Evening star., 1954-10-17
Major Reshuffling
OF Projects Requires
Continuing Record
By John w. Stepp

A major reshufiing of projects
In the opening months of the
Districts 10-year public works
program has led city officials
{ to detail q budget expert to
keep track of all future changes.
The first year of the program
began only three months ago.
In that short time, seven build
ing jobs that had been slated
for later stages in the program
have been advanced in priority
to the current year.
Furthermore, If the requests
Of Government department
heads are needed by the Com
missioners and Congress, Is ad-
ditional changes in the original
building schedule will be made
next year.
The Commissioners from the
outset of their campaign to sell
the works program to public
and Congress have emphasized
that the priority of the projects
listed would have to be reviewed
each year. But they are under
stood to have been taken aback
by the fact that so many changes
are occurring so soon.
Revisions Listed.
Added starters for the current
year alone are:
Three school construction jobs
-elementaries at Sixth street
and Riggs road NE, and in the
1900 block of S street NV. and
q stadium for Coolidge High;
Youth Corrections Center at Lor-
ton, Va; a new operating suite
for District General Hospital, a
replacement branch library in
Woodbridge and a replacement
Women's Bureau for Metropoli-
tan Police.
OF the 16 program changes
requested for next year, six are
new projects never before in
eluded in the 10-year schedule:
An addition and alterations
to Mckinley High, a separate
building for crippled children, an
alcoholic rehabilitation center at
Muirkirk, Md; a warehouse at
Glenn Dale Hospital, an incinera-
tor and a laundry addition for
Children's Center, Laurel, Md.
Priority Jobs.
The priority advancements in
volve these schools: Amidon-
Greenleaf Elementary, from
1857; Seaton Elementary, from
1861, and Dunbar Senior High
addition, from 1858. Also: Fort
Davis Branch Library, from 1857;
Fire Department repair shop;
new physicians dormitory. stor-
age building and conversion Of
the psychiatric building to con-
: valescent use at District General
Hospital; new health clinic for
Northwest Washington, and a
new industrial building at Lorton
Reformatory.
Viewing this raft of changed
- prioritieS in the works program,
Schuyler Lowe, director of gen.
eral administration. concluded
that the District needs a man
to keep a continuing record of
what is mapping in the public
works program"
The task involves no new hir-'
ing. Mr.. Lowe said. In all like
lihood it will fall upon D. P.
Herman, second deputy budget
officer of the District.
Mr.. Lowe further emphasized
that 1t will be a recording rather
than a policing or watchdog"
operation.
Will Serve as Guide.
"The Job will be to pull to-
gether all the material from
year to year, so that on reason
able notice we can answer any
questions on just how we stand
in the works program" the ad-
ministrator said. This, he added,
will serve as a guide to formu-
lating the construction programs
Of future years.
Any watchdog" type of sur
veillance remains for the Engi-
neer Commissioner Office to
handle. Brig. Gen. Louis w.
PrentisS. the present Engineer
Commissioner, has already de-
tailed one of his engineering
assistants, 1t. Col. Thaddeus M.
Nosek, to that chore. Col. Nosek
keeps huge charts on the prog
ress of all building projects.
Where delays occur he picks
them out, learns the cause and
tries to spur the responsible de-
partment into action.
Keeping close watch on that
part of the works program that
is financed by the Districts So
called general fund is especially
necessary. Construction and
operation of such installations
as schools, hospitals, libraries
and jails are financed by this
fund.
General Fund Short.
In comparison with the high
way fund. water fund, sewer
fund and parking fund, which
are supplied by steady and nearly
adequate revenue sources of their
own, the general fund is almost
always short of money. The big
trouble is that the general fund
institutions are not self-support-
ing. Another problem is that
the demand on these institutions
is difficult to predict. For ex-
ample, population increases and
shifts govern the need for
schools. Economic conditions
dictate welfare and health needs
AS one official pointed out
the other funds are on suf-
ficiently solid grounds for author
tiles to be able to lay short and
long range plans and fulfill the
greeat majority of them.
When District budget officials
think of the general fund they
think of Saturation. Its like q