first meeting
today and appointed Lewis R. Bar
rett, District co-ordinator of recrea-
ton, as administrator of all super
vised recreation in the District. He
will work under the committees
supervision.
The appointment, as well as the
operation of the committee. are con-
tingent upon the passage of the
District appropriation bill in its
present form. The bill now provides
for merger of the Playground
Department with the Community
Center Department of the Board
of Education. under the joint con-
troll of the board and the Commits
Sioners.
Mr.. Barrett was Immediately
commissioned to draw a chart of
organization and financial details
of both personnel and facilities,
contemplating the fullest use of
every suitable playground in the
drive to keep children of the
streets. He was to consider in the
program w. P. A. offer to expand
the present recreation project from
about $50 to total of about 200
persons, who would be available as
supervisors on additional grounds to
be opened. He will also take into
consideration the offer of Police
Supt. Ernest w. Brown of eight
policemen temporarily unable to
take regular police assignments to
act as supervisors on grounds.
Work to Be Sped.
The committee indicated there
would be no change in the number
and operation of the grounds pend
ing Mr.. Barrett's report, but made
it clear to Mr.. Barrett that speed
was essential. The new admins
traitor estimated plans would be
ready some time next week.
c. Melvin Sharpe, School Board
member of the committee and the
boards representative on two
man subcommittee to handle rou-
tine problems of the new recreation
administration, told Commissioner
Melvin C. HaZen that when the ap-
preparation bill is passed it was
planned to house the whole recrea-
ton organization in the old Force
School on Massachusetts, avenue be-
tween Seventeenth and Eighteenth
streets NV. The school was
abandoned for. classroom purposes
| this year.
The committee announced Mr..
Barrett would have the aid and CO.
operation of all the school officials
and of the Playground Department
but Just what and how many ad-
ditional Fairgrounds will be opened
or when they will be opened will
depend on Mr.. Barrett's report.
Appointment No Surprise.
There are now more than 60 school
Fairgrounds open and more than 40
municipal Fairgrounds under the
Playground Department. Officers in
charge of these will serve under Mr..
Barrett's supervision.
Mr.. Barrett's appointment as ad-
ministrator under the new COM
mittee came as no surprise as it had
been understood that the approval
of the House and Senate conferees
of the controversial merger of the
Playground Department with the
Community Center Department con-
templated using him in the director
capacity.
Meanwhile as sponsors agent for
the w. P. A. recreation project, his
Office has been interviewing appli-
cants for the additional so positions
authorized by the Bureau of the
Budget in the project. An especially
high type of supervisor is available
on these lists for the colored grounds,
Mr.. Barrett said, majority being
college graduates.
Those attending the committee
session this morning were Commis-