Greenbelt news review., October 21, 1954, Image 1

About Greenbelt news review. (Greenbelt, Md.) 1954-current

Image provided by: University of Maryland, College Park, MD

                
—-- 19 ’ N °‘ 11 _ Greenbelt, Maryland, Thursday, October 21, 1954 10 Cents
Two-Day Hallowe’en
Planned For Youth
The Recreation Department
plans a two-day Hallowen celebra
tion for all ages of children and
youth. Younger children up
through 12 years of age will have
their party in the Center School
Gym from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Sat
urday, October 30.
The party will consist of the fol
lowing: (1) grand parade of dif
ferent costumes to receive a prize;
(2) two cartoons, Donald Duck in
Trick or Treat” and a Halloween
movie; (3) children will receive
their tricks and treats.
For teen-age youth a free dance,
games and refreshments will be
served. Cider and doughnuts will
be served free of charge. All teen
ages, who give their name and tel
ephone number, will have a chance
to receive the sum of SSO if they
are ,at home at 12 p.m. The dance
will let out at 11:30 p.m. to allow
those who atttend time to get home
and receive the calls. A total of
10 calls will be made to the homes,
and the youth must be home to re
ceive them.
County Municipal Group
To Meet Here Thursday
Election of officers will be one
of several main items on the agen
da for the regular monthly meet
ing of the Prince George’s County
Municipal Association in Green
belt on Thursday, October 21, at
8 p. .m The meeting will be held
in Greenbelt’s Center School Build
~lng (entering on Greenbelt Road,
turn left at Crescent Road at the
shopping center).
In addition to receiving the re
port of the nominating committee,
the Association will hear a panel
discussion of town organization and
services presented, by the incum
bent members of the Executive
Board representing Forest Heights,
Cheverly, Landover Hills, College
Park, and Cottage City. The panel
also will discuss ways and means
in which the Association can be of
future help to the municipalities.
Of further special interest will
be the active part which the As
sociation is scheduled tc play in
the current study of the Washing
ton Suburban Sanitary Commis
sion being conducted by a special
commission appointed by the Gov
ernor. Details will be supplied at
the meeting.
B-BGunClub Seeks
Space For Shooters
The Greenbelt Chapter of the
Izaak Walton League will conduct
the “BB” gun club this year when
space is available for it. All last
year’s members who plan to be
with the club again this year are
notified that the club will not be
operating until an appropriate
place can be found to hold the
shooting meets. The Armory will
not be available until some time
in January because of alterations
being made there. Cards are be
ing sent to all last year members
informing them of this change.
The league plans to ask the city
if it would be possible for the
club to use the social room of the
center elementary school until the
Armory is again available. All
members will be notified when the
club will commence operations.
Watch the paper for further de
velopments.
Plant Sale Saturday
The Afternoon Guild of Commu
nity Church will sponsor a Plant
Sale at the Center on Saturday,
October 23, beginning at 10 a.m.
Many types of plants will be on
sale.
Greeenbelt News Review
Published Every Thursday By The Greenbelt Cooperative Publishing Association, Inc., 9 Parkway, Greenbelt, Maryland
Police Seeking Man
Who Molested Child
A man who molested a little girl
in the North End is the object of
an active search by the Greenbelt
police. The only statement that
Chief of Police George Panagoulis
would make at this time is that
the child did not receive any bodily
harm.”
The incident, which occured
within the past two weeks, was re
ported by the girl to her parents
shortly after it happened. It is
reported that the man asked, the
girl to aid him in searching for his
dog.
All Community Chest
Reports Called In
“Please get those reports in!”
That’s the word from Prince
Georges Community Chest leaders,
to all campaigners who have do
nations to submit.
A scheduled meeting last week
of county team captains was can
celled by Hurricane Hazel, thus
blowing away campaigners’ chance
to find out where they stood in
their drive to collect $65,000 by
November 4.
“I know the solicitors are out
working, but the reports are slow,”
said Ed Di Bella, executive direc
tor of the PG Chest and Plan
ning Council. “I’m concerned
over it.”
Greenbelt’s solicitors were asked
to get their reports into Prince
Georges Chest headquarters—at
3723 Thirty-fourth Street, Mount
Rainier —as soon as possible.
Individual workers may bring
reports to the office themselves.
Or. to save themselves a trip, turn
reports in to their team
or unit chairman.
Junior High PTA
Greets Principal
The first meeting of the all
season of the Greenbelt Junior
High School PTA. took place Wed
nesday evening, October 13 in the
school auditorium. Francis E. Fur
gang, newly-installed principal,
welcomed the faculty and parents.
