Evening star., 1945-03-13
Civic Federation
Drops Support
Of Parking Plan
Cost Of Project
For Silver Spring
And Bethesda Hit
By MRS. J. REED BRADLEY.

A
The Montgomery County Civic
Federation last night voted Is to
II to rescind its approval of pro-
posed publicly-owned parking ia
cilities for the Bethesda and Silver
Spring business districts.
Action was taken at a meeting
In the Bethesda Elementary School
after more than and hours debate
on a motion by James A. Cosgrove.
Mr.. Cosgrove contended the feder-
alton had approved the proposal
last month without the knowledge
of all the facts. He was upheld by
Col. Alvin Barber, only dissenting
member of the flve-man county
planning subcommittee which orig
inally approved the public parking
project. Col. Barber said it had
been impossible for him to obtain
correct cost estimates on the project
and that the original figures had
been jumped more than 100 per
cent. The proposition is unsound,
he said, and the parking. facilities
provided will become obsolete long
before they are paid for.
Need Is Doubted.
GAWady Irlirie, representing the
Bethesda Chamber of Commerce,
said Bethesda commercial property
owners had rejected the plan be-
cause they already have provided
off-street parking facilities for 1891
automobiles. They do not feel the
need is urgent enough now to war;
rant public ownership of parking
areas. In the meantime, he said,
they hope to encourage private en-
terprise to provide necessary addi-
tional parking facilities.
Opposing the resembling motion
was Washington I. Cleveland, chair
man of the County Planning SUBJ
committee and the Federation's
Committee on Roads, Streets and
Bridges, both of which recommend
ed approval of the project. Mr..
Cleveland explained that a bill al
ready has been introduced in the
Assembly to provide parking facih-
ties for the Silver Spring business
district, and that Bethesda has been
exempted from the bill.
Since Silver Spring is willing to
pay Accent tax to provide parking
facilities, he saw no reason why
the federation should object. He
was upheld by Rhees Burkett and
William B. Horne.
Safeguards Recommended.
The original resolution was REFER
red to the Committee on Public FL
nance and Budget for further study.
The Federation unanimously
passed resolution, presented by
Lewis B. Sims, chairman of public
finance and budget, recommending
the following nine safeguards in
legislation looking toward the au-
thorization of future bond issues
by the Board of. Commissioners.
Total bonded Indebtedness should
be limited to per cent of the total
assessed valuation and bonds should
be limited as to interest rate.
Bonds should be f1oated only for
land and capital improvements, not
for minor repairs, even though nu-
merous and costly.
Bonds should be f1oated only by
public sale.
A public hearing should be pro-
vided for each bond issue proposed
in order that interested citizens
may have an opportunity to be
heard.
Each proposed bond issue should
be planned to fit into the maturity
schedule of bonds already outstand-
ing, in order that a gradually declin-
ing overall maturity schedule may
be developed.
Plans Include School.
The lite of any bonds should be
no longer than the expected life of
the project and in no case longer
than 20 years, except for land acqui-
sition.
No deferred serials should be per-
mitted.
No annual installments should be
more than so per cent in excess Of
the smallest prior installment.
Bonds should be foated for only
one or a few purposes at time, and
in the case of schools and highways,
bonds should be issued for only a
single function.
Dwight Collins. reporting on a
postwar public school program, said
plans included a proposed new high
school building for Damascus, a new
junior high school for the western
suburban area to be located in the
vicinity of Goldsborough and River
roads, and an auditorium and GYM
nasium for the Montgomery Hills