Evening star., 1940-08-01
Planners Buy
Park Addition
OF II Acres
Virtual Completion
Of Playground Site
Also Announced

The National Capital Park and
its two-day midsummer meeting
today, announced the purchase of
a 17-acre addition to Rock Creek
Park and virtual completion of a
site for the sought midcity
playground.
The park addition consists of
small stream in valley stretching
to the park proper east of Connec-
ticut avenue NV. near the Bureau
of Standards. 1t is covered with
fine timber.
Norman C. Brown, the commits
sion's associate land purchasing Of
ficer and appraiser, who announced
the purchases, said negotiations for
land for the midcity playground,
sought for many years by citizens
and social service groups, has
reached a stage where it will be
necessary to condemn not more
than two or three properties out of
a total of so being acquired.
The playground property is
bounded by o. P and Fifth streets
and New Jersey avenue NV. This
section of the city has the highest
death rate and the greatest per-
centage of juvenile delinquency.
Other Purchases.
Other land purchases announced
by Mr.. Brown were:
A naddition to Fort Reno Recrea-
ton Center which will greatly facili-
tate the eventual development of the
area.
An addition to the Congress
Heights Playground in Southeast
Washington.
Additions to the Watts Branch
Parkway near Division avenue IN
Northeast Washington.
This afternoon the commissions
attention was to be directed pri-
marily to discussion of various plans
for an emergency public building
program to meet national defense
needs. John Nolen, jr., the commits
sions director of planning, said,
however. that little would be re-
vealed AS to the nature Of this pro-
gram.
Also this afternoon the commission
the development of East Capitol
street from the Capitol to the Ana
costa River, with special emphasis
on traffic problems. Several studies
relative to traffic problems which are
present along the eastern axis of the
city or which might be created there
by future public and semipublic
building expansion have been pre-
pared for the use of the commission
by District Traffic Director William
Van Duzer.
Heating Plant to Be Considered.
Other important matters to be
considered by the commission today
we're the problem of locating west
central heating plant to serve build
ings in the so-called Northwest Rec
tangle, particularly the national de-
fense buildings; the problem of ex-
tending Independence avenue S.W.
to the Potomac River without dis
turbing the present contours of the
Tidal Basin, with emphasis on the
question of removing the Tital Basin
boathouse: progress made to date
on survey being carried on which is
to result in drastic changes in the
zoning map of the District and
report by Thomas S. Settle, COM
mission secretary, on the status OF
legislation affecting the commission
work
Tomorrow morning the commits
sions spotlight will be thrown on
District highway improvements
planned for the immediate future as
members dissect plans, final, revised,
preliminary and otherwise, for:
The grade separation planned for
Fourteenth street and Maine ave-
nue. S.W.
Widening Project Up.
The widening of Massachusetts,
avenue NV. between Rock Creek
Park and Wisconsin avenue.
Reconstruction of the emergency
pumphouse Immediately below Mas
sachusetts avenue on the Rock Creek
and Potomac Parkway, which is in
the way of realigning the parkway
to end the bottleneck now existing
at Massachusetts avenue.
Plans for transit service to new
Government buildings, the Social
Security and Railroad Retirement
Board Buildings, in Southwest sec
ton.
Revisions in plans for Fort drive.
Also to be taken up tomorrow
morning are plans for the Alley
Dwelling Authority's Alabama ave-
nue. Sc. project and series of rou-
tine land transfers and ION paper"
, street closings.
Tomorrow afternoon the commits
sion is scheduled to concentrate
attention on the George Washington
Memorial Parkway. First it is to
consider contracts for the purchase
of land in Montgomery and Arling-
ton Counties to continue the park
way right of way toward Great Falls.
Then it is to consider a preliminary
plan for the extension of the park
way from Fort Foote to Fort WASH
ington in Prince Georges County
and plans to unravel traffic difficult
ties which exist where the Mount
Vernon Memorial highway masses