Percy H. Andros, president of
the PTA., introduced Furgang,
noted that the new principal
is a native of Prince Georges and
a veteran educator. He was born
in Cheltenham, Md., educated in
local schools and has a B.S. and
Masters’ Degree in Education from
U. of Md. For nine years, he
taught science at Mt. Ranier Sen
ior High School During the war,
he served as a Lieutenant Com
mander in the Navy.
Back to teaching, he became
vice-principal at Hyattsville Senior
High School ni 1950. In 1951, he
was selected as the vice principal
for Northwestern Senior High
School. From this post, he was
promoted to principal of Green
belt Junior High School. Furgang
lives in Hyattsville with his wife
and two daughters.
The officers of the PTA. in ad
dition to Andros include Mrs.
Harry S. Weidberg, Vice President;
Steven B. Hallack, Treasurer; Mrs.
Murray Churchill, Corresponding
and Recording Secretary. Commit
tee Chairmanships are headed by
Rev. Eric Braund, program; Mrs.
John H. Heckathorn, Membership;
Dr. Louis Madsen, Legislative;
Mrs. Woodrow Page, Health; Miss
Mary Lee Amos, Hospitality and
Mrs. Morris M. Cohen, Publicity.
A CLEAN TOWN IS
A PRETTY TOWN
DON’T LITTER OUR
PUBLIC AREAS
AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER
What Goes On ?
Friday, October 22 - Cub Scout
Pack meets at 7:30 p.m. at
Fellowship Center.
GVHC board of directors
meeting on Hamilton Place at
8:15 p.m.
GCS board of directors meet
ing in office over drugstore at
8 p.m.
St. Hugh’s Sodality dance at
American Legion Hall from
10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
New Washington-Baltimore
Expressway opens at 2 p.m.
Saturday, October 23 - Land
over Hills plays Greenbelt in
120-pound Football League at
12 noon at Braden Field.
Community Church plant sale
at Center beginning at 10 a.m.
Sunday, October 24 - Clean-un
Committee meeting at 4-H
Southway.
Monday, October 25 - Greenbelt
Citizens Association meets in
Center School at 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, October 26 - Retarded
Children organization meets
at Greenbelt Athletic Club at
8 n.m.
Wednesday, October 27 - Square
Dancing Classes >at North End
School at 8 p.m. ($3 per cou
ple for entire course.)
Saturday, October 30 - Chil
dren’s Halloween party at
Center School from 6:30-7:30
p.m.
Community Choristers
To Meet East: Monday
- The new community choral
group met for the first time Mon
day, October 18, and. elected Mrs.
Lillian Hoffman and Mrs. Muriel
Burrows as co-chairmen, Mrs. Ed
ith Ratzkin as secretary, Mrs. Wer
ner Popper, treasurer, and Norm
an Granims, librarian.
The group, under the experienc
ed direction of Albert Herling,
plans to meet every Monday at
8:15 p.m. at the Center School. The
first selections chosen for study
were “Greensleeves” (an old Eng
lish ballad) and the chorus from
“Oklahoma.” All those interested
in choral singing are cordially in
vited to join.
Citizens Group
To Meet Mon.
The Greenbelt Citizens Associa
tion will hold its regular monthly
meeting Monday night, October
25, in the Center school, beginning
promptly at 8:30 p.m.
Featured on the program will be
a short talk by Prudencio Martinez,
Jr., 9-E Research, who has organ
ized a group of Greenbelt boys in
a series of scientific exhibit proj
ects. Martinez will describe the
progress of the group, now using
the old Methodist church on Wood
land Way through courtesy of the
Methodist congregation.
F. Knock, Jr., minister of the
church, will also make a brief in
formal talk about thte project.
Other items on the agenda of
the meeting are reports on the
Clean-up Committee, the Youth
Center Committee, and, the Com
munitv Coordination Committee.
The latter committee was slated
to meet Wednesday night, October
20. to lay plans for a GCA-sponsor
ed. city-wide reception for Green
belt teachers to be held in No
vember.
In an account of the GCA meet
ing of October 4. published in a
recent issue of this paper, mention
was inadvertently omitted of a res
olution which the meeting passed,
expressing GCA’s opposition to
any pl-an that would turn any of
the park and recreational land at
the Center to commercial use.
Building Loans Impeded by Taxes
Here, Lakeside Lot Owners Claim
By I. J. Parker
Greenbelt’s high tax rate ($2.14) is responsible for the failure
Of several Lakeside lot-owners to secure loans in order to build <
homes, it was claimed at the city council meeting last Monday
night. Five Lakeside members told the city council that loan
agencies are refusing to grant mortgages on proposed homes be
cause of the high taxes in the city as well as the moderate incomes
of the home-builders.
