USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1927 > Part 17
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290
ANNUAL REPORTS
Apparatus outside the central office consists of the fol- lowing :-
141 singnal boxes.
7 tower strikers.
45 gongs.
10 punching registers.
20 tappers.
8 private telephones.
3 traffic horns.
About 64 miles of overhead wires and 83 miles of under- ground wires.
Two new boxes have been installed.
No. 242 Rose Street corner Lewis Street.
No. 243 Line Street corner Cooney Street.
Also an auxilliary box in Somerville Hospital.
14,600 feet of overhead wire has been run and 46,550 feet of old wire removed.
2800 feet of underground cable was installed.
Police Signal System
The Police Signal System is in good condition after 15 years of service.
A number of boxes have been overhauled and parts re- placed.
One new box has been installed on Line Street corner Cooney Street.
New batteries are needed and desk overhauled.
"The system consists of the following :-
1-4 circuit police desk.
About 16 miles of overhead wire.
3 Special boxes. 61 street signal boxes.
About 18 miles of underground cable.
Supervision of Poles and Wires on the Streets
The same attention has been given to the condition of poles and wires on the streets as in previous years. A num- ber of defective poles have been replaced by the companies owning same.
291
ELECTRIC LINES AND LIGHTS
New poles have been placed in locations granted for the purpose of supplying lighting and telephone service and abandoned poles have been removed.
New poles
Re- placed 32
Re- moved
Re- set
New England Telephone & Telegraph Co. Edison Electric Illuminating Co.
9
4
24
150
14
Boston Elevated Railway Company.
10
1
Permits given to the New England Tel. & Tel Co. for attachments to the Edison Company's poles
Permits given to the Edison Electric Ill. Co. for attachments to the New England Tel. & Tel. Company's poles 41
25
....
Street Lighting
A number of new lights have been added and some have been changed.
The new Northern Artery opened for public traffic is lighted by 58-1500 C. P. lamps.
The number of street lights January 1, 1928 are as fol- lows :-
219 Magnetite lights.
58 1500 C. P. lights. 28 1000 C. P. lights.
401 600 C. P. lights.
986 80 C. P. Lights.
153 100 C. P. lights.
3 New traffic spot lights have been installed.
Recommendation
I respectfully recommend that :-
Another assistant inspector be emploved to enable the department to more thoroughly cover all new and old instal- lations of electrical wiring in the City. This is imperative as with the increase of new nstallations and the time re- quired to inspect same, old work cannot be properly checked up.
The old truck used by the department be replaced by a new covered light truck.
Conclusion
I wish to thank His Honor, the Mayor, the members of the Board of Aldermen and the several departments for the many courtesies received.
Respectfully yours, WALTER I. FULLER,
Commissioner of Electric Lines and Lights.
292
ANNUAL REPORTS
PUBLIC WELFARE AND RECREATION COMMISSION 1927
REV. HERMAN D. BERLEW
Chairman
MEMBERS
Ternì Expires January
REV. HERMAN D. BERLEW
1929
MRS. PEARL L. CALDWELL
1928
CHARLES S. CLARK 1928
ERNEST W. DANFORTH 1929
DR. WINNIFRED P. DAVIS 1929
GEORGE H. EVANS 1929
MRS. ARTHUR W. HURLBURT
1929
MISS MARY McGANN 1928
JOSEPH J. PINCUS 1928
MRS. JENNIE E. STOWELL
192S
-
FRANCIS J. MAHONEY
Secretary to the Commission
293
WELFARE AND RECREATION COMMISSION
CITY OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS
January 3, 1928.
To the Honorable the Mayor and the Board of Aldermen :
The Public Welfare and Recreation Commission submits this report of work accomplished during the year 1927 calling particular attention to its recommendations for the year 1928.
No report by this Commission can be clear unless there is clearly kept in mind the underlying fact that, despite its name, the Recreation Commission has not, and cannot under present conditions assume, jurisdiction over the City's Recre- ation facilities. Instead the jurisdiction is distributed, under the City Charter, among several Departments, of which the City's Engeneer's Department and the Building Department bear the major responsibility. The Recreation Commission has no jurisdiction over facilities which might be styled the chief tools of recreation. Examples are the play areas, main- tained and controlled by two other departments; storage places ; basins for wading pools and the municipal bathing beach. Other examples are skating facilities, and regula- tion in allotment of baseball fields to users. While the offi- cials of these other Departments have practiced co-operation within the bounds of possibility, the resources at their dis- posal are extremely limited and the business of providing and conditioning these "Recreation tools" is decidedly incidental to their general jurisdiction.
