Evening star., 1957-08-29
Senate Passes
Sib|ey Site Bill
Without Fight
Building Of PIunt
In DulecurIiu Area
Quickly Approved

congressional approval OF its
plans for building its plant and
nurses home on a 12-acre site
within the Dalecarlia water
reservation area.
The Senate late yesterday
took up and passed the matter
within a few minutes.
The bill was called UP by
Democratic Leader johnson
who made only a brief ex-
PLANTATION and won passage of
the bill without any argument
or contest. He was acting in
the stead Of Senator Morse,
Democrat Of Oregon, who was
not able to be present.
Fewer than a dozen Sena-
tors we're on the floor at the
time. although agents of both
parties were on notice that the
measure would be called up
sometime during the late after
noon or night. In fact. a snokes-
man for the Republican side,
Senator Allott of Colorado, as
sisted Senator johnson in nall
ing down the decision.
The measure now goes to the
White House for signature.
Johnson Cites Report
In outlining the bill to the
Senate. Senator johnson quoted
briefly from the report from
the Senate District Committee.
He said that the District
engineer Of the Army Engineer
Corps had failed to prove his
argument that eventually the
l2-acre site. near the inter-
section Of Loughboro road and
Little Falls road. might be
needed for water supply pur-
poses. The Army engineers had
said that this area might be
needed about the year 1000 for
a water reservoir or filtration
plant or other water supply or
distribution purposes if near
by Maryland areas found them
selves in the need of water
supply from the District system.
In contrast, spokesmen for
the Methodist Church, which
owns Sibley Hospital, supplied
data to show that Maryland
authorities already have laid
plans for taking care Of its
own water needs in Mont
gomery County without calling
on the District system for help.
One Of the reasons why the
District Committee approved
the new site for Sibley was that
1t needed more space than was
available on the campus Of
American University, where the
new hospital had been planned
to be built. In that case the
university and hospital spokes-
man had carried to the Su-
preme Court a contest over a
change Of coming to permit the
hospital to be built on the uni
versity campus.
IL Acres Available
The campus site afforded 8
acres for the hospital. The
Loughboro road site will permit
the use Of UP to II acres and it
was argued that the university
has expansion plans that would
crowd the university area If a
portion of 1t had to be used for
the hospital and the nurses
training school and dormitories.
The Loughboro road area is
owned by the Government.
Under the measure there will
be a transfer Of this tract TO
Sibley Hospital in exchange for
the Hahnemann Hospital at 1876
New York avenue NV. The
Hahnemann Hospital now is
with Sibley.
The owners of Sibley will be
made responsible for paying
the difference in the value be-
tween the IL acres and the New
York avenue property. as deter
mined at its fair market value
by the General Services Ad-
ministration.
The Senate Committee report
urges the removal from the
Dalecarlia reservation of the
beach erosion board and the
Army Map Service. The COM
mittee found that these in
stallations did not constitute
proper use Of the water reserva-
ton area. Funds will have to
be provided for the relocation
Of these agencies.