Evening star., 1941-08-17
Prince Georges Aides
Seek Sidewalks and
Storm Sewers
Mount Rainier Mayor
Disputes Scope Of
$500, 900 Bond Issue

Numerous requests for municipal
improvements we're filed with the
Prince Georges County Advisory
Board at a hearing in Hyattsville,
Md, yesterday on preliminary
highway report.
Officials and citizens from Mount
Rainier, Riverdale and Edmonston
urged construction of storm sewers,
claiming the present facilities were
overtaXed during heavy rains.
Mayor Floyd B. Matthias of Mount
Rainier and DR.. y. J. Patterson,
chairman of the County Advisory
Board, disagreed over the scope of
the act of the Maryland Legislature
authorizing an 100000 bond issue
for public improvements in the
metropolitan area of the county.
Mr. Matthias asked that part of
the funds be used for prevention of
recurring floods on Thirty-third
street and Rhode Island avenue in
Mount Rainier, through construc-
ton of storm sewers in adjacent
territory. Dr. Patterson said he did
not believe the terms of the act
would permit construction of drains.
Sidewalks Needed.
Mrs r. D. Mattingly charged the
State Roads Commission with ne
glecting to keep up the Edmonston
road in proper fashion and asked
that part of the road fund be spent
on that thoroughfare and for abut-
ting sidewalks.
w F. Mulligan, president of the
Prince Georges County Civic Fed
Grafton, said in his opinion, the
100000 should not be concentrated
on local problems caused by outside
use. such as eliminating traffic con-
gestion on the Washington -Balti-
more boulevard, which, he said, was
due to out of town traffic. He said
he believed \the funds should be
applied to betterment of streets and
street surfacing in the urban section
of the county which have developed
defects caused principally by local
traffic.
One member of the board, Oliver
Metzerott, was in full accord with
advocates of a program of safety
sidewalk construction. He said the
county was in immediate need of
about Is miles of sidewalks along
highways, which, when built, should
be so arranged as to permit future
extension.
AS the majority of the requests
for sidewalk installation were
verbal, DR.. Patterson asked that all
requests for local appropriations be
made in writing. He added that
every request made before the
board was being given due consid-
Grafton.
Preliminary Report.
Yesterdays hearing was on pre-
liminary report by M. A. Pyle, en-
gineer to the board, which proposed
the expenditure, in cooperation
with the county and State, Of
$1,153,000 for highways.
DR.. Patterson emphasized that the
report was preliminary. 1t was an
nounced that other meetings of the
board, to determine the final recon-
mendations to be submitted the
county commissioners next month,
had not yet been scheduled.
The cost of the improvements con-
tanned in Mr.. Pyle's report would be
about equally divided between the
metropolitan district and the county
and the State, the share to be borne
by the district being S605, $40 and
that of the county and State s547,-
300. Improvements urged for COM
pletion within the next five years
totalled s850,060, of which S366,600
would be betrayed by the metropoli-
tan district and the remainder by
the county and State.
The cost of other improvements
to be completed within the next 10
years, the report estimated, at
s2,0e5 900, of which s1,728,000 would
be assessed against the metropolitan
district.
Projects Are Listed.
Listed in the report were projects
for relief Of traffic congestion on the
Baltimore boulevard, Defense high
way and Central avenue; a system
of belt roads, bridge over the Pa
tuxent River to connect with an
Anne Arundel County road near
Bayard, to be built with State aid;
traffic lights and improvements of
dangerous intersections, sidewalks
and roadside improvements. Eleven
sidewalk projects were listed, total
ling ISL miles. Improvements at in
tersections were estimated at $92,-
900 and roadside improvements at
$500 and sidewalks at S17,740.
Those who spoke at yesterdays
hearing included Louis A. Day Of
the Edmonston Citizens Association,
H. Wilson Spicknall Of the Hyatts-
vile Town Council, William CAST Of
the Cheverly Citizens Association
and Charles Lubin of the Edmonston
Town Council.