Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-04-09
Pupils Affected,
But County Can't
Do Anything
BY MARY LOU WERNER

olLcneS ana SLrOlllng over mar"
row road shoulders on their way
to and from school each day
while a $4,000 sidewalk fund
gathers dust in the county
treasury.
What's more. the county can't
do anything about it.
The tie-up is in the Virginia
State Department of Highways.
which must handle construction
of the sidewalks because they
are to be built on highway
rights-of -way.
Since 1858. the county has
been bolstering the sidewalk
construction fund. A committee
of county and State officials has
picked 10 schools where side
walks are considered important.
To date, less than 5000 of the
sidewalk fund has been ex-
pended. That was for a tenn
porary walkway at the Centre
vile Elementary School. A side
walk at the Graham Road
School is about rs per cent COM
plete.
1t is anybody's guess when the
other Is sidewalks in the pro-
gram win be built.
Complaints By Parents
/ L. o. Bolton, resident State
highway engineer in Fairfax
County. hopes most of the first
II sidewalks picked by the COM
mlttee can be finished before
school opens next fall.
But we can't be sure because
it may not be possible to get
rights-of-way donated for all Of
those" he added cautiously.
According to a report drafted
by County Executive C. c. Mas
sey, the previous Board Of
County Supervisors first appro-
priated money for sidewalk con-
struction in 1853 at the State
Highway Departments sugges-
ton.
There had been increasing
complaints from parents about
the lack of sidewalks at schools.
The State said it had its hands
full trying to finance mainte-
nance and construction Of all the
: roads which Fairfax County
needed.
If the county really wanted
sidewalks. the State said it would
build Unsupported the county
put up the money, recalled Mr..
Massey.
Right-Of-Way Funds
The county agreed to finance
the sidewalks if parents would
get property owners to donate
rights-of-way for them.
Committees were appointed by
PTA groups to work on right
of-Way donations. Some com.
mitteeS say they have rights-of-
way all lined up, but can't get
the State to accept them.
Mr.. Bolton. who was not the
resident engineer when the side
walk appropriations began, has
advised the supervisors that his
department can't accept the
rights-of-way until the sidewalk
routes have been surveyed and
final plans approved in Rich
mond.
That's our real bottleneck,
guess" said Mr.. Bolton.
There just haven't been enough
survey teams to take care of the
sidewalk work.
I'VE only have one team at
this Office, and they keep busy
most OF the time on highway
construction which can't wait"
he added.
Other survey teams work out of
the Culpeper district Office, but
there haven't been enough avail
able for the Fairfax sidewalk
program.
Il think we have most of the
first IL projects surveyed now.
and in most cases the plans have
been drawn" said Mr.. Bolton,
we can start accepting rights
of-way when the plans come back
from Richmond.
First IL Sidewalks Slated
The first II projects planned in
, the program are for sidewalks at
the following schools: Annandale
Elementary. Lincolnia Elemen-
tary. Dunn Loring Elementary,
Woodburn Elementary, James
Lee Elementary. Graham Road
Elementary, Weyanoke Elemen-
tary. Centreville Elementary,
Freedom Hill Elementary, Sleepy
Hollow Elementary, and Wood
, lawn.
The next seven on the list are:
, Haycock Elementary, Chester
, brook Elementary, Timber Lane.
Annandale High, Glen Carlyn,
Belvedere Eleme ntary and
Groveton High.
Members Of the original coun-
ty sidewalk committee included
Mrs. Anne wilkins, Mason dis
trict supervisor; William Eb-
hardt. supervisor of school trans
portation: o. I. Aichel, resident
highway engineer who has been
replaced by Mr. Bolton; County
Executive Massey and 1t. L. H.
Shumate, director of the police
traffic bureau.
The new Board of County Su-
perviSors has expanded the COM
mittee to make each supervisor
a member in hopes of stirring up
action
The School Board also has
started agitatine for quick con.
stluction. School buses are over
crowded, and in some places chill.
dren are being transported short
distances where roads are con-