Evening star., 1939-07-16
RecreationHead
To Announce
Plans Soon
Work May Be Shared
By 5 Administrative
Assistants

IN the recreation field attention
was focused today on the organiza-
ton plans which Recreation Director
Lewis r. Barrett is expected to place
before the new District Recreation
Committee within the next few days
covering the operation of all super
vised play in the District.
M. Barrett would give no hint as
Just what setup he will suggest to
the group, but observers were in
clined to believe it will bear some
resemblance to the proposed consoli-
dated budget which he submitted
last winter TO the House Subcom-
mittee on Appropriations.
In this he contemplated dividing
the work among five administra-
tive assistants at average basic sal
aries of $1,000 each. Providing all
year around leadership were to be
seven supervising recreation direc-
tors, 20 senior playground direc-
tors, 10 playground directors, 20 as
sistant playground directors and Is
playground assistants. In addition
he planned about A temporary play
ground directors and assistants
There would be seven clerks.
Some changes in this plan would
naturally result from the fact that
recreation has been allowed S255 1920
while Mr.. Barrett's budget called for
S362,171 1t was also planned to in
clude the recreation division of the
National Capital Parks Office, which
is not merged in the present setup
$4,000 Saving Seen.
Mr.. Barrett, incidentally, predicted
an organization such as he suggest
ed in the hearings would save more
than 100000 1t would appear that
Congress deducted this amount from
the former Playground Department
estimates when transferring its ap-
preparation to the Community Cen
ter Department. Playground De-
partment estimates for personal serv-
Ice, part-time employees and repairs
totaled something more than $780,
600, but only $152,700 was trans
ferred.
The old Force School on Massa-
chusetts avenue between Seven
teenth and Eighteenth streets NV
will probably be the headquarters
of the new organization as soon as
1t is developed by Mr.. Barrett and
approved by the committee At any
rate Supt. Frank w. Ballou is def
nitely Withholding disposition of the
abandoned building in case it is re-
quired for this purpose.
Meanwhile, Mr. Barrett planned
to confer with the Commissioners
tomorrow on number of part-time
appointments for summer operation
of the Fairgrounds. Many of these,
he explained, were selected in June
and have served since the first of
July but must be appointed legally
to get their pay under the long
delayed District budget.
Holds Conferences.
He conferred yesterday with Mrs
Elizabeth K. Peoples, director of the
Community Center Department. and
Miss Sibyl Baker, supervisor of the
former Playground Department, on
the question of opening additional
Fairgrounds. At the same time it
was announced Mrs. Peoples had
been transferred by the Board of
Education to be principal of the
E. V. Brown School in Chevy Chase
D. c., effective in the fall
Although the National Capital
Parks are not included in the mer-
ger, the Office will cooperate 100
per cent" to work with Mr.. Barrett S
new setup when it is ready, a Ma
tional Park Service spokesman said
yesterday.
This statement came from A. E
Demarey, acting director of the Ma
tional Park Service in the absence
of Director Arno B. Cammerer, to
back up statement made by Frank
T. Gartside, acting superintendent of
National Capital Parks, that "the
line drawn between the recreational
activities and areas of his office and
those of the director of recreation
Is a paper line only"
Cooperation Planned.
Mr.. Demarey said that a working
plan would be formulated in which
the relief and regular labor of the
National Capital Parks Office and
the resources of the new District
recreation setup would be pooled in
effect and that each would take on
the work best suited to it.
AS matters stand at present the
recreation system as envisioned by
the Park and Planning Commission
is the worst for lack of development
funds as we'll as additional funds
for land acquisition in areas where
the park and planners are barely
able to stay "one jump ahead of land
spectators" in the words of John
Nolen, jr., director of planning.
Under the new setup recreation
officials will be in better position
to ask Congress for sadly needed
funds to develop the actual physical
aspects of the system, such as plant
Ing, playground surfaces, apparatus
courts, fields, pools. field houses and
field house facilities within school
buildings.