The Wilmington morning star., 1942-03-12
STREET CLOSURE
HEARING IS SET
J. W. M. Hospital Board
Managers Make Re-
quest To Council

Public hearing on the closure OF
! Gwynn street between Tenth anc
Eleventh has been set for Wednes
day morning at $50 o'clock in city
hall by city council.
Council called the hearing after
| the request from board managers OF
James Walker Memorial hospital
| Wednesday to prevent a 'bottie'
| neck" between present facilities al
the hospital and the proposed S61S,
900 addition.
Members of council indicated that
if no objections are presented at the
hearing they would approve closing
the street which would mean NOV
ing the dead end of the street up
two blocks.
Speaking for the board of mana
gers, C. B. Parmele told the city
council that to build the three and
one-half story addition, which will
be located on the block south of
the present hospital, with only a
connecting bridge over Gwynn
street on the third floor level
would be a serious handicap to
the efficient operation of the hos
pital as a whole.
"Unless we have a physical con-
nection between the two units on
all floor levels, we will be forced
to route all patients to and from
the operating room and from 9TH
er points in the hospital through
the single passageWay over the
street with a consequent strain on
elevator "-cilities and loss OF
time" Mr.. Parmele said.
He said that closing the street
would affect only three negro
homes to the east of the hospital.
Dr.. W. Houston Moore also put
in strong plea for closing the
street, declaring that to have ply
sical connections between all
floors of the two structures would
enable the board of managers to
operate the hospital more cheaply.
George Rountree, Jr. pointed
out that streets had been closed
for hospital enlargements in Char
lctte and Philadelphia and that
several months ago the council
voted to close then unopened
portion of Church street in order
to expand Community negro hos
pital here.
Sufficient space would be left
between the two buildings for Gre
protection, Mr.. Parmele said.
The board of managers is cur
rently seeking an additional Fed
eral ALLEGATION of S11S,000 to add to
the original Federal appropriation
of 1893, 900 for expanding the hos
pital. The additional 100000 neces
sary to erect the 115 room addition
is being put up by the board.
Alan A. Marshall attorney for the
board, requested the council to
| pass a resolution, similar to one
adopted by the county board of
| commissioners Monday, declaring
the addition to the hospital - be
a public necessity so that the roarC
| of managers an obtain a certificau ue
of necessity and convenience nee
essary to condemn lands for the
expansion.
The council ordered City Attorney
W. Il. Campbell to draw up lht
| necessary resolution with Mr.. Mar
shall and to present it next WednLs S.
day.
DR.. Donald B. I<oonce, member OF
the local civilian defense corps two
man committee on emergency neil
cal projections, appeared before the
council to ask that the city joint
ly with the county appropriate ST.,
900 to be used in buying medica
equipment for use in emergencies
The money, the doctor u d
would be used to set up a blood
plasma bank here, and to purchase
cots and splints, equipment which
the government or the Red Cross is
not going to furnish to municipal.
ties.
The council unanimously agreed to
his request, thus seconding an ac,
ton which was taken by the
county several weeks ago.
DR.. Koonce said that a number
of bandages and other medical SUP
plies had been put at the disposal
of the committee by the American
Red Cross to be used in the event
of an emergency.
AS soon as plans for setting UP
| the blood bank are completed, i clu
will be made for volunteers 20 10
nate blood of all types to be stored
here, ready for use in the event
of an emergency.
| Councilman Edgar Vow presided
over the meeting in the absence OF
Mayor Hargrove Bellamy.
|
D. VV.~Jo Erx~1