Montgomery County sentinel. [volume], February 16, 1961, Image 1

About Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974

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lOirii Year - No. • ■*£&>* ROCKVILLE. MARYLAND THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 19*1 1 SECTION —l4 PAGES GArd* 4-7700 Too Cents Copy
Park Agency
Boost Asked
Five-Year Proposal Would Increase
County Park Lands by 12,000 Acres
A $7 million budget for 1962 including first purchases
under a $28.5 million five-year plan for acquisition of near
ly 20,000 acres of parklands in suburban Maryland has
been presented to the Maryland-National Capital Park and
Planning Commission.
The budget up $1 million
from this year’s program—was
presented to the commission by
Jesse F. Nicholson, executive
director of the agency.
It calls for an increase of one
cent per SIOO of assessable prop
erty value in lower Montgom
ery County plus lesser in
creases in upper Montgomery
and Prince Georges County to
provide:
1. First step in the overall '
five-year plan of purchasing
13,451 acres in Montgomery <
County at a cost of sl6 million ,
and 7168 acres in Prince Geor
ges County at a cost of $12.5
million. The 1962 budget would
include $1.5 million for pur
chase of land in Upper Rock
Creek Valley and $50,000 for
upper county land in Montgom
ery, and about $700,000 for
Prince Georges purchases.
2. Merit pay increases for the
some 290 employes of the com
mission below the level of de
partment heads, averaging
about five per cent. Salaries
would range —for everyone
from laborers to planning engi
neers from $2641 to $13,914.
3. Flat SIOOO a year increases
for department heads, whose
pay would then range from sll,-
500 to $16,500 annually.
4. A number of other proj
ects, including a survey of
water resources in Montgomery
County; a master plan of the
need for health centers in Mont
gomery; and master planning
for the Paint Branch and Sen
eca Creek watersheds and the
Lanham, Damascus, Silver
Spring, Hyattsville, College
Park, Suitland and German
town areas.
Nicholson said most of the in- j
crease asked for 1962 is for i
urgently needed park land in
the suburban counties. He said
that 48 per cent of the 1962 ;
budget is for land purchases.
Tax increase for both upper
Montgomery and Pin nee Geor-j
ges would amount to one-half
cent per SIOO valuation. Lower
Montgomery residents now pay
park, special and administrative
taxes for commission activities
totaling 1612 cents while the
upper county pays nine cents
and Prince Georges 151* cents.
Nicholson said the commis
sion wants the power to raise
those taxes eventually by two
cents.
It also wants to extend the
lower metropolitan district into j
most or all of the 10th (Poto- ■
mac*, 4th (Rockville i. sth
(Colesville* and Bth (Olney)
election districts.
Hearings on the budget pro
posals will be held at 8 p.m.
March 13 in the Hyattsville
armory and at 8 p.m. March 14
in the commission building.
8787 Georgia ave.. Silver Spring.
Nicholson will discuss the
budget on radio station WDON
tomorrow at 12:30 p.m.
Jaycees Set New
Date For Minstrel
The Mid-County Junior Cham
ber of Commerce has moved up
the date of its Minstrel Show
from February 18 to March 1
The show will be held at the
Sherwood High School in Sandy
Spring.
Rockville Fire Department Vetoes
Location Proposed By City Council
A Jefferson ave. site proposed by the Rockville City
Council for Rockville’s second firehouse has been turned
down by the Volunteer Fire Department.
In a letter to the council Marbery F. Gates, president
of the voluntary department described the site behind the
r- : i u., , —.. ■ o
Congressional Plaza as “fed by
numerous spring heads that
would make the erection of a
building on this site prohibi
tive.”
Gates said his group would
consider any other fcity recom
(Mr Sentofl
Area Man
Heads New
Title Firm
A group of Washington area
investors headed by Wil- >
liam B. Wheeler, Silver Spring
attorney and member of the
Washington Suburban Sanitary
Commission, has acquired the
controlling stock interest in the
District, Lawyers and Wash
ington Title Insurance Com
panies.
The film, located at 1413 I
st., n.w., has maintained a repu
tation for many years as the
foremost title insurance com
pany in assets and volume of
business in the Washington
area.
