Evening star., 1954-05-01
Officials Decide
To Seek Extra |
District Funds
Speed Is Ordered
On New Request
To Budget Bureau

By George Beveridge
The Commissioners decided
yesterday on additions to the 1855
District Appropriation bill that
will be made possible by enact
ment of the public works revenue
measure, and ordered all-out
speed to get the new requests to
the Budget Bureau.
The supplemental requests will
not be made public until the
Budget Bureau sends them to
Congress to be added to the
stripped down $141.3 million re-
quest submitted in January.
AS it stands now, the budget
contains no construction money
for schools. hospitals, welfare in
Stitutions and other projects f.
nanced through the city's general
| fund.
Virtually Assured.
Senate passage of the $305
million, 10-year works revenue
bill yesterday. however. virtually
assured additional funds to per-
nit such construction. The
measure increased local taxes
by about $14.2 million and in
creased the Federal payment to
the city by SO million a year.
The Senate made only minor
changes in the House-paSSed
version. The differences are
expected to be ironed out
quickly in conference.
At their meeting yesterday the
city heads decided exactly what
general fund construction money
will be requested in the pending
budget, plus additional capital
outlay for highways and sewers
and additional operating money
for nearly every District depart
ment.
| Engineer Commissioner Louis
w. Prentiss said city budget Of
ficers were told to compile the
data with all possible speed in
the hope of getting it to the
Capitol in time for budget hear
ingS which probably will start
next month Officials hope to
finish the job by next Wednes-
day.
After a lengthy closed-door
session, Gen. Prentiss refused to
comment on the decisions. He
said the city heads are under
| the same prohibition against
making public such requests as
they are in submitting annual
budgets.
Would Ask S11 Million.
AS far as the general fund
construction money is con-
cerned, however, it was believed
only minor changes were made
in a year-by-year breakdown of
the works program disclosed in
January.
This breakdown proposed that
$11 ,558,760 be requested for the
year starting July /. 1t included:
| Schools-$5,233,760 for part
of the cost of nine buildings.
The buildings include: Elemen-
tary school, Stanton and Elvans
roads Sc, $3.50 900; new elemen-
tary school, Fifty-sixth and East
Capitol streets, $350,000; new
junior high school, Forty second
and Grant streets NE. $1.l
million; Van Ness Elementary
| School replacement, $816,060;
Amidon-G -Greenleaf Elementary
! School replacement. $597, 900;
new Junior high school, Fourth
! and Mississippi avenue Sc. Sill
I million; Draper Elementary
School addition, $233,600; Pat
! terson Elementary School addi-
ton, $295, 900, and Shepherd
Elementary School addition.
! $3.50, 400.
Recreation - $32O,000 for
ground development at 81 sites
and $4,000 for work on recrea-
ton buildings.
| Health Department 81 ,450.-
600 to begin two new District
General Hospital buildings. They
include a new 300-bed tubercu-
losis unit, 1885, 900, and a new
psychiatric building, $595, 900.
Corrections Department - A
new Occoquan work house dor
.mitory. $150.000. plus Lorton re-
formatory utility Improvements,
100000. In addition to this
$4,000, the commissioners have
disclosed they want 100000
next year to start on the $3.7
million Youth Correction Center
at Lorton.
Public Welfare-For the In
dustrial Home School for Boys
and Girls at the Laurel chill
dren's center, $3.2 million; in
f1rmary cottages at the District
Training School at LAUREL $780,
600, and a Receiving Home addi-
ton. $550,000.
Public Libraries $315, 1000 for