Evening star., 1946-06-02
100000 Park
Plan Urged for
Lee and Green Offer
Survey Of Available
Sites in County

SuIVey OF AVolloDIe
Sites in County
Moving to acquire additional park
and recreational areas in suburban
Montgomery County in advance Of
high property values, E. Brooke
Lee. vice chairman of the Maryland
National Capital Park & Planning
Commission and Richard F. Green,
a Montgomery County member of
the commission, last night an.
nounced recommendation of an i'm
mediate program to cost 100000
The cost would be equally divided
between locations in the western
and eastern sections of the county.
The proposals, which will be SUBJ
mitted at Wednesdays meeting Of
the commission, include purchase
OF large athletic play area in and
adjacent to Little Falls Branch
Valley. south of Massachusetts ave-
nue.; acquisition of the 58-acre site
OF the Argyle Golf Club in Silver
spring and the 32-acre site of the
Bulls School, both east of Sligo
Valley Park and south of Forest
Glen road.
Urge Operation of Golf Course.
Under the plan, it is proposed
the commission Immediately start
operation of public fee golf course
on the Argyle Club property The
site has a frame clubhouse and q
nine-hole golf course.
The 32-acre Bulls tract between
the golf course and the adjacent
section of Sligo Park, according to
the statement issued by Mr.. Lee
and Mr.. Cir !, would be used for
a series of high-ground athletic
fields, tennis courts and similar
facilities. Lighting for night ac-
tlvities would be removed from any
private residential property and
would furnish minimum of an
noyance to residents.
"A part of the Bulls tract could
also be used to extend the golf
course which, coupled with the use
OF Sligo Valley Park west of both
Sligo Creek and Park drive and
north of the Forest Glen-Indian
Spring Club road would allow the
construction of an 18-hole public
golf course. There is also a possi-
bllity of including a portion of the
present Sligo Park north of the
Parkside School and east of the
Park drive in future golf course
development" the statement said,
Properties Available for Purchase.
Both properties are understood to
be available for purchase at an
average price of $4,000 an acre. At
this price, the cost of both sites
would approximate 5000
Plans are now being made in
the western suburban area" the
statement said, for the location of
a relatively large parkway in Little
Falls Branch Parkway, south from
the Bradley boulevard to extend
south across the River road and
Massachusetts avenue nearly to the
Dalecarlia Reservoir and the new
Federal Map Plant north of the
Macarthur boulevard"
Between Massachusetts, avenue
and Dalecarlia Reservoir we plan
a large play and athletic field and
a recreational area. This Little
Falls Branch Parkway will also be
the location of an important park
drive which will prove a great con-
venience to the passenger automo-
bile traffc of the western suburban
communities located west of Wis
consin avenue" the statement
added.
Funds Are Available.
Sufficient funds are available to
advance this Little Falls Branch
project from the equivalent amounts
that have been made available by
the county commissioners from the
proceeds of general county bonds
that have already been expended or
authorized in the eastern suburban
section to purchase parks at lillian
dale, Pine Crest and North Four
Corners and the amounts now avail
able to purchase additional park
land in Long Branch Valley, north
of the new elementary school site
in Kensington-C College View at Hol-
lywood on the Colesville pike and
at the Colesville Elementary School"
Turning to the matter of funds
for the proposed purchases, Mr..
Green and Mr.. Lee said the money
can be provided by the commission
directly by issuing a part of the
bonds authorized by the 1945 session
OF the State Legislature for which
no such bonds have yet been issued.
The commissioners said it is also
possible that coupled with a seri-
Gus and widely supported proposal
that has recently originated in ag-
rlcultural Montgomery County for
the location and improvement of
a large recreation and park agricul-
tural demonstration and experiment
tai area, as we'll as game and fish
preserve, in appropriate location
10 be selected somewhere northwest
OF Gaithersburg, that the cost of
both the project now advanced for
the agricultural section and addi-
tional suburban parklands may be
provided by the next Legislature
from a general county bond issue.
These appropriations can also be
voted by the present Board of
County Commissioners from the
bond issue authorized by the last
Legislature and which is now avail
able.
This commission has the further
ability to contribute a part of the
cost of these suburban parks from
money saved from the park opera
ton OF the last several war years
when the personnel and other re-
quirements of the commission were
reduced incident to the necessities
OF the war period. The commission
will have a further opportunity to
pay the sum of these suburban
parks in part through the sale of
other property owned by the COM
mission.
For these reasons, we will prob