Wheeler has been elected j,
chairman of the board of direc
tors. Others in the group are
Donald E. Gingery, Chevy I
Chase, a builder and member;
of the Maryland-National Capi- i
tal Park and Planning Commis- :
sion, who has been named a di
rector and vice president, and
Thomas S. Jackson of Kensing
ton, senior partner of the Wash
ington law firm of Jackson,
Gray and Jackson, who was
named a director and general
counsel. Wheeler. Richard A.
Norris, president of Riggs Na
tional Bank, Gingery and Jack
son were added to the execu
tive committee. H. Stanley
Stine will remain as president
and board member.
McKeldin
Praises
|
Mathias
Former Gov. Theodore R. Mc-
Keldin has commended Rep. j
Charles “Mac” Mathias for his
vote in favor of an enlarged
House Rules Committee.
Just released from a Balti
more hospital, where he was
admitted for treatment of an j
ulcer condition, McKeldin con
gratulated Mathias for his posi
tion which has drawn criticism
in some Republican quarters.
In a letter to the Congress
man the former governor said:
'The illness which took me tem
porarily out of circulation de
layed my commending you and
congratulating you on the cour
age and wisdom of your vote
in the House to increase the
membership of the Rules Com
mittee and thus insure a more
thorough and less biased con
sideration of the measures and
matters that come before it.”
McKeldin said he feels, "as
1 1 know you do, that all meas
ures and matters proposed to
the Congress should have the
■ good prospects of full discus
i sion in Committee and full de
- j bate on the floor and that no
matter should die aborning be
: cause of the known prejudices
' and beliefs of a close-knit group
| sitting as a committee on rules.”
mendations for firehouse sites,
but in the meantime would con
tinue with their own survey of
possible locations.
! The city and residents had ob
jected to a previous choice the!
. mm . v.. .F
-C - ■ JJ , W _ U ,
m* man a f
■ IT? IWEilTiir s
plst Ilf - J ImHk "
WATCHING FOE THE THAW—Lieutenant
Joseph C. Hawkins, left, and Pfc. R. Belk of
the Montgomery County Police watch the
slowly thawing Potomac river at Seneca for
signs of the ice breaking up. A sudden
Construction Contract Set
For Holy Cross Hospital
Construction contract for the Holy Cross Hospital Of
Silver Spring has been awarded and the $8 million, 225-
bed structure is scheduled for completion in 1963.
Volpe Construction Company won the contract and
plans to begin work as soon as weather permits.
The hospital will be built onj
an 11-acre tract on Forest Glenj
rd. It will be operated by the'
Sisters of the Holy Cross.
Site for the hospital was:
deeded to the Cathoilc older
last October by the Silver 1
Spring Hospital Association
after the association failed to
raise enough funds for its con
struction. The action was chal
lenged but was upheld by the
courts.
■
Faulkner, Kingsbury and
Stenhouse, hospital architects,
designed the eight-story build
ing.
Windowless
Schools Get
Board’s OK
A radically new type of con
struction was approved Tues
day by the Montgomery County
School Board, which recom
mended the erection near Whea
ton of two windowless, air-con
ditioned one-story junior high
schools.
The schools will have win
dows facing a center courtyard,
| but none on the outside walls,
I and will resemble a suburban
i department store. Architect
Rhees Burkett, of Silver Spring,
calculates that the school, in
cluding air-conditioning, would
cost $40,000 less than the con
! ventional type of school. Heat
! ing and maintenance costs are
i also less in the "compact”
i school.
Board membeV Robert Mor
row opposed the idea because
of the air-conditioning, a fea-
I ture which he said is uneconom
ical. He also felt that the
blank facade of the buildings
i will result in the schools being
called “Montgomery Mauso
! leums.”
firemen made for a firehouse
located on the corner of Halpine
rd. and Ardennes ave. The coun
;ty council, which has jurisdic
tion over all county firehouses
including those in the city,
vetoed that site.
Mayor Alexander J. Greene
said the city would inquire into
the availability of two other
Jefferson st. sites; one on the
comer of Congressional la. and
the other on the comer of Rol
lins ave.
thaw, with masses of ice breaking loose at
once, could mean serious damage to the
bridges under construction in the Washing
ton area. Staff Photo
Upper two floors will be
roughed in to provide room for
expansion to 300 beds. Tempo
rary quarters will be set up for
nuns who will administer the
hospital. •
The building will have im
movable verticle and horizontal
awnings, designed to 3hade all
rooms from the summer sun
and cut down on air-condition
ing costs.
