Evening star., 1946-01-21
Park and Recreation
Budget Would Use
100000 in D. {.
BY RUDOLPH KAUFFMANN II.

I4Z,W,WO in D. T..
BY RUDOLPH KAUFFMANN III.
More than 100000 would be
used for park, parkway and recrea-
tion area improvements and pur-
chases financed jointly by the Fed
eral and District governments under
the 1947 budget presented to Con-
gress today by President Truman.
Exact figures on joint expendi-
lures are difficult to determine since
Federal funds spent on National
Capital Parks are requested in lump
form for national parks, but the
program is known to call for $901,- :
S03 worth of improvements to be
made in Washington with Federal
funds.
The District would contribute
500, 900 in improvement and ad-
vance planning funds for the parks
office here, while an appropriation
Of 1856, 100 is asked for the District
Recreation Department.
Addition Of these sums the report
reveals that $l,251 ,503 has been
asked for local improvements.
Purchase FunGs Increased.
At the same time the 1947 re-
quest for land purchase funds for
the National Capital Park and
Planning Commission is more than
twice that asked for 1946 These
funds are used to buy land for
parks, Fairgrounds and parkWays,
and are repaid in part by the Dis
trict without interest over a period
Of years.
Projects for which the funds
would almost invariably be spent are
held by the commission in conf
dence until contracts are agreed
upon. The request is $867,7 ,750, s473,-
1855 more than the S393,994 asked
in the current year. To date about
$9, 900, 900 for OF the original $15,-
100000 which the act authorized for
these purchases has been spent.
Leading the list of park improve
ments of a Federal nature would be
extension of the George Washing
ton Memorial Parkway under the
last arch Of Key Bridge on the Vir-
ginia side of the Potomac and ur
Spout Run to connect with the Lee
Highway. The $278,0o0 which parks
officials estimate will be needed for
this project would come out of a
SIS, 100000 request for the country's
three great national parkways in the
building-the Blue Ridge, Natchez.
Trace and George Washington Me-
mortal Parkways.
officials of the National PARK
Service estimated today that about
$1,000. 900 would be spent on each oil
the Blue Ridge and Natchez- Trace
projects.
Watergate Barge Provided.
Another leading Federal park i'm.
provement would be construction ol
a new barge for Water Gate con-
certs, which have become increas.
ingly popular, to cost s150,000.
Not so popular with District recre-
alton officials is request for $780,
900 of Federal funds to begin con-
strucrion Of new Washington
Tourist Camp in East Potomac
Park which would be twice the size
of the present camp and curtai
recreation space.
The District Recreation Boarc
plans to protest against this plar
at a National Capital Park ane
Planning Commission meeting
Thursday. The board will ask thai
the new camp be constructed al
Daingerfield Island, 40-acre tract
between the Mount Vernon Me.
mortal highway and the Potomac
River midway between National Air
port and Alexandria, so that East
Potomac Park site may be used as a
recreation center.
Until 1945 the plan always hao
been to remove the present camp
and install night lighted recreation
facilities for Federal employees
Congress Is asked in the budget to
allot $4,000 of District funds and
s66,903 of Federal funds for advance
planning, a total Of s116,903.
Fort Dupont Purchase Authorized.
Principal at District Park expense
provided for in the budget is i'm
provement of Fort Dupont Park at
a cost of $19,392. This sum is part
of $32, 900 asked for improvement OF
park roadways.
Approximately $150000 of Federal
funds would be spent to improve
Seventeenth street NV. from Con-
stitution avenue to the Tidal Basin
and the roadways around the Ellipse
The Congress is asked to allot
only $11 900 of District funds to the
parks office tosconstruct a shelter
house in Fort Greble Park and re-
pair the roof and floor of the Gar
field Park shelter house. A large
part Of the $256, 700 asked for capi-
tai improvements to be financed
made by the District Recreation
Department, however, would be
spent for this type of facility ac-
cording to a system of priorities al
ready made public by the Recrea-
ton Board.
The Capital improvement request
for the Recreation Department was
only s72, 800 for the current year.
Actually, the Park Office would dc
most of the improvement work at
the request of the Recreation De-
partment after a transfer of funds
Federal funds for other projects
of interest to Washington are asked
as follows:
To maintain the Chopawamsic
Recreational Demonstration Area
near Dumfries, Va, $4,000. The
area, transferred to the War De-
partment during the war, has been
returned and its five camps and
other outdoor facilities are nor
mally popular in peacetime.
To renovate memorials and sta
tues throughout Washington, $685.
600. The memorials have suffered
at the hands of vandals and funds
and manpower were lacking to
make adequate repairs during the
war.
For the general repair and main
tenance of the c. & o. Canal, dam
| aged by a fash f7OOd in 1870 S16 000