Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-06-22
Foes Base Fight
On Sib|ey Site
|0n Water Needs
Loughboro Location
Is Called Essential
To Plant Expansion

To Plant Expansion
Sibley Hospital officials buckes
strong opposition on behalf o.
Washington's future water sup.
ply yesterday In their bid for Z
Loughboro road site for the pro.
posed new 350-bed hospital ant
nurses home.
Proposed legislation would 10.
cate the hospital on the ole
National Training School fol
Girls property, which is part Of
the Dalecarlia reservation &C.
quired 100 years ago by the Gov
eminent for water production
facilities.
Until this measure was intro.
duced by Senator Dirksen, Re-
publican of Illinois, the hospita.
was scheduled to be built on the
campus of American University
Authorities of the hospital wor
a long rezoning fight for that
location with residents Of. the
Wesley Heights-Spring Valley
area
Record Held Open
Senator Morse, Democrat Of
Oregon, ordered the record of his
District Subcommittee on Health
Education and Welfare hearing
held open until Monday follow
ling yesterdays hearing.
| Army engineers and District
officials insisted the l2-acre tract
at Loughboro road and MacAr-
thur boulevard NV. Is essential
to water supply plant expansion
to provide for future demands
not only Of the District. but Of
nearby Maryland and Virginia
areas.
Backers of the bill contended
there is q large amount Of un-
improved acreage remaining in
the Dalecarlia reservation. and
that proposed shop and storage
facilities could be located else
where on the area by Army engi-
lneers who operate the Washing
ton Aqueduct.
Architect Louis Justement de-
Iclared, moreover. that the plan
for one-story shops and pipe
yards with q stretch Of grass to
Loughboro road appeared to him
really an under-improvement of
q very valuable property" :
But he took issue with District
Court Judge James r. Kirkland,
one Of the Loughboro road resi-
dents opposing the project on an
estimate that the property was
worth several million dollars.
Holds Use Logical
II think as a matter of sound
city planning. sound use Of the
land. getting the most for every
body, the hospital is a logical
use Of that ground" he said.
Others supporting the bill in
Iclude the Federal Bureau Of the
Budget. General Services Ad-
ministration, and the American
University Board Of Trustees.
Witnesses favoring the meas
ure said the Loughboro road site
would be larger by five acres than
American University's site, would
be more accessible and would
create less traffic congestion than
the university location.
The Army District Engineer
here. Col. George B. Sumner,
said that only so Of the 2S2 acres
originally bought for the water
System now remain suitable for
expansion. including the train
ing school tract.
IF this land is not reserved
for water plant expansion and
it should become necessary to
procure other land elsewhere,
the cost Of expanding the system
would be greatly increased be-
cause Of the cost Of connecting
the additional plant to the ex-
listing SYSTEM" he said.
THE rapid increase In water
demand and the cost and
impracticability Of expansion Of
the publication system elsewhere
than Dalecarlia. make 1t impera-
tive that this land be re-
tanned for such use." he told the
subcommittee.
Commissioner David B. Kar-
rick objected vigorously to the
bill. both on the score Of the
water supply question and on
grounds Of provisions in the bill
'for waving or transferring Gov
eminent liens on hospitals under
the 1896 Hospital Center Act.
$4,000 Lien
There is a lien of some $l26, 900
against the Hahnemann Hos
pital. which will merge with Sib-
ley at the new location. The bill
would trade the Hahnemann
property at l35 New York ave-
nue. NV. for the Loughboro road
acres, with q credit to either
side based on market values, and
hospital authorities propose the
lien be transferred to the new
site.
Mr.. Karrick's statement
pointed out that the liens arose
partly out Of payments from Dis
trict funds for sites and con-
struction between 1872 and 1887
totaling $808.92l for six hos
pitfalls
The Commissioner also put in
a bid to restore to the 1916 hos
pital aid act the 30 per cent Dis.
trict cost share originally speci-
fed. For the last six years, the
District has had to pay SO per
cent Of the funds spent under