Main entrance will be on the
second level, which will contain
the lobby, administrative of
fices, operating rooms, labora
tories and other diagnostic fa
cilities.
The third floor will house .the j
dietary department, cafeteria
and facilities for hospital volun
teers. Fourth floor is to be set
aside for maternity and remain
ing floors will be for general
hospital beds.
No room will serve more than
two patients. Each will have a
shower, toilet facilities, and a
service area for the nurse.
Efforts to obtain a hospital
for Silver Spring began in 1944.
The present campaign for
funds, which began about a
i year ago, is the third and most
successful to date. About half
of the $1 million goal has been
reached.
sfpr . •
, *
NEW—Proposed Rockville City Hall and site revised. The Mayor and Council
are considering a new set of preliminary plans from architects Rinaudot and
Coupard calling for a modem building to be constructed on a piece of ground
at Perry and Vinson Streets recently purchased by the City from the Vinson
Estate for SIOO,OOO. The new City Hall design can be built for less than
$250,000 according to the architects. Its 17,000 square feet of space includes
two floors and a Council Chamber capable of seating 100 persons. By contrast
A Century of Service
City Chamber
Gets Results
In Campaign
I Early results Irom the Rock*
i ville Chamber of Commerce
j membership drive show a clear
trend to a strengthened trade
JrA’P in the county seat. An
| architect, an 'insurance agent, a
retailer and a land developer
were among the first to add
their names to the chamber’s
membership rolls. More are ex
pected as long-time, active mem
bers call on their fellow busi
s ness and professional neighbors
in Rockville.
:
Climax of the week-long cam
paign will come tomorrow at a
Rockville business community
: luncheon to which the chamber
i will invite over 300 local busi
nessmen to be its guests. They
will be treated to roast chicken
or fish and to a look at the
chamber’s programs and activi
ties in their community. ’The
1 affair is being made possible
■ through the cooperation of Sid
• j ney Solomon and Price Merrill,
■the new operators of the Rock
■ ville Plaza Motel and Restau
l rant.
By mid week, these 20 Cham
i ber of Commerce regulars had
i called on 100 business neigh
i bors: John Brennan, Mrs.
Myrtle Briggs, Dick Davis, Art
Hiban, Jerry King, Glen Koe
-1 penick, John McAuliffe, Jim
. Miller, jr., Anson Overdorff,
■ Ross Roberts, Joe Rodgers,
i Paul Romsburg, Dennis Slm
t mons, Marvin Simmons, Dan
t Sullivan, Harold Timken, Mack
l Wells, Nell Whalen, Jim Wil
son and Mat Wittenstein.
Largest School
Budget Approved
By Local Board
Jail Attendants
Get Salary Cut
Four Montgomery County
jail attendants have been re
duced in salary grade as the
result of a November 27 escape
from the institution which was
attributed by a grand jury re
port to “gross negligence.”
The disciplinary action was
reported to the County Council
this week by County Manager
Mason A. Butcher in a presenta
tion that coincided with a state
ment by a Republican leader
accusing the Democratic coun
cil of “glossing over” the grand
jury's report of the incident.
Butcher’s investigation of the
escape was instituted prior to
the statement, issued by Jerome
Harris, editor of the Montgom
ery County Republican Review.
Butcher, in reporting to the
council on his investigation of
the escape of four young prison
/
Taxing Plan
Voted Down
By Council
The Montgomery County
Council rejected Tuesday a plan
to aid redevelopment by taxing
land heavily, regardless of
whether it is occupied by build
ings.
Councilman Stanley Frosh
proposed a double standard of
assessment rates to prevent
neighborhood deterioration. This
would provide for heavy taxes
on land, with the cost of im
proving it relatively small.
Councilman Frosh suggested
the plan to combat the problem
of obsolescence which, he said,
already exists in some County
Suburban areas. Suburban ex
pansion should not be only in an
outward direction, he said.
“At all times we have to be
mindful of what we have left
behind in our thrust into new
areas,” he added.
Councilman David L. Cahoon
protested the plan, saying that
it was a device to force develop
ment of by-passed land, and
would cause Silver Spring and
Bethesda to be jammed up with
people. It would also sabotage
the County’s attempt to protect
open spaces against the pres
sures of suburban development,
Cahoon said.