To offer recommendations calculated to assist in co-ordi- nating the work of these departments for Recreation, is, we believe, the function of the Recreation Commission. Accord- ingly, this Commission has repeatedly brought to the atten- tion of the City Government the Commission's analysis of what ought to be accomplished through these various Depart- ments for the improvement of the Recreation situation in Somerville.
The Commission's general analysis has been stated in its Annual Report for 1925, in the Report of the Director, page 25. The Commission believes now, as then, that any con- siderable progress for Recreation depends on the City's ac- cepting that analysis and acting upon the conclusions it of- fers. Attention is respectfully called to page 25 and follow- ing pages in the Commission's Annual Report for 1925. In that analysis it is pointed out that the first steps necessary to progress must be made, not by any of the Executive De-
294
ANNUAL REPORTS
partments in question, but by the City Government. These first necessary steps by the City Government are summed up on page 27 of the Commission's 1925 Report, as follows :
"(a) Provision for increased emphasis on those branches of the work under the City Engineer's, Building, Water, and other Departments that have to do with Recreation facilities.
"(b) Recognition of the essential fact that the grounds for play, buildings for storage, basins for wading pools, baseball diamonds, etc., are, of nature, "Recreation tools", the utilization of which should be largely directed by the Recreation Commission.
"(c) Substantial increase in appropriation of funds to all of these Departments, with specification that the Recreation Commission's intentions and plans be regarded and consulted in the disposi- tion of these funds ;
"(d) Substantial increase in appropriation of funds to the Public Welfare and Recreation Commis- sion."
To assist the City Government in the task suggested by items (a), (b), and (c), in the foregoing paragraph, the Com- mission, in the same 1925 Report, offered a "Five Year Pro- gram". This program is to be found on page 5 of the Com- mission's Report for that year. During the two years that have since passed,-1926 and 1927, some specific accomplish- ments, included in the Five Year Program, have been real- ized. They are mentioned below. . Below also are pointed out again the further steps which are immediately necessary, in the Commission's judgment, and which are urgently recon !- mended to the City Government for prompt action in 1928.
Item (d) above, calling for increased appropriation to the Recreation Commission, has been acted upon in part by the City Government. Increased appropriation during 1926 made possible the extension of play supervision during the Summer, Spring and Fall. The increase of $1000 during 1927 has been used along the lines which are stated in the Report of the Director included in the present Report.
In pursuance of the Five Year Program the following items of accomplishments may be summarized :-
295
WELFARE AND RECREATION COMMISSION
Partial resurfacing of some school yards.
One running track has been constructed at Somerville Field.
A section of Foss Park has been set apart as a play- ground, and partly resurfaced.
Some provision for Public Bath House and beach on the. Mystic River.
In pursuance of the work of the Commission itself, as distinguished from the work under these other Departments, the Commission calls attention to the report of the Director, included in this Report; and strongly urges attention to the Director's recommendations.
The Commission recommends in pursuance of the Five Year Program, that a sufficient sum of money be appropriated to the Commissioner of Public Buildings :
1. To complete the resurfacing of the following school yards, which are in poor condition, and where su- pervised play activities are carried on under this Commission :- Morse, Bennett, Hodgkins, Western Junior High, and Southern Junior High.
2. To plant shade trees on the grounds of the Perry, Hodgkins, Western Junior High and Bennett Schools.
In like manner the Commission urges that a definite in- crease of funds be allowed to the City Engineer for the fol- lowing purposes :
1. Resurfacing Lincoln Park, Kent St. Playground, Joy St. Playground, John M. Woods Playground, and portions of Richard Trum Field.
2. Fencing-Joy St. Playground; and the un-fenced sections of the Glen St. and John M. Woods Play- grounds.
3. £
Planting of shade trees on : Lincoln Park, Richard Trum Field, John M. Woods Playground, Kant St. Playground border, Glen St. Playground, Joy St. Playground border.
