Evening star., 1940-12-17
Monday Evening Club
Orders Study Of Plan
For Recreation Board
Members Hear Boyh
Call for Supervision by
School PoIieymokers

A plan to invest control of the
Districts Department of Play
grounds and Community Centers in
a nine-man Recreation Board as
proposed in a bill sponsored by the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission, last night was referred
by the Monday Evening Club to it's
Committee on Recreation for action
at the clubs next meeting:
Meeting in the Y. w. c. A, men,
bers heard exposition and debate of
the merits of this plan and another
proposal, which would transfer the
recreational authority from the Joint
supervision of the Commissioners
and the Board of Public Welfare to
the latter body alone.
Thomas Settle of the Park and
Planning Commission explained the
recreation board bill" Birch Bayh.
director of physical education for
the District Department of Educa-
ton, advocated investing the Board
of Education with control over rec
reation, and Weaver Pangburn, an
executive of the National Recreation
Association, furnished background
for the discussion by telling of the
experiences of other large cities with
various forms of recreation admin
istration.
Slated for Next Session.
Although designed as an amend
ment to the Kennedy reorganization
bill and therefore doomed to in
action as such by the expiring ses-
sion of Congress. the recreation
board bill will be introduced as
separate measure during the next
session. Mr.. Settle said.
In its present form the bill
would create recreation board.
consisting of the Commissioner in
charge of the public welfare, the
president of the Board of Educa-
ton, the superintendent of the
National Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission and five District
citizens, appointed by the Com
missioners.
Mr.. Settle urged members of
club to better acquaint themselves
with the bill. Congress expects
comprehensive recreation plan
to be submitted to it this year" he
stated, adding, "the Park and
Planning Commission is willing to
play quarterback if you people will
back us up"
Bayh Foresees Confusion.
Mr.. Bayh, insisting he spoke as
an individual and not as a member
of the Board of Education, opposed
the recreation board proposal,
particularly because of it's multi
plicity. Such a measure, he said,
might we'll lead to confusion and
discord among the various board
members.
The Board of Education has
been criticized for not being more
aggressive" Mr.. Bayh said. But to
have done so would have placed the
board in an awkward position
There would be those who would
accuse it of trying to seize too much
power" He said that he felt sure,
however. that the board will accept
the responsibility gladly"
Mr.. Bayh declared that recreation
is an integral part of education and
said he could see no reason for hav-
ing another agency administer the
Playground Department. The
modern school system develops an
idea that is the hub, or community
idea" he said. The thing to do is
avoid cumbersomeness. We can do
this by letting the Board of Educa-
ton control the recreation setup
alone"
Cites Boards Investment"
He said the Board of Education
has facilities and property worth
$43, 100000 and insisted that they
ought to have something to say
about this" Under the Recreation
Board plan these facilities would be
available to the board provided that |
= shall be construed to
abridge the powers of the Board of |
Education. ="
In weighing the merits of either
proposal, Mr. Pangburn warned his
listeners to remember two important |
things: First, that any recreational |
project must be cooperative to at
tain administrative efficiency, and,
second, that the personnel must be
trained in the traditions and disci-
plines of the work.
He said that the recreational trend |
in large cities was toward the sepa-
rate department system, with or
without a policy making board.