The proposal was rejected 4-
3, with Councilman William F.
Hickey and Stella B. Werner
supporting Councilman Frosh.
with the building first proposed to the Council at an estimated construction
cost of $350,000, this structure has only a partial basement for heating, venti
lating and water equipment and omits expansion space for temporary rental
use. There is no provision for additional stories and the building may be
expanded only by the construction of a new wing. The Mayor and Council
plan to make their decision on the City Hall at their meeting on Monday,
February 27.
ers through a crawl space above
the jail in the old county court
house, said he had found evi
dence of “substantial negli
gence” by the jail personnel.
The county manager said he
had ordered salary reductions
for John Young, veteran jail
supervisor, and three other em
ployes in the county institution.
The discipline, Butcher said,
had been decreed in accordance
with the county’s merit system,
under which the employes have
the privilege of appealing to
the County Personnel Board.
Under his ruling, the em
ployes have no recourse other
than an appeal to the Personnel
Board until March 1 of next
year, the manager noted. He
said on Tuesday he had received
no notice of appeal.
Young’s grade reduction
dropped his salary from $7590
a year to $7017 under Butcher’s
order. Other disciplinary meas
ures affected these employes:
Stanley S. Pugh, assistant
jail supervisor, reduced from
$5544 to $5125 and reduced in
grade to jail guard: Paul E.
Bradbury, jail guard, reduced
from $4544 to $4378, and Fred
erick W. Small, jail guard, re
duced from $5125 to $4927.
Butcher’s report to the Coun
ty Council concurred with the
grand jury report, which said
jail attendants were “tipped off”
twice before the escape that it
had been planned. However, he
said his own probe had not pro
duced a “satisfactory” explana
tion of how the bi’eak was engi
neered, or how it remained un
detected for some six hours
after the prisoners made their
way to freedom.
The manager’s report was ac
cepted by the council without
formal action as an administra
tive matter which obviously
satisfied the members of the
governing body. It came after
Harris, the Republican editor,
alleged negligence by Demo
cratic county, officials in ad
ministering the jail program.
Civitans lo Meet
In Tow noil
Civitans from Montgomei-y
County will join other club
leaders from Virginia, Pennsyl
vania, New Jersey and the Dis
trict of Columbia for the win
ter quarter council meeting of
the Chesapeake district of Oivi
tan International at Tow son,
Md„ this Saturday and Sunday.
ACTION... Sentinel
Classified Ads attract
prospective buyers. Call
Officials Lop
$1.5 Million from
Initial Request
The Montgomery County
School Board, which has
held almost continuing work
sessions, has lopped about
one and a half million dol
lars from the $46.5 million total
proposed by Dr. C. Taylor Whit
tier, superintendent of schools.
A savings of more than a
million dollars to the taxpayers
was effected in a decision to
carry over some $725,000 in cur
rent salary appropriations that
were not expended this year
and an estimated amount that
probably will not be required
next year for the same reasons
—inability to find qualified per
sons for specific jobs to fill
existing vacancies.
Coupled with an estimated re
duction of about two million dol
lars In the capital construction
budget approved by the school
board two weeks ago, the new
est savings will remove more
than three million dollars from
the bills of county taxpayers.
The final budget total, however,
Is subject to a complete re
capitulation of fiscal figures by
Board of Education budget offi
cials.
Budget Revised
Meeting almost dally or
nightly since January I, the
board has revised and juggled a
variety of proposals submitted
by Dr. Whittier without malting
a substantial curtailment of the
county’s educational effort.
And, while effecting reductions,
the board has managed to pro
vide for some expanded serv
ices.
Transportation requirements
—a sore point with parents In
recent months—were liberalized
to permit the use of school
buses by many pupils who
were previously required to
provide their own transporta
tion. The additional services will
add about $75,000 to the total
budget cost.
The cost of these and other
services, however, was offset
by personnel reductions decreed
by the board, salary adjust
ments and other cuts In the
Whittier proposals.
Some Increases Approved
While the new budget pro
vides some pay increases for ad
ministrative and supervisory
personnel, it makes no immedi
ate provision for higher salaries
for teachers. However, board
members agreed to begin work
toward a higher teacher pay
scale proposed by the superin
tendent for next year, with the
implied understanding that the
new program would be given a
start this spring.