Evening star., 1946-11-17
Survey Shows
Center Needed
Chevy Chase
Suburbs Children
Found Behind Others
In Facilities for PIuy

In Facilities for PIuy
Need for development of the e
v. Brown School as a combined L.
brary and recreation center was un-
derlined last night when a Star sur
vey disclosed that the Chevy Chase
area has virtually no other recrea-
tional facilities, little available land
for library construction and no
schools that can be developed fur
ther for indoor recreation.
The same survey indicated that
Chevy Chase youngsters have fewer
opportunities for supervised indoor
recreation than young people in
any other section of the city.
Unlike other areas, Chevy Chase
has no boys clubs, settlement houses,
community centers or similar activi-
ties. The only indoor recreation that
can be provided by the Recreation
Department is at Woodrow Wilson
High School and this is limited to
the opening of the gymnasium three
nights a week.
No Place to Gather.
There is no place in the area
where young people can congregate
after school to play ping pong, sip
cokes, dance, hold their meetings.
develop their hobhies-no place. in
other words, that would keen them
safely off the streets.
AS for library site, District
space officials reported there is no
Dlstrict-owned building available
for use except E. v. Brown School
In the area. The lease on the pres
ent library quarters in three con-
Verted stores expires next June.
The only District-owned piece of
land In the area not now earmarked
Tor other purposes is the two-acre
tract at Thirty ninth and Fessenden
streets NV. The District paid ST.
900 for it dozen years ago after
condemnation, planning to use it
Tor a school. Residents of the
neighborhood, however, successfully
fought against construction of a
school and, subsequently. televi-
sion tower.
Paul Chalupsky of the District
auditors office, who is familiar with
District space problems said the
residents probably would oppose any
public use for the land on the
ground it would depreciate their
property values. The tract, he said.
mad not been considered as library
site partly because of the objections
OF the neighbors to public property
on the site and partly because it
Is inaccessible.
Recreation department officials
said repeated attempts to make more
use OF the schools for recreation pur-
poses had failed mainly because the
schools were not built with recrea-
tion in min6. &
Facilities AnaIyzed.
The following analysis of existing
facilities was made by the Recrea-
ton Department:
Woodrow Wilson High School
The three nights week the gymna-
sium is opened costs the Recreation
Department nearly 500 a week for
custodial service alone Because the
building is so spread out, use of ad-
ditional facilities here raises pro-
hibitive costs in custodial service and
supervision. Obviously, young peo-
pie cannot be allowed to wander
without supervision through an en-
tire building at night. The gym
doesn't need extra night heating
but other parts of the building
would. The auditorium is too big
Tor use as recreation facility and
regular events cannot be scheduled
in the building because the school
has first call on it's facilities. The
school is considered inaccessible for
youngsters going alone at night.
Alice Deal Junior High School
The gymnasium is on the. top floor
so 1t cannot be used without Open
ing the entire building, with con-
sequent need for building protection
Like Woodrow Wilson, the building
is SO constructed that the amount
the Recreation Department would
have to pay for janitorial services
would be exorbitant. The Depart
ment has tried repeatedly to- use
the building but without success.
Lafayette School and playground
The school itself is already SO
overcrowded that any additional
construction would have to be used
for school expansion. The school
doesn't even have a lunchroom. A
shelter has been planned on the
playground but it would be primarily
for sanitary facilities, first aid and
a playroom for small children. This
site is an outdoor facility and not
adaptable to indoor recreation.
Playground Situation.
Chevy Chase Playground - This
was planned as play area and
its shelter consists of a room and
a half Adults occasionally meet
there at night but the children are
sent home at 6 pm. because the
streets are so dark. Construction
of larger building on this site
would cut into the football field,
which is already smaller than the
regulation size, or would reduce the
space of the small children's play
area, where the Recreation Depart
ment runs a nursery school. The
site is not lighted for night use and
lighting it up probably would bring
complaints from residents of the
neighborhood who would have the
lights shining in their windows
Situated at Forty-first and Living
ston streets NV, the playground
is thus on the edge of the area and
1t is doubtful If parents would per-
nit their children to go there at
night alone.
Fort Reno Recreation Center
This land is earmarked for use by
the Recreation Department which
hopes to develop a physical educa-
ton center there in the next 10 or
is years. The center is expected to
cest $500, 900, including a swimming
pool. but it is planned primarily
for physical activity in connection
with the neighboring high and