4. Erecting suitable field houses with shower baths and storage rooms on the larger playgrounds.
296
ANNUAL REPORTS
5. Erection on several of the playgrounds of additional swings and other permanent apparatus with special emphasis on the John M. Woods and Glen St. Play- grounds.
6. Enlarging the wading pool at Lincoln Park and in- stalling wading pools on other playgrounds.
7. Completing the work of converting part of Foss Park into a playground.
8. "Manning" the task of providing, protecting and preserving ice in season for skating at Richard Trum Playground, Glen St. Playground, Kent St. Play- ground and Foss Park Playground.
9. Completing the work on the running track at Dil- boy Field, recently constructed under the City En- gineer, so that it may be put to the triple use originally intended by water-proofiing the pool which it encircles, for use as a wading pool in summer and a hockey rink in winter.
10. Completing the work for suitable bathing conditions at the Mystic River.
Additional to the suggested appropriation to those De- partments, mentioned above, which control and handle the Tools of Recreation, the year 1928 calls for definite increased expenditures by this Commission :-
1. For renewal of equipment on some playgrounds.
2. For purchase of needed new equipment.
3. For increase in the supervisory force commensurate with the increase of playground attendance.
4. For extension of the Summer Playgrounds season.
5. For increase in the number of units of Saturday supervised play.
There remains before the Commission the rapidly grow- ing need for more playground space, most especially play- grounds of the smaller, "neighborbood" type, suitably equipped and adequately conditioned for use especially by the younger children. Immediate provision in this direction is recommended, so that the children of this city may play
297
WELFARE AND RECREATION COMMISSION
in safety. The Commission judges the need to be especially great in the following districts :-
1. The district bounded by Central and Cedar Streets, Highland Ave. and the "Boston and Lowell" Rail- road tracks-the district which centers at the june- tion of Lowell and Albion Streets.
2. Willow Ave. section north of Highland Ave. in the vicinity of the Brown School.
3. The extreme easterly section of Somerville, near Charlestown.
.4. The vicinity of Gilman Square.
5. The Prospect Hill-Central Hill-School Street district.
Finally the Commission repeats its recommendation of a year ago, that the City provide a motor-cycle police officer for the sole purpose of patrolling, during the playground seasons the playgrounds and public parks, so as to insure the children of security, and protect the City's property.
The Commission has strong evidence that citizens gener- ally approve the plans for continued progressive improve- ment in the Recreation situation, and asks further careful consideration of his Honor the Mayor, and the Honorable Board of Aldermen, as well as the support of those to whom the suggested improvements will bring benefits.
Respectfully submitted for the Commission,
HERMAN D. BERLEW,
Chairman.
298
ANNUAL REPORTS
REPORT OF DIRECTOR
- To the Public Welfare and Recreation Commission :
The customary Annual Report by the Director to your Commission for the year 1927 is necessarily different in scope and in its nature from previous reports ; and it is also neces- sarily briefer and less detailed; because the year 1927, as regards the activities under your Commission, differs from any of the several years preceding it. This difference lies in the fact that the Commission has been obliged to abandon almost completely, at least for the year 1927, its standing policy of gradually expanding its program for Recreation by building, with each succeeding year, upon the foundations previously laid in the various branches of the work.
This halting in the Commission's expansion policy re- sults from the departure, in the policy of the City Govern- ment. from the custom of making, with each succeeding year, substantially increased appropriation enabling the Commis- sion to finance this policy of steady expansion, which has been intended to lead up to a complete system ample to meet Sont- erville's Recreation needs.
Although an increase of $1000 was appropriated for 1927 to be applied for the work under your Commission, this in- crease of 10% over the appropriation of 1926 represents a percentage of increase equal only to about one-third of the average percentage of increase for the three years preceding 1927. This $1000. accordingly, has not warranted your Com- mission in any considerable expansion of its program. In fact the increase has been largely absorbed by certain ex- pansions carefully worked out under your Commission during the latter part of the previous year. 1926, not calling for fi- nancial expenditure during the earlier part of the year, but requiring for 1927 financing for twelve months as against; only the closing months of 1926.
