Evening star., 1948-10-29
Schools Control
0fP|aygrounds
Seen |mperi|ed
Park Service 'Grub'
Might Result in
Loss, Wender Says
By Colt HendIey, Jr.

DlSJElCU SCllUOl OlllCldlo Iiloy
find themselves in the position
of having to ask the National
Park Service for permission to
use school Fairgrounds, if the
park service gains control of 81
recreational areas in the city,
Harry S. Wender, chairman of
the Board of Recreation, de-
clared today.
Continuing the Recreation Board S
fight to block a grab" of the 81
acres. which always have been un-
der the Commissioners control, Mr.
Wender pointed out this possibility
II the Interior Departments Ma
tional Park Service is ruled the
controlling agency.
The Recreation Board scheduled
a special session today to thresh out
the matter and to ask for confer
ence with Attorney General Clark
Meanwhile, Commissioner Guy
Mason said the Commissioners
would take no stand in the contro-
versy until the matter came to their
attention officially from the Recrea-
ton Board. The Recreation Board
is expected to ask for backing from
the Commissioners today.
Corporation Counsel Vernon E.
West is studying the question, Mr..
Mason said.
30 Fairgrounds Involved.
The Fairgrounds Of some 80 pub
lie schools are on land purchased
by the National Park and Planning
Commission under the Capper-
Cramton Act and turned over to
the Commissioners. Mr.. Wender
said. In several instances the school
buildings themselves stand partly
on this lard and partly on land
obtained by the school officials
from other sources.
1t is this land. purchased by the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission and turned over to the
Commissioners for playground pur-
poses. that is in question
Mastin G.. White, solicitor for the
Interior Department, has advised
the National Park Service that it
holds legal control of the 81 areas
tof which the 80 school Fairgrounds
are part) and could dictate policy
to the Recreation Board, if the
board were to get use of the play
grounds. He held that, when the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission purchased the areas. it
merely designated to the Commits
sioners which areas were suitable
for recreation and did not take con-
troll away from the park service.
Maj. Gen. U. S. Grant III, chair
man of the planning commission
said the law gave the park service
absolutely no control over the land
purchased by the commission and
turned over to the District. In fact,
the District has paid for all of the
land through tax funds as provided
under the Capper -Cramton Act, he
pointed out, parkland as well as
Fairgrounds.
The whole matter has been sent
to the Attorney General by the Sec
retary of Interior for an opinion.
If the contention of Mr.. White is
true, the Recreation Board would
have to make agreements with the
National Park Service to use the
areas, Mr.. Wenuer said. This would
affect about two-thirds of it's play
grounds, comprising some 300
acres.
Similarly, the Board of Education
would have to make an agreement
with the park service for the use of
the Fairgrounds at the 80 schools,
Mr.. Wender said.
Segregation Behind Fight.
Behind the whole fight is the con-
tention Of the park service that it
can force the Recreation Depart
ment to stop segregating white and
colored persons on Fairgrounds here.
If it had control of the 62 acres, it
could insist on this as policy and
refuse use of the grounds, if an
agreement could not be reached.
Mr.. Wender cited Coolidge High
School as an example of a District
school built partly on land purchased
by the District and partly on land
purchased by the planning commits
sion and turned over to the Com
missioners for playground purposes.
Following Mr.. Whites decision,
the Board of Education would have
to ask permission to use the ground
on which part of the school stands,
IN addition to asking for permission
to use the playground, Mr.. Wender
said. If no agreement could be
reached as to policy between the
two, the school could not use the
Fairgrounds.
Says Groups Work Together.
Milo christensen, recreation di-
rector, said the Recreation Board
and the Board of Education always
had worked together in planning
sites for schools and Fairgrounds.
All the new schools are planned as
an integral part of the community
with recreation facilities. In this
manner, the requirements of the law
that the land must be used for
recreation purposes is fulfilled. he
said.
The new Kelly Miller Junior High
School is being erected entirely on
the land in the Northeast section,
purchased under the Capper- Cram
ton Act, and the new elementary
school to be constructed at Oxon
Run In the Southeast will be entirely
on such land, he added.
Banneker Junior High School, like
Coolidge, also is partially on the
land in dispute and partially on land
purchased by the District.
In many cases, the planning COM
mission purchased land adjacent to
schools and turned it over to the
Commissioners for Fairgrounds SO
the schools could be integrated into
the recreation system, Mr.. Chris
tiansen said.
Among the other schools using
disputed playground areas are Nc
Kinley High School, Wilson High
School, Francis Junior High, Deal
Junior High. Jefferson Junior High
Powell Junior High, Taft Junior
High and these elementary schools
Shepherd, Raymond, Hearst, Ru-
dolph, Bundy. Harrison, Lafayette