USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1943 > Part 17
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Nor does your Commission need re- NEED GROWS FOR COMMUNITY RECREATION minder that, meanwhile, the community's Recreation needs are multiplying. Facts supporting that assertion need hardly be cited. In every community, in every news- paper and magazine, and in daily radio comment, the increased need for Community Recreation facilities and programs has been a theme for more than two years. Nearly every American municipality has seen the need. Public facilities and public funds are being marshaled almost everywhere but in Somer- ville. Disruption of family life, widespread employment of mothers, the stress and tension of war-time occupations, the abrupt rise in juvenile delinquency - all these conditions of the day are so well recognized that mention of them is trite.
But for record and for emphasis this Annual Report of the Superintendent to your Commission begins by re-affirming the two facts just noted, because they are the crux of the crit- ical situation covered in the Report. The crisis they bespeak
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THIS REPORT'S CONTENT GOES BEYOND THE USUAL
seems to the Superintendent so com- pelling as to call for RECORDED ANALYSIS OF THE WHOLE SIT- UATION: - such analysis as com- prehends the factors that have led to
the crisis.
The need for such analytical review is ONE of three rea- sons why this Report differs in content from the customary An- nual Report. The other two reasons - equally compelling - are stated as follows :-
The crisis that faces the entire Nation, in PARTLY BECAUSE respect to war-time and post-war adjustment, has its implications for Community Recreation, including Somerville's Recreation. The needs that must arise in connection with THE ENFORCED LEIS- URE OF THOUSANDS OF DISPLACED WORKERS when the great production drive slows down : the complicated prob- lem of LEISURE FOR RETURNING SERVICE MEN - whether physically incapacitated or sound, whether with nerv- ous or psychiatric difficulties or more IMPERATIVE ARE WAR-TIME AND POST- WAR PROVISIONS nearly normal : the need to combat the effects upon the future civilian habits of young men now being schooled in violence through war ex- perience and subjected to the excitement and nervous strain of military combat; the need to oppose the violence, crime, rest- lessness, and broken morale that must follow the war - in even far greater degree than after the last world war: - these needs constitute a recognized obligation upon society. That this obligation is shared by any municipal Recreation Service is obvious. To postpone any longer the planning and the as- siduous effort necessary for coping with these needs in to neg- that obligation. It is already late. Will Municipal Somer- ville - once in the forefront among far-sighted communities as to recreational needs, but sadly "hind-sighted" during the Great Depression and afterwards - again fail its citizens and the rising generation by remaining apathetic in the fact of this crying need? If so, the Superintendent believes that YOUR COMMISSION DOES NOT WISH TO ACCEPT OR SHARE THE VERY GREAT RESPONSIBILITY - which may amount to culpability - for this neglect.
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The third reason for extending, beyond the ALSO BECAUSE usual, the scope of the Report is this: - The Superintendent believes that December, 1943 brings not merely the end of a year, but the end of a ten-year period which is ONE OF THE FOUR DIS- TINCT DIVISIONS of the life of the Commission's Service; and that a FIFTH distinct period CAN BEGIN NOW.
Accordingly this Report, in contrast to the customary An- nual Report, does not limit its viewpoint to the immediate facts- to-be-reported of 1943. Instead,
(1) It reviews, as sketchily as possible, those factors in the whole experience hitherto which have determined events, accomplishments, difficulties, problems, and the general development (and lack of it) within the Service, culmi- nating in the present crisis ;
(2) It proceeds from the viewpoint that the beginning of 1944 brings FRESH OPPORTUNITY to apply the care- fully-conceived, deep-rooted principles and policies which your Commission for a quarter-century, through all changes in its personnel, has sought to apply ; and fresh opportunity to RESUME that course of thinking and planning which marked the THIRD of the previous pe- riods but was interrupted and sabotaged during the FOURTH period now ending ; and
(3) Encouraged by that viewpoint, and applying the conclu- sions from the analytical review of past experiences, it presents recommendations intended to correct recent failures and omissions, and lead towards re-organization. and re-vitalizing of the Service; and it aims to support these recommendations with the reasons.