For re-statement of the fundamental fact stated in the foregoing paragraph, and for the sake of clearness, the fol- lowing figures are cited :- for the years 1924, 1925 and 1926, increased appropriations of 40%. 17% and 25%, respective- ly, were made by the City Government over the appropria- tions of each preceding year; whereas for the year 1927 there has been an increase of 10%. Whereas the increases in ap- propriation in former years had enabled the Commission 10 provide for: (a) Working out, during the latter part of each year, new expansions to serve as basis for the permanent ex-
299
WELFARE AND RECREATION COMMISSION
pansions to be maintained throughout the entire year follow- ing; and (b) Financing through each twelve-month period, as- permanent parts of its program, those expansions which had been worked out in the latter part of the preceding year ; the increase for 1927 has been largely absorbed in financing dur- ing the year the program which the Commission had been maintaining at the close of the previous year, without allow- ing any considerable provision for 1927 expansions in the direction of an ample Recreation system, as mentioned above.
Accordingly, this report of the Director is concerned chiefly with the statement of facts as to how the increased appropriation for 1927 has been applied during the year to the activities under the Commission, rather than with the reporting of new developments or forward strides in the vari- ous branches of the work.
There are, however, a few new features in connection with the method of carrying out the already existing progran!, made possible through the increased appropriation already mentioned. These features include the intensifying of cer- tain Summer Playground activities, the introduction of cer- tain new activities and the applying of additional supervision in connection with Summer activities. These features of the year's work are also dealt with in this report.
Following is an outline of the substance of this report.
1. Statement of Distribution of Increased Appropria- tion.
2. New Features Among Activities.
3. . Minor Expansions in the Saturday and After-School Supervision of Play and Athletics.
4. Financial Statement.
5. Recommendations.
Distribution of 1927 Increase of Appropriation
The major items indicating the lines along which was applied the $1000 increase of appropriation for 1927 are as follows :-
(a) Summer Playgrounds Season.
(1) Equipment for new major playground activi- ty-"Paddle Tennis".
(2) Special Supervision for this activity in. "Paddle Tennis".
300
ANNUAL REPORTS
(3) Additional workers in Supervision (assis- tants to supervisors at Lincoln Park and John M. Woods Playground, and apprentices at Dilboy Field and Foss Park) to meet re- quirements of increased attendance.
(b) Saturday Supervised Play.
(1) Supervision, during thirty-five weeks, of units added in October of previous year (1926) and operated for only ten weeks in 1926.
(2) Additional Supervision for two new units in- troduced during last eight weeks of 1927 season.
(c) Increase of Clerical service in the work of the Commission, in administration under the director, and in assisting the Summer Playgrounds organ- ization (Cost in 1926, $161.55, Cost in 1927. $255.72: increase approximately $95.)
(d) After School Supervision of Athletics :- Two units for girls added to those for boys; and number of boys' units increased from two to four.
(e) Increased cost of organizing the work in Canning and Preserving, and in replacing utensils, etc.
(f) Increased cost of trucking and transportation of play materials and apparatus resulting from ex- pansions of work indicated in (a), 1: (b), 1, 2; and (d).
"Paddle Tennis" and the equipment it involves, men- tioned in (a) 1 and 2 above, enter not only into a discussion of finances but also into the explanation of the new activities during the Summer season. Under this latter head they are discussed below.
In accordance with the recommendation of the Director, made in the report for 1926, your Commission assigned an assistant to the Play Supervisor at Lincoln Park during the past Summer, thus simplifying the problem of reaching the average attendance of 300 boys per session at that play- ground and enabling the supervisory corps to bring about more intense activity there.
At the John M. Woods Playground only a woman super- visor had been employed during the Summer of 1926-the first season during which experiment had been made under your Commission at this newly acquired playground. At
301
WELFARE AND RECREATION COMMISSION
that time the Director had recommended the employment of a man supervisor for the boys; but the inavailability of funds made this impossible. Acting upon the increased appropria- tion in 1927, your Commission during the past Summer as- signed a young man as assistant to the woman supervisor at the John M. Woods Playground. The results, in the judg- ment of the Director, were highly successful. The segrega- tion of boys' activities from girls' resulted in greater activity among both the sexes and the aggregate attendance for the season at this playground was three times as great as that during the previous Summer. It is also interesting to note, in connection with the activities at this playground, that it is growing in popularity among the children. This has been the experience in every newly acquired or newly supervised playground throughout the history of the work under your Commission. The Director estimates that in another season this playground will be one of the busiest and best attended in the City, provided that the City supplies, through the de- partments having control of playgrounds and their equip- ment, a desirable surface, some equipment, some shelter and drinking water facilities.
