Evening star., 1940-03-31
District Agency
To Direct Most
Park Recreation
Transfer Is Step
Toward Unifying
Public System

COIuuIlu D. IOScTS, dCtlIlS super.
tntendent of National Capital Parks,
announced yesterday that a ma
jority of the park recreational
facilities in the District have been
turned over to the District Com
munity Center and Playground De-
partment as far as use by the
public is concerned.
This step toward ending the 12-
year struggle on the part of recrea-
tional and park officials to unity
the city's public recreation system
has been contemplated for several
weeks. 1t was announced yesterday
Immediately after final approval
had been given by the District Rec
reation Committee, composed of the
three Commissioners and three
members of the Board of Education
The formality of gaining the ap-
prOval of the entire School Board
remains to be gone through before
the transfer becomes official. The
School Board is scheduled to take
the matter up = its meeting
Wednesday.
Outline Of the transfer.
The transfer, VII fh involves
nearly all park facilit IS II active
recreation, shapes up al fol lws:
To the District ComnAuniX Gen.
ter and Playground Detartrl mt is
given responsibility of operatii and
issuing permits for the use d 1.-THE
facilities affected by the cha \ge.
The Office of National Cahal
Parks, however. is to continue >
pervising the maintenance and at
velopment of the facilities and areas
Activities. responsibility for which
Is turned over to the District recrea- :
tional agency. are as follows:
Archery. badminton, baseball,
basket ball, croquet, marbles, pic
nicking in two of the recreational
centers, Langdon and Palisades
Parks; shuffleboard, soccer. softball,
speedball, tennis, excepting that
played on courts operated by the
Welfare and Recreational Associa-
tion of Public Buildings and
Grounds, and volley ball
AS parks officials explained yes
terday. those facilities which are
obviously of playground and recre-
ational nature are being placed un-
der the operation of the District
agency.
Parks Office Activities.
Activities which will continue un-
der parks Office permits are:
Boating, camping, carnivals and
circuses, civic events (such as the
Cherry Blossom Festivals, Com
munity Christmas Tree celebrations
dedications, Easter egg rolling,
Easter ceremonies, Halloween cele-
brations horse shows. Independence
Day celebrations, May Day celebra-
tions. Memorial Day celebrations,
Presidents Cup Regattas and 9TH
ers). band and symphony concerts,
drills, fishing, casting tournaments,
campfire programs, religious, po-
htical and social meetings. all pic
nicking with the exception of that
in Langdon and Palisades Parks,
street dancing. polo games, pro-
grams at the Sylvan Theater and
winter sports.
The Welfare and Recreational AS
sociation will continue to operate
rs tennis courts in the parks on
fee basis. those being transferred
being operated free to the public.
These, courts are located in West
Potomac Park adjacent to the
Thomas jefferson Memorial and in
Rock Creek Park adjacent to Six
teenth and Kennedy streets NV.
and near Pierce Mill in Rock Greek
Park. Two hard-surfaced courts at
the Sixteenth and Kennedy streets
location, however, are among those
transferred to the Community Gen.
ter and Playground Department.
Welfare and Recreational Asso-
citation, in addition, will continue to
operate the six park swimming
pools.
Permit Issue Stations.
Permits for those activities for
which the parks Office is to continue
responsible will continue to be issued
in room 1911. new Interior Build
ing, under the supervision of Albert
Clyde Burton. Permits for those ac-
tivities for which the District agency
is to become responsible will be is
sued at the old Force School, 1740
Massachusetts, avenue NV.
Lewis r. Barrett, director of the
Community Center and Fairgrounds
Department, told the parks Office in
conferences last week that permits
will be issued to users at the respec-
tive locations of the facilities to be
used later in the season. This policy
will become effective at Takoma,
Taft and Banneker Recreation Cen
ters and Palisades Playground i'm
mediately.
In general the transfer announced
yesterday is in line with the rec
concentrations of H. S. Wagner and
Charles G. Sauers, collaborators
called in last year by Secretary of
the Interior Ickes to report on con-
ditions in the Washington parks.
40 fio,o x,r1~@roL u