For the Superintendent believes that the review of the facts beckons to such re-organization and re-vitalizing of the whole Municipal Recreation enterprise, as the means to dissolve the existing crisis and meet the future RE-ORGANIZATION AND RE-VITALIZING ARE URGED needs. immediate and remote. And the Superintendent urgently and em- phatically recommends that your Commission immediately attempt to initate such re-organizing and re-vitalizing: - placing itself emphatically and conspicuously ON RECORD AS TO THE
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FULL DISCHARGE OF ITS OWN SHARE OF THE RE- SPONSIBILITY ; using every resource and every energy at its command to enlist the intelligent understanding and active ef- fort of the appropriating authorities and the executive Depart- ments which control "tools" of Recreation in connection with their respective shares of the responsibility; and leading the great body of Somerville citizens (who are well aware of the lieed) to organized interest, sustained alertness, and active participation.
Of the four distinct periods in the life THE FOUR and history of the Service up to the present, PAST PERIODS the FOURTH began in January, 1934; the THIRD in January, 1930; the SECOND in 1926; and the FIRST goes back to 1917 when the Commission was established by Municipal Ordinance implementing Chapter 45, Section 14 of the General Laws of Massachusetts.
From 1917, when the Commission was es- FIRST PERIOD EXPLORATORY tablished, until 1925, its service was limited to certain seasons of year, to children only, and to a very few kinds of recreational activ- ity ; and was operated through PART-TIME leaders. These years were - in keeping with the Commission's conception of its early duty - a time of exploring; investigat- ing the nature of the task; studying the relation of Recreation to community well-being; discovering Somerville's particular needs; devising means to cope with the needs and problems; organizing policies, staff of workers, and procedure. During those years financial expenditures were extremely small. The Commission and its workers eagerly and ceaselessly studied the problem at hand. From time to time they defined conclusions and made recommendations to the City Government. During that period a well-organized system of outdoor Recreation for children, though limited to sections of the City and restricted io small part of each year, was evolved. And in Recreation for ADULTS, small BEGINNINGS were established. That the re- sults far exceeded proportion to the expenditures, was the judg- ment expressed by many citizens and organized groups ; espe- cially from outside the City ; where Somerville's work was high- ly judged and cited.
In 1925, in annual report to the City TRANSITIONAL TIDE Government, the Commission expressed its conviction " that the exploratory time has passed, and that further considerable progress in meeting the very great recreational needs of this
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community can come only through a far-reaching movement on the part of the City Government calculated to EXTEND this system to the ENTIRE COMMUNITY, to overcome the LACK OF FACILITIES mentioned, and to extend the benefits BEYOND THE SMALL FRACTION OF THE YEAR to which they now apply". In the same 1925 report the Commission urgently recommended the following "first steps necessary to progress", which "must be made not by any of the executive Departments in question, but by the City Government :
"(a) Provision for increased emphasis on those functions of City Engineer's, Water, and Buildings Departments which pertain to Recreation facilities ;
"(b) Recognition of the essential fact that grounds for play, building for storage, wading pools, baseball diamonds, etc., are 'Recreation tools', the use 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 Rec- reation Commission's intentions and plans be regarded and consulted in the disposition of these funds :
"(d) Substantial increase in appropriation of funds to the Commission itself."
These recommendations were repcated in each of the four years. following 1925.