At the Dilboy Field Playground, during seasons previous to 1927, activities for boys, but none for girls were conducted. At the Tufts College Campus, in the same general vicinity, a girls' unit had been conducted. Because the Tufts College land was unavailable in 1927, the girls' unit there was neces- sarily discontinued and no substitute unit was included in the pre-season provisions under the Commission. But as the Summer season progressed, the need of supervision for girls at Dilboy Field became apparent. Presumably, this condi- tion was influenced by the withdrawal of the supervisor from the Tufts Campus unit. A young woman apprentice was as- signed for the greater part of the 1927 Summer Season to assist the man supervisor at Dilboy Field. Results were such that the Director strongly recommends the assignment of a young woman assistant to this unit permanently.
During the Seasons of 1925 and 1926 attendance among girls and small boys at Foss Park Playground had been steadi- ly increasing, and it was among the best attended playgrounds of the City. Basing its action on this condition and on the fact that a large section of the Park has recently been trans- formed into a playground, with the likelihood that there would be still greater increase of attendance. The Commis- sion assigned a young woman apprentice to the girls' unit at Foss Park also.
302
ANNUAL REPORTS
Another line of activity along which application was made of the increased funds is the Saturday Morning Super- vision of play. At the close of 1926 the Supervisory Corp for Saturday work included eighteen persons operating on seventeen units. But seven of these units had been added to the system, and eight of the workers had been added to the corps, during the period from October to December 1927, in accordance with the Commission's policy of extending this work over the City as funds became available. The continued operation of these additional units during the whole of 1927 (whereas they had been in operation only ten weeks during the latter part of 1926) considerably increased the 1927 cost of Saturday supervision. The locations of those units are given in the Director's report for 1926 under the caption "Saturday Play Units."
A still further increase of this cost results from the ad- dition of two new units during November and December of 1927-one for boys at the Western Jr. High School grounds and one for girls at the Hodgkins School grounds. At the present time the Saturday corps includes twenty-one workers as compared with ten in the Spring of 1926.
Another item upon which a part of the 1927 increased appropriation was expended was the After-School Supervised Athletics. Whereas in 1926 two units for boys were under supervision for twenty weeks with three sessions per week, and no units for girls; during 1927 two units for girls were operated, as recommended by the Director in his report for 1926, and the number of boys units was increased to four. During the Spring Season the girls' units were operated two sessions per week, but in the Fall season three days a week, as in the case of the boys' units. The expansion here was, however, partly offset by the fact that, in order to remain within financial limitations, the season for this work was shortened, both in the Spring and in the Fall, during 1927, giving seventeen weeks of supervision as against twenty weeks during the previous year. (In this connection the Director originally recommended provision for full season during 1928. This provision will, of course, require additional funds).
Another of the items among which the increase of funds was distributed, as indicated above, is that of the Canning and Preserving work among girls. During the past year some changes in the manner of organizing the work, enrolling the girls, etc. were made, with a view to increasing the num- ber enrolled and securing other advantages. These changes involved additional service by the supervisors engaged in the
303
WELFARE AND RECREATION COMMISSION
organization work. For prizes in this same work there was a very small increase of expenditure over that of 1926. And finally, the purchase of equipment-utensils, etc .- this past season, called for an increase, resulting from the fact that very little had been expended for new utensils, etc. in the past three seasons-a circumstance which made replacements necessary in 1927.
The last of the items among which the increased funds were applied is that of transportation (trucking) of all play- ground apparatus belonging to the Commission, play mater- ials, storage chests, etc. The increased cost this year results from
(a) The increased amount of materials and apparatus used during the Summer Season (as explained in connection with the new activities, below).
(b) The increased number of Saturday units among which transportation was made necessary.
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