Evening star., 1948-12-10
State, Federal
P| tanners Push
Area Program
Joint Meeting Held
To Speed Extension
Of Park System
By Nelson M. Shepard

BY Nelson M. Shepard
Maryland and Federal planning
officials met jointly today to try to
expedite extension of the park and
highway programs in nearby areas
of Montgomery and Prince Georges
Counties.
Meanwhile, the Fine Arts Com
mission opened its monthly meeting
across the hall from the planning
officials in the Interior Building.
Major consideration OF the PLAN
ners centered on the proposed ex-
tension of the Districts park sys-
tenn into at least half dozen small
stream valleys in nearby Maryland.
Land is being acquired gradually
for this purpose under the Capper-
Cramton Act. Meeting with the
Federal officials were F. w. Tumm-
Ter, director of planning for the
Prince Georges County regional
office, and William Burrage, plan
ming engineer for the regional office
in Montgomery County.
Several Actions Taken.
At an all-day session on yesterday.
the National Capital Park and
Planning Commission took these
actions:
Denied a request Of the Inaugu-
raj Committee for the use of the
Theodore Roosevelt Island, of Ar
lington Memorial Bridge, as a base
from which to shoot of the fire.
works display on Inauguration night.
The planners suggested the Wash.
ington Monument Grounds or CO.
lumbia Island instead.
Approved plans for development
of the National Arboretum, new
District Red Cross Building 'front.'
ing on E street between Twentieth
and Twenty-frst streets. and two
women's dormitories and an engi-
neering building on grounds OF
Howard University.
Two alternative sites for the pro-
posed Cardozo High School IN the
vicinity of Banneker Playground
were studied, but definite recon-.
IIcIlud WCIC 1lCAo AL oSSy oAASS'
Report Requested.
Brig. Gen. Gordon r. Young, En-
gineer Commissioner, had requested
report on the two Cardozo sites
involved. In the recent report on
school construction made by DR..
George E. Strayer, it was proposed
that the new Cardozo High School
project be abandoned, with students
at the present school being trans
ferred to two other proposed colored
high schools. Those would be Arm.
strong in Brentwood Park and the
Spingarn on Benning road NE.
The planning officials, however,
accepted the figures on estimated
school populations contained in the
Strayer report. Within the next 10
years, DR.. Strayer had estimated.
school enrollments should fall with
in the rough limitations Of 10000
to 10000. about equally divided
between white and colored students.
There are now 93,025 students en-
rolled in Washington public schools.
The Public Buildings Administra-
tion submitted the site plans for the
National Arboretum east Of the
Anacostia River. The plans involve
the construction of miles of major
roadways, of which miles would
be roads Is feet wide.
Areas of Large Acreage.
They are designed to make certain
areas of the large acreage easily
accessible to visitors wishing to see
special displays of flowers Also in
cluded in plans is an administration
building, which would serve also as
museum for visiting scientists who
wish to study specimens of plant life
grown in the arboretum. The build
ing would face Bladensburg road in
the southwest corner of the grounds.
1t also is proposed to build a new
public entrance to the arboretum to
the south.
The proposed Red Cross Building.
officials said, would be 10 feet high
with limestone facing. It would be
set back on E street. Temporary war
buildings now occupy the site, and
there is no certainty when these will
come down.
At Howard University it is pro-
posed to build an engineering build
ing on the southwest corner Of this
campus on Georgia avenue. 1t would
accommodate 300 students and pro-
vide for an auditorium. The two
womens dormitories are planned to
complete the Howard University
quadrangle on Fourth street north
nf Tol1ooo cfroof