Evening star., 1939-07-29
Barrett Required
To Recommend Top
Personnel Monday
Committee to Consider
Plan to Fit in Lower
Bracket Aides Also

Recreation Director Lewis r. Bar
rett was faced today with drawing
up recommendations for permanent
personnel in the top positions of his
recreation reorganization plan with
in the next two days.
This was made clear yesterday
after third meeting of Mr.. Barrett
with subcommittee of the District
Recreation Board composed of Com
missioner David McCoach and
School Board Member c. Melvin
Sharpe.
Mr.. Barrett is to bring in the rec
concentrations, along with a plan
for fitting existing personnel into
positions in the lower brackets of a
new recreation setup, for the ap-
proval Of the entire District Recrea-
ton Board Monday morning. Other
members Of the Board of Commits
sioners, Melvin c. Hazen and George
E. Allen: Mrs Henry Grattan Doyle,
president of the Board of Education,
and John H. Wilson, senior colored
member Of the Board of Education.
Obviously, however, all existing
personnel cannot retain their pres
ent salaries as there is $4,000 less
appropriation fer recreation pur-
poses than in the past.
Law Complicates Solution.
The recreation reorganization pic
ture Is now muddled by the fact that
the positions and salaries of the di-
rector OF community centers, the
two general community center Sec
retaries and the 10 community Sec
retaries cannot be altered in any
way as they are specifically exempted
by the current District of Columbia
Appropriation Act as coming under
the Teachers Salary Act of 1924.
Because of this, it became appar-
ent that any reorganization effected
at present would be largely make
shift. Complete reorganization Of
the old order on a streamlined and
efficient basis cannot be accom-
plished until legislation is passed
exempting these positions from ap-
plication of the Teachers Salary
Act.
The fact that a director of COM
munity centers must be fitted into
the new recreation picture has in
creased the speculation that Miss
Sibyl Baker, former director of play
grounds, will be given this post di-
rectly subordinate to Mr.. Barrett
and directly over four assistant di-
rectors.
Streamlining Handicapped.
When recreation reorganization
first was started under the District
Of Columbia act two weeks ago it
was believed in some quarters that
perhaps the setup would be made
more efficient as to personnel as well
as to positions. 1t does not now ap-
pear likely that this will be the case
in that all existing personnel are
to be taken care of and l3 of the
positions supposedly up for reor-
ganization cannot be reorganized
until new legislation is enacted.
Col. McCoach, after Yesterdays
meeting, declined to say where tn.
director of community centers
would fit into the new picture or
where other positions would be
placed. So far the only part of the
new plan which has been placed on
the record by the Engineer Com
missioner has been that of having
four assistant directorships directly
under Mr. Barrett in charge of
white and colored sections.
This plan would give the colored
population considerably more say in
recreation matters than heretofore,
and there are indications that the
colored population has indorsed this
feature unanimously.