Evening star., 1946-11-11
Board 10 Press
ChevyChaseBid
For Old School
D. 6. Recreation Unit
Will Renew Appeal
To Commissioners


in their campaign to convert the E.
v. Brown School into a combined
recreation center and library, the
District Recreation Board plans to
go to the District Commissioners to
try again to get the building, 1t was
learned today.
Public Librarian Clara w. Herbert
and the Library Board also recon-
meilded putting the Chevy Chase
branch library back in e. v. Brown
School but voted to restudy the
proposal after the Commissioners
rejected it, The branch library
started in the school
Faced with the problem of finding
a home for the library branch after
the lease on its present quarters at
1915 Livingston street NV. expires
next June, the Library Board will
meet Thursday to decide whether
it wants to join the Recreation
Board in continuing the fight for
-E. v. Brown School.
Interest Is Factor.
Recreation Board Chairman Harry
S. Wender, disclosing that the board
has voted to ask the Commissioners
for a re-hearing, said the tremen-
dous interest of the Chevy Chase res
idents in the proposed recreation
center was one Of the reasons the
board was continuing to urge the
use of E. v. Brown School for this
purpose.
THE location was made to order
for a recreation center" Mr. Wender
said. IF this is allowed to slip
through our fingers, it will be Is
Iyears-if ever-before there will be
another chance for a center N
Chevy Chase There's no other
land there available and even II
there were, the cost would be pro-
hibitiye."
The library and recreation boards
have been working together for more
than year to plan how the old
school at Connecticut avenue and
Mckinley street could be converted
into a library-recreation center.
The boards visited the school,
studied its construction and decided
that although it was nearly half q
century old, it had been well built.
Commissioners Rejected Plans.
In April, the two boards submitted
their plans to the Commissioners
for the uses to which the building
could be put. With these plans went
a strong recommendation from both
boards
The Commissioners never returned
a comment on the use plans, nor did
they ever advise the boards directly
of their decision, officials of the
board said. Instead, three months
after library and recreation officials
had joined residents Of Chevy Chase
in urging the center at a hearing
before the Commissioners, the
boards received a carbon copy of a
letter sent by the Commissioners to
the Chevy Chase Community Coun-
Gil. In that letter, the Commits
sioners said the financial condition
of the District would not permit
projects of this kind.
At their last meeting, members
of the recreation board voted to
ask the Commissioners to meet with
them and the library board to
determine the status of the E. v.
Brown project.
Need Is Emphasized.
The recreation board, according to
Mr.. Wender is as determined as the
residents of Chevy Chase to estab-
lish the center at the school.
The building isn't ideal" he said,
but it's far better than any ordi-
nary school building because it has
an auditorium and ample parking
facilities. Here we could combine
la fine indoor outdoor program which
would answer the recreation needs Of
all age groups.
Both the library and recreation
boards we're unanimous IN favoring
E. v. Brown School. The need Is
tremendous. There are no facilities
of any kind in the whole area. The
community itself Is enthusiastic
and that's important to us. Every
organization in Chevy Chase is for
it. They have indicated their will
ingness to give financial support
themselves. As for costs, the ex-
pense of converting this building Is
only fraction of what a new build
ing would cost"
Library officials are expected to
report to the trustees Thursday that
no other place in the Chevy Chase
area is available to house the branch
library, which has long since out
grown its quarters in three con-
verted stores.