Evening star., 1941-05-08
Recreation Plan
Approved by
School Board
Commissioners
To Get $500, 700
Program Soon

A s5580,7 recreation area and
park development program will go
to the commissioners shortly after
being approved in principle" by
the Board of Education yesterday.
Board members asked, however,
that two s500,OOO priority program
be developed covering the white and
colored recreation projects, these to
be pushed Immediately. This action
was at the suggestion of Supt. Frank
w. Ballou, who pointed out 1t would
be impractical to seek the entire
amount at once.
The program-believed to be the
most comprehensive ever developed
for District recreation-would call
for S.. .428, 700 for developing % eX-
listing recreation areas and l3 new
areas 1t would allocate Sl652 900
to improve walking. bicycle and
horseback trails, boating. golf and
comfort facilities. etc Some $780,
600 would establish six year-round
swimming pools, of which one for
white persons in Petworth and one
for colored in southwest are con-
sidereG Immediately needed
Approval in principle has al
ready been voted by the National
Capital Park and Planning Com
mission and has been under con-
sideration of the Presidents Rec
reation Committee, which suggest
ed development of priorities empha-
sizing capital improvement rather
than maintenance.
5-tO-10-Year Program.
Acting Co-ordinator Of Recreation
Milo F. Christensen, who submitted
the program, said the plan would
take five to 10 years to complete,
depending on the amount of money
appropriated. He said he would
like to see it done in five.
Two possible sources of funds, he
suggested. were the Overton- Hunter
formula which would increase the
Federal payment to the District, and
the Lanham bill which would ap-
proprlate sl500000OO to relieve COM
nunities whose facilities have be-
come overtaxed by defense popu-
lation. The District, as a defense
center, would share in this.
Pointing to AZ per cent popu-
lation increase here in the last
decade, Mr.. Christensen said there
has been constant pressure from
civic groups for such a program. He
added there may be 100000 per-
sons here if defense activities con-
tinue.
Washington, he said, is 10 years
behind other major cities in pro-
viding adequate recreation facilities.
During the last Is years more than
s4,500,000 has been appropriated for
acquisition of land but only $125 600
of District funds have been allowed
during the last decade for develop
ment of these grounds, he said.
Some assistance has been possible
through relief agencies, he added.
Places to Be Developed.
This program, he explained, is
based on developing 36 units of the
National Capital Park and Plan
ming Commissions recreation sys-
tenn plan and IA related park areas.
Recreation units scheduled for de-
velopment and the estimated cost of
Improvements, are: Anacostia, section
D. and (A) related park development,
1865 500; Banneker Recreation Gen.
ter, $4,000; Langston Recreation
Center, $226, 100: lexington Recrea-
ton Center, $7750O; Takoma Rec
reation Center, 1921 900: Dunbar Sec
ondary Center. $4,000: Southwest
Recreation Center, $73700: Randall
Recreation Center, S71 700: Colum-
bia Heights as Secondary Center, s38,-
300: Francis Recreation Center. S7l,-
300; Rosedale Playground, s64,2OO;
Midcity Playground, $500; South
east Recreation Center, s13 300: Rose
Park Playground. $4,000; Lincoln
Playground, $4,000; Sherwood Play
ground, S56, 700; Hoover Playground,
SAB 500: Turkey Thicket Playground,
S103 400; Virginia Avenue Play
ground, s32.100; Georgetown, S54.-
200: Congress Heights Playground,
s37,l00; Hearst Playground, s57,70O;
stoddert Playground, s21 900.
New Centers.
New recreation centers to be set
hp would be, for white: East Poto-
mac Park and related park develop
ment. S239 800: BrightWood Recrea-
ton Center, S354,OO0; Fort Chaplin
Recreation Center, $10400O; Hill
crest Recreation Center, $40 900;
Trinidad Recreation Center, s105,-
400; Ely Place Playground, s23,60O;
Randle Highlands Playground, ST.
400; Hillcrest Playground, s18,500:
Massachusetts, Avenue Playground,
S59,6OO, and Luzon Avenue Play
ground, s44 400.
For colored: Anacostia, section c,
1888 200; Northeast Recreation Gen.
ter, $58 1900, and Eastland Gardens
Playground, $1l 200.
The other four swimming pools
would be one for white in the North
east, one for colored in the North
east, one for white in Georgetown
and one for white in the lower
Mount Pleasant section.
In other action the board members
voted to reappoint Mr.. christensen
for another three month period as
acting co-ordinator. The members
refused to support certain proposed
amendments to the Teachers Re
tirement Act on the ground that they
did not know who was sponsoring
the amendments and did not have
enough information on them.