Evening star., 1946-01-19
Board 10 Ask Planners.
To Move Tourist Camp.
For Recreation Site
BY RUDOLPH KAUFMAN II.

Dy AsSDoLI H nhOT MANN IL.
The District Recreation Board will
ask the National Park and Planning
Commission at it's meeting Thursday
to disapprove the plan to double the
size of the Washington Tourist
Camp in East Potomac Park on the
ground the area is needed far more
for recreation.
The board will recommend to the
commission that new tourist camp
be constructed instead on danger
field Island, a 40-acre tract between
the Mount Vernon Memorial high
way and the Potomac River, midway
between the National Airport and
Alexandria.
This decision was reached yester-
day at meeting of special COM
mittee of the Recreation Board ap-
pointed to study a National Park
Service proposal to build an entire
new tourist camp in East Potomac
Park to supplant the existing camp.
The plans, prepared at the expense
of Government Services, Inc, oper-
ator Of the present camp, call for an
estimated expenditure of approxi-
mately $1,000,000 and a capacity of
about 1,600 persons.
Would Remove Facilities.
The special committee approved
a motion of Harry S. Wender, recre-
alton board chairman, to develop
the East Potomac area according
to a program approved by planners
and park officials in January, l941.
This called for eventual removal
of all tourist facilities and replace
ment with recreation center for
late afternoon and evening use by
Government employees. A field
house, night-lighted tennis courts
and softball diamonds, a bicycle
path and other facilities were in
cluded.
The play area, it was decided in
1941. was needed to replace such
facilities displaced by the Jefferson
Memorial
Since then additional play facin-
ties have been displaced in West
Potomac Park by construction of
temporary wartime Office and dor
mitory buildings.
Judging by the past" Mr.. Wen
der said yesterday. these will not
be torn down for the next 10 years.
making 1t ali the more imperative
that the present tourist camp site
be devoted to recreation"
Statistics in Report.
The committo resolution, which
is practically certain to have the
approval of the full board by the
time it is presented to the planners
Thursday, will be backed up by
a statistical report on the need for
recreation facilities in the park,
prepared by Milo F. Christensen.
superintendent of recreation.
Mr.. Christensen told the COM
mittee yesterday there are more
than 700 softbau teams using the
city's recreation system now and
that soon there will be more than
than 1000 as the hve-day week al
lows Government workers more
spare time.
The District is deficient in night
lighted recreation facilities, he said.
Many adults can play only in the
late afternoon and at night. In
addition, District recreation areas
lack toilet facilities and arrange
ments for changing clothes, he ex-
planned.
The tourist camp site is the most
logical in the city for night light
ing, MIR. Christensen said
Tentatively Approved.
The tourist camp plan has al
ready been presented to the Park
and Planning Commission, and, it
is understood, has been tentatively
approved. The chairman of the
commission, Maj. Gen. U. S. Grant
III, and its executive officer, A. E.
Demaray, who is also associate
director of the National Park Serv-
ice, are trustees of Government
Services, Inc.
Originally the Park Service and
Its local field branch, the Office
OF National Capital Parks, were
IN favor of the 1941 plan to remove
the tourist camp to the Agriculture
Departments old experimental farm,
now occupied by the Pentagon and
ArlingtonfF fFsfms.
Members of the special committee
were unanimous yesterday in their
opposition to the new tourist camp
plan. Besides Mr. Wender, C. Mel
win Sharpe and James E. Schwab
are members of the committee.