Evening star., 1952-07-19
County Receives ;
MacPhaiI Bids 10 Buy
Land for Bowie Track

Three offers for land to be usee
in a $2.5 million renovation o.
Bowie race track are in the hand
|of the Prince Georges Count!
Commissioners.
The bids were submitted to thl
county by Larry MacPhail, formel
baseball magnate, who heads th'
Southern Maryland Agriculture
Association, owner Of the racint
lplant.
Seven persons whose propertiei
adjoin the tracks back stretch
are scheduled to discuss the pro
posals Tuesday with the county
heads and track officials. Thu
meeting will be held in the track
Offices.
In a letter read to the commits.
sioners at Hyattsville yesterday
Mr.. MacPhail said the track i!
willing to buy, for $1,000 an acre
and donate to the county a 70-foot
strip needed to widen the plants
main access road. The offer
which includes free relocation oi
buildings. was condition, upon
the owners approval of land.
Iscaping on the south side Of the
road.
In one Of two alternate offers
Mr.. MacPhail said the track would
pay 81, 500 an acre to owners will.
ling to sell.
August 1 DeadIine.
The third bid agrees to give tht
seven landholders equal acreage
opposite the Perry property or
proposed Jesuit road. The asso.
tciation further offered to furnish
facilities for water and electricity
without cost to the owners. II
addition. the track said it is willing
to pay a $1.000-an-acre bonus.
Mr.. MacPhail set August l a.
the deadline for acceptance.
A previous request that tn,
county commissioners condemn
the land has been misunderstood
Mr.. MacPhail said.
eve have not been trying" h,
asserted, "to force any propert,
owner to sell his property or move
nor have we any intention of doinl
so. We have been willing to bu,
the property along the backstrectl
because it would then be possible
not only to widen the road, bu
also to beautify the entire area.
On Jericho Park Road.
The properties are on Jerich,
Park road, which the track want
to widen to 100 feet at its owl
expense.
In other business, the commits
sioners granted the Washington
Gas Light Co. of Maryland reques
for transfer Of it's facilities to tn,
Washington Gas Light Co.
Attorney Adrian P. Fisher, WHIT
presented the plan, described ap.
proval as necessary formality il
merging the two utilities. NJ
service or rate changes are con.
templated, he said. Mr.. Fisher
added that all of the county's Il
municipalities who have gas serv.
ice have given their oficia
consent.
The company's county tax bill
has zoomed from $4,000 to more
than $135.000 in the last 20 years
Beall Reports on Bill.
A letter from Representative
Beall, Republican. Maryland, in.
formed the commissioners that q
bill designed to authorize probe
of District area transportation
facilities was not acted on by the
last Congress.
Representative Beall predicted
that similar legislation will be in
troduced in the 83d Congress
Commissioner Edward j. Waters
who attended hearings on the
matter, said he has been assured
a new measure viii be given local
tpriority.
Two clergymen were named to
I'LL vacancies on the county's Ju-
venile Court Advisory Committee
They are the Rev. jerome A. Mil
Her. pastor Of st. John the Baptist
Catholic Church, Chillum, and the
Rev. w. Curtis Draper, rector o1
Trinity Episcopal Church, Upper