The disclosure again high-light
ed the continuing failure of de
velopment in the city due to the
tax rate, as several past attempts
to build homes here have failed
for the same reason. In an effort
Theater Mgr. Stars
In Real-Life Drama
A local resident saw his sister
for the first time in 28 years last
Sunday, after a “hunch” telephone
call paid off in a thrilling reunion
at the Mayflower Hotel.
Leßoy Root, 71-M Ridge, was
separated from his sister, Louise,
when both were, infants in Salina,
Kansas. This past week, Louise
visited Washington for physical
therapists convention. She had
learned from an aunt that her
brother might possibly be living
in the Washington area. A look in
the phone book resulted in a phone
call, and the search was over. The
Roots hurried to the hotel, where
Louise had to be identified by the
desk clerk.
Louise is a physical therapist
with the Crippled Childrens Hos
pital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
She had spent some time in a con
vent. During their reunion, Louise
also discovered that another broth
er she has not seen for the same
length of time resides in California.
Leßoy and Louise had unknow
ingly spent part of their child
hood in the same area near Wich
ita, Kansas, while going to high
school.
Louise is spending the week of
the convention at the Root resi
ered she is really “Aunt Louise.”
Leßoy, who is employed by the
Navy Department, is also manager
of the Greenbelt Theater.
North End Playground
Hazardous For Playing
Arthur Robinson, Supervisor of
the Maintenance Office of Prince
Georges County Schools, spoke this
week to the children of the North
End School regarding the overall
plan for the grading and. improve
ment of the playground.
The North End School and the
Board of Education urge all par
ents to keep their children from
the plajrground when not being su
pervised by school personnel. Rob
inson stated the Greenbelt Police
have accepted the responsibility of
checking the equipment and the
playground regularly.
Mrs. Grimm, principal, has ask
ed all parents to warn their chil
dren regarding the hazards of
playing on the equipment as well
as against playing in the excava
teolls which might cave in.
Ralph and Carolyn Miller, 13-
V Ridge, have a new number:
GRanite 4-9269.
We will be glad to print oth
er changes in telephone num
bers. Submit notices in writing
to the office at 9 Parkway, or
leave in the box at tobacco
store.
to secure relief for home-builders,
councilman Ben Goldfaden asked
for (1) a moratorium on taxes the
first year of occupancy for new
homes, or (2) special tax exemp
tion for single-dwelling homes, or
(3) extremely low assessments.
City manager Charles McDon
ald declared that his discussions
with city solicitor Ralph Powers
concluded that a moratorium
would be illegal and subject the
city to suit by any citizen. Assess
ments are made by the county as
sessor, and the city is required by
the charter to follow county as
sessments for tax purposes; single
dwelling homes are classified as
“residential” and cannot legally be
faxed otherwise.
Budget Must Be Cut
The only solution, McDonald re
minded the group, lies in the budg
et Services are determined by the
citizens, and their cost is paid by
citizens. Only a reduced budget
can reduce the tax rate, he stated.
William Brooks, whose Lakeside
home is nearing completion, stated
that be is disturbed over—the—
amount of taxes he must pay to
live in Greenbelt. He pointed to
the difference in taxes defense
home owners and new home own
ers pay. “We use the same streets,
same library, the same police
force—yet one pays twice as much
as the other,” he declared, adding,
“The Greenbelt homes are under
assessed!”
McDorn’d replied that the basis
for all taxation is ability to pay.
A person living in a more expen
sive house must expect t o pay
higher taxes, he remined Brooks,
adding that he felt the 17-year-old
Greenbelt houses are fairly ap
praised for tax purposes.
Lastner Urges Patience
Mayor Frank Lastner asked the
group to have patience. A wealthy
builder is interested in building a
large group of homes in the city,
he disclosed, and the addition of
many homes will reduce the tax
rate so that individual home-build
ers will find it easier getting loan
approvals. Asked whether the
newest builder on the Greenbe
scene could expect any bettter suc
cess than the others, Lastner re
plied that he understands the
builder will negotiate with the
Veterans Administration, rather
than Federal Housing Administra
tion. in his bid for approval.
Informal discussion of ways to
reduce the budget brought forth
proposals to charge a monthly fee
for garbage and. trash collection
(this would not influence the loan
agencies. McDonald stated, as they
take entire monthly charges into
account); putting the library un
der county control; and letting
Washington Suburban Sanitary
Commission control water
and sewage. The last proposal
was decried as more expensive;
meter charges, ad valorem, and the
cost of a new line to the main
sewage plant would be paid for by
residents.
A statement by Goldfaden assur
ing Lakeside group “we’re bound
to nave a lower tax rate for sure
next year” brought a word of cau
tion from McDonald. “We don’t
know for sure whether the citi
zens want less or mure services;
we don’t know for sure whether
the cost of services will increase
or decrease next year.”