The second period, 1926 through 1929, was SECOND in one respect a period of continued progress ; PERIOD but in another respect a period of impeded de- velopment. In 1926 the CITY'S APPROPRI- ATING BODY departed from the custom of making, each succeeding year, some increased appropriation to enable the Commission to finance its policy of steady, gradual EXPAN. SION TOWARDS A COMPLETE SYSTEM ample to meet Somerville's needs. During this period the Commission could add no new service as permanent part of its program; it was restricted in 1926-27-28 and 29 by appropriations barely equal- ing or very slightly exceeding that of 1925. But this period experienced notable improvement and development in the train- ing and versatility of the efficient, devoted Recreation Leaders ; and also development of new activities-programs within the existing organization. It was also a period of greater em-
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phasis upon THE COMMISSION'S FUNCTION TO CO- ORDINATE - for Recreation purposes - THE THINKING AND PLANNING WITHIN THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS (Engineer's, Buildings, etc.) which legally have jurisdiction over such "tools" as grounds, buildings, permanent equipment, etc. Contributing to this emphasis were (1) the co-operation by the executive heads of those other Departments with the Recreation Commission, and the good offices of the then Mayor; and (2) the Commission's carefully prepared "FIVE-YEAR PLAN" FOR IMPROVEMENT OF FACILITIES THROUGH THESE OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
Had the City's FINANCIAL POLICY in this period been in tune with the increased INTER-DEPARTMENTAL CO- ORDINATION for Recreation; with the enterprising, ener- getic, devoted EFFORTS OF THE EFFICIENT LEADER- SHIP STAFF under the Commission; and with the COMMIS- SION'S OWN CAREFUL, SYSTEMATIC, EARNEST PLAN- NING AND CONSTRUCTIVE EFFORT; this four-year period would have more nearly approached realization of the goal towards which the Service had been consistently and system- atically directed through the previous years - a goal which actually was more nearlly approached in the SUBSEQUENT period, next to be mentioned, beginning in January, 1930.
In 1930 the service under the Commis- THIRD PERIOD "REAL" SERVICE sion received from the new Mayor John J. Murphy attention and support that prompted the Commission, over signature of the late George H. Evans, then Chairman, to state in An- nual Report at the close of that year, "The year 1930 .... has witnessed the Commission's emergence from its youthful grop- ing after expression of an inarticulate ideal into a working agency of real civic power. It is still youthful ; still trying out its growing strength and skill; but buoyant with hope and confidence, and thoroughly convinced that it has a real and attainable objective in community betterment and in the dis- semination of principles of good citizenship." The same report included the statements, "The appropriation was more than doubled. The years of faith in things-not-seen were now suc- ceeded by the substance and the promise of still better things to come . . . . The prospective expansion of activities made necessary the immediate full-time services of a Director." (The position has since been re-designated "Superintendent".) It was at this point of time that the present Superintendent, in
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ANNUAL REPORTS
response to unanimous action by the Commission, accepted the duties and responsibilities as the Commission's executive agent on full-time, year-round basis - after having served since 1923 in the same capacity, at first on seasonal basis and subsequent- ly year-round, part-time.
Increased appropriation in 1930 had enabled the Commis- sion to
(1) Increase the staff, with 'slight increase in rate of pay- ment, increased stability of tenure for experienced work- ers, and acquisition of the services of experts in certain specialized fields ;
(2) Increase the number and variety of activities ;
(3) Increase the number of Recreation Centers ;
(4) Expand the program to a year-round program ; and
(5) Include the adult population in the service rendered. Parallel with the progress through increased funds appropri- ated to the Commission came also (6) the City's recognition of THE COMMISSION'S FUNCTION TO CO-ORDINATE THE PLANNING AND RECREATIONAL USES OF FACILITIES CONTROLLED LEGALLY BY OTHER DEPARTMENTS, SUCH AS BUILDINGS, BASEBALL FIELDS, ETC., SINCE THEY ARE "RECREATION TOOLS"; and (7) recognition that PUBLIC BUILDINGS ARE NECESSARY AS FACIL- ITIES for a public Recreation Service in its indoor phases ; and that STATUTES OF THE COMMONWEALTH PRE- SCRIBE THE LEGALIZED AVAILABILITY OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS FOR RECREATