Greenbelt news review., November 11, 1954, Image 1

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

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Vol. 19, No. 14 Greenbelt, Maryland, Thursday, November 11, 1954 10 Centa
GVHC Votes To Accept Advertising
In Newsletter To Defray Expenses
By Bernard Krug
The Board of Directors of the Greenbelt Veteran Housing
Corporation voted at its regular meeting last Friday night to ac
cept advertising in the GVHC Newsletter, starting early next year.
Earl Thomas, a member of the publicity committee, appeared
before the board to explain the new plan, speaking for Ed Burgoon,
committee chairman, who was ab
sent because of the death of his
mother.
Not A Money-maker
Thomas stated that the news
letter, circulated to all GVHC
members once a month, now costs
about $1,500 per year, including
printing and postage. He stated
that it would not be the purpose
of the paper to make money from
the ads, but merely to help defray
expenses as much as possible.
Board Member Hans Jorgensen
commented that it would not be
wise to cut out news matter in
favor of printing ads, and Thomas
agreed, adding that the original
four pages of the present paper
would be continued, with the ads
to be kept to a maximum of two
pages. He exhibited a six-page
dummy of the proposed paper,
noting that the body type face is
to be changed from 8 to 10 point
type, to increase readability.
Manager Paul Campbell an
nounced that damage from “Hazel”
was more extensive than initially
reported. He said ithat repair
work would be needed for 61 build
ings, costing $2,749. Of this
amount, $849 is covered by insur
. QQQ to be paid hy
GVHC.
Fasteners on Sale
Screen fasteners, to fit screens
in old Greenbelt homes, will be sold
over the counter in the GVHC of
fice, Campbell announced. The
device contains a small spring, and
wild fit the present screw holes in
the window casement.
The question of the proper name
for the road that leads from
Greenbelt to the old U. S. 1 was
brought up by Board Member
Frank Lastner. He stated that it
is Southway Road to Edmonston,.
and Greenbelt Road from there to
U. S. 1. He also noted the confu
sion resulting from the sign on
Southway near the entrance to the
new Baltimore Parkway. The ar
row pointing straight up, to desig
nate the road to Baltimore as
straight ahead, is misunderstood
by northbound motorists who mis
takenly drive into Greenbelt look
ing for the Baltimore approach
to the road. Addition of the words
Cross Bridge” was suggested as a
cure for the sign’s faulty direc
tions.
Jorgensen said that a sign “This
Is Greenbelt” might be erected at
the intersection where cars enter
Greenbelt from the new road, and
Lastner commented "that the City
Council may undertake to provide
the sign. Jorgensen also sug
gested addidtional landscaping for
the entrance area.
Other Actions
In other actions, the Board:
(1) voted to 'send a lettter of
condolence to Board Member Bur
geon, on his recent bereavement;
(2) voted the usual SSOO for ad
vertising for the month of Novem
ber*
(3) heard Board Member Lastner
announce that, following his re
cent election as County Commis
sioner, he will resign from the
City Council, to be succeeded by
Mayor pro-tem James N. Wolfe.
The City Council, Lastner added,
will appoint another council mem
ber in the near future.
The next meeting of the Board
will be in the GVHC office on
Hamilton Place on Friday night,
November 19, at 8:15 p.m.
Greeenbelt News Review
Published Every Thursday By The Greenbelt Cooperative Publishing Association, Inc., 9 Parkway, Greenbelt, Maryland
Credit Union Official
Indicted For Embezzling
John C. Maffay, 44, of 46-H
Ridge Rd., was indicted this week
by the Federal grand jury on a
seven-count charge accusing him
of embezzlement while serving as
treasurer of the Greenbelt Federal
Credit Union.
The indictment charged embez--
zlement of sums ranging from
$38.75 to SIOO, for a total of $528.55.
These offenses, according to the
charge, took place between No
vember, 1951 and February, 1954.
No arrangements for trial were
made.
Great Books Group
To Discuss Plato
A congenial group of six persons
met November 3 at the home of
Mr. and Mrs. George C. Reeves,
2-C Eastway, to discuss the Decla
ration of Independence and cer
tain passages from the Old Tes
tament illustrative of the abuse of
power by kings. The discussion
led into many interesting, ramifi
~ cations *~©f' pofilfeM -k*£y
philosophy.
The group was formed at the
suggestion of Mrs. Walter D.
Johnston and Mrs. John Schmidt
upon the advice of Mr. and Mrs.
John Littleton who represented a
similar Greenbelt group now in
its fifth year of reading and dis
cussion. The Rev. Robert C. Hull
and Mrs. Russell Greenbaum join
ed in the discussion.
It was decided to follow the
reading list suggested by the
Great Books Foundation and in
spired by Maynard Hutchins and
Mortimer Adler, of the University
of Chicago. The group agreed to
Sec BOOKS, Page 4
Women Voters Discuss
Juvenile Detention
The Greenbelt unit of the Prince
Georges County League of Women
Voters will meet Wednesday, No
vember 14, at 8:15 p.m. at the home
of Mrs. Harry Novick, 45-S Ridge.
Topic for discussion will be, “Ju
venile Detention in Maryland;
How Juveniles are Handled from
Apprehension to Court Decision.”
To raise funds to carry out its
work of informing the public on
voting and issues of public inter
est, the League of Women Voters
of Prince Georges County is con
ducting its annual finance drive
during the month of November.
Members of the League will con
tact citizens of the County to ex
plain the work and accomplish
ments of the League. Anyone not
contacted who would like to sup
port the work of the League may
send a check to Mrs. Louis Lieb
ersohn, 1605 Drexel St., Takoma
Park. Anyone desiring further in
formation concerning the League
or the finance drive may call either
Mrs. Haig Dermen, President,
League of Women Voters of Prince
Georges County, TO. 9-6042, or
Mrs. Frank Whalen, Chairman of
the Finance Drive, SP. 3-6797.
The League is a non-partisan or
ganization whose members pro
vide non-partisan factual informa
tion on voting, registration and
public issues.
AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER
What Goes On ?
Saturday, November 13 - Green
belt Midgets grid team plays
Green Meadows at Braden
Field at 10 a.m.
Monday, November 15 - City
Council meets to discuss
budget in city offices over Va
riety Store at 8 p.m.
Greenbelt Choral Group spon
sored by JCC meets at 8:30
p.m. in Center School, Room
201.
Wednesday, November 17
Movie, “The Lion and the
Mouse” sponsored by Green
belt Cooperative Nursery
School at Greenbelt Theater
at 3 p.m.
Greenbelt unit of League of
Women Voters meets at 45-S
Ridge at 8:15.
Thursday, November 18 - Great
Books Group meets at 2-D
Gardenway to discuss Plato’s
“Apology” and “Crito.” New
members invited.
JCC Women’s Group meets at
Center School at 8:30 p.m.
Greenbelt Woman’s Club fine
arts group meets at home of
Mrs. Ralph Webster, 11-S
Ridge, at 8 p.m.
Sunday, November 21 - Com
munity Festival for all Green
belt teachers at Center School,
3-6 p.m.
GCA Plans Reception
For Teachers Nov. 21
Plans for the first annual Com
munity Festival for teachers, to be
held in the Center school on Sun
day at tel noon, November' 21, are
rapidly nearing completion, ac
cording to Bruce Bowman, chair
man of the steering committee of
the Greenbelt Citizens Association,
which is coordinating the event.
This will be the first year that
the “welcome-to-teachers’ party,
formerly sponsored by the Com
munity Church, will include all
teachers of all Greenbelt schools,
including Center, North End, St.
Hugh's Junior High, and the new
High Point high school in Belts
ville. All Greenbelt parents of
school children are cordially in
vited to attend the 3 to 6 p.m. af
fair.
Invitations will be sent to ail
teachers by the Parent Teachers
Associations, and a special effort
will be made to invite single teach
ers to Sunday dinner in Greenbelt
homes prior to the Festival.
City-wide Festival
More than a score of Greenbelt
organizations are helping plan the
event. Greenbelt Consumer Serv
ices will provide coffee, and, in
addition, punch and cookies will
also be available. Exhibits will he
entered by GVHC, the combined
PTA’s and the League of Women
Voters. (Other organizations wish
ing to submit exhibits should call
Mrs. Joseph L. Nusinov, 50-C
Ridge, GR. 3-6571.)
Entertainment already scheduled
for the Festival includes choral
selections by a group of students
from the University of Maryland
and a program of native songs and
dances by a group of guest ex
change students now studying at
the University. Rev. Eric T.
Braund will act as master of cere
monies for the entertainment.
Assisting Bowman on the steer
ing committee are Ralph Bartho
lomew and Janet Picker.
Nursery School Movie
A movie, “The Lion and the
Mouse” in Technicolor, will be
shown under the sponsorship of
the Greenbelt Cooperative Nur
sery School Wednesday, No
vember 17, at the Greenbelt
Theater at 3 p.m. Admission
will be 25 cents.
Library- Trash Pickup, Fire Dept.
May be Dropped From City Budget
By I. ,J. Parker
The city council began in earnest to consider the estimated
budget for 1955 as presented by city manager Charles McDonald
last Monday night.. First service to be sacrificed in the council bid
to cut the city tax rate is the library, the council indicated; the
library will be integrated with the county system.
Mayor- Frank Lastner declared that he understands that the
county library system has “picked
up” recently until it can match our
standards. Most important, how
ever, is the necessity of taking ad
vantage of county services for
which local citizens pay, Lastner
added. He asserted that 12 cents
per person in Greenbelt goes to
Council Considers
Alternate Budgets;
Hearing Nov. 22
City manager Charles T. Mc-
Donald presented the estimated
budget, or rather two budgets, to
the city council last Monday night,
and delivered a budget message
which urged the council to “re
study the possible duplicating of
services furnished by Prince
George’s County and paid for by
Greenbelt citizens through the
County tax.”
With And Without
The first budget, without county
assistance in continuing the pres
ent services calls for a recom
mended expenditure of $331,624.
With conuty help in services, the
estimated budget is $308,371. Bud
get No. 1 is $27,860 over last year’s
N* —s yv‘ y A.
wtaget.
On theb asis of the first budget,
McDonald disclosedl that the tax
rate would be $2,359 per SIOO as
sessed valuation. A tax rate of
$2,023 would be needed to meet the
second budget figure. (The 1954
figure is $2,143.) Also disclosed
was an estimated $7,000 surplus
for this year, as compared to last
year’s $18,500.
Disappointing Assessment
The estimated assessed valua
tion of all real property in Green-,
belt, according to McDonald, is
$6,920,000. The expected increase
in assessed valuation of federal
proprty, which was recently sold
to private investors, amounted to
less than SIOO,OOO, this was colled
by McDonald a “disappointing”
figure.
The duplicate services for which
McDonald requested serious con
sideration of the council are the
library, recreation, public health,
fire and police departments.
After the budget message, the
city council began its considera
tion of the budget which will last
until the last part of December
when a final budget is approved.
The council approved a motion to
meet on successive Mondays with
additional special sessions if neces
sary. The public hearing date on
the budget was set for November
22.
Proposals Available
It was also disclosed that copies
of the proposed budget will be
available to citizens for a full week
prior to the public hearing, and
can be secured at the city offices.
In his final budget message
statement, McDonald referred to
the fact that the federal govern
ment is no longer participating
in the citv’s budget considerations
and connot imnose a “paternalistic
influence.” “We are on our own,
and it is un to us to prove our
selves.” McDonald concluded.
(The complete text of McDon
ald’s budget message is printed
elsewhere in this issue.)
New Phone Number
The new telephone number of
Mr. and Mrs. Morris Solomon
is GRanite 3-3491.
the library system, without any
benefit to us at present. Also, the
county library system gets certain
funds from the state for its sup
port.
Fee For Trash Collection
Another plan to cut the tax rate
involves the elimination of gar
bage and trash collection from the
budget, with the cost of this serv
ice to be paid by fee charge, prob
ably $1.50 a month. MacDonald
called it a more equitable method
of paying for the service, and
would reduce our budget by $30,000,
and cut the tax rate an estimated
.42 cents per SIOO assessed valua
tion. It is proposed that Green
belt Veteran Housing Corporation
collect the monthly fee for the
city, as it now collects the water
service charge. The plan for a
charge for trash and garbage col
lection is used by many communi
ties, McDonald stated, and it
would be quite proper for this
community to use this plan since
the majority of homes are owned
by one corporation; the billing
would be that much easier and less
costly.
Fire, Police Cuts
Also planned for elimination
from the budget is tire fire depart
ment, which costs the city about
SSOOO a year. With a volunteer
fire department, which is standard
practice in the county, the organ
ization would receive funds from
the county and state for its sup
port. The city equipment, deem
ed adequate, would be dedicated or
sold at a nominal fee to the new
volunteer staff. Another aspect
of the move would permit the local
rescue squad to associate itself
with the volunteer fire department
and also receive funds for its sup
port from county or state sources.
(Both departments received no
outside support while under city
administration.)
Another saving may be effected
in the police department. It is
proposed that the assistant chief
of police replace the head of the
public works department (who is
leaving). The vacancy on the po
lice force would not be filled.
However, this would result in
an “empty” shift during the day,
probably the afternoon hours of
8 to 4, when only the police chief
will be on call from his office. The
remaining officers would work
from 4 p.m. until midnight, and
midnight to 8 a.m. It is hoped to
obtain county police service dur
ing the afternoon shift.
Another proposal, to eliminate
the recreation department from
the budget, was suggested. With
expected greater participation of
the county in recreation activities
in Greenbelt, McDonald felt the
problem was merely one of co
ordinating the activities with the
communities and the coordination
could be handled by another de
partment head.
Members of the city council ex
pressed their disfavor of eliminat
ing a recreation department direc
tor from the budget. It was ar
gued that the community has es
tablished a popular reputation for
many years regarding our fine
recreation program, and would re
gret any diminishing of this repu
tation. It was felt that the city
should wait until it is determined
more accurately what the county
can offer in recreation services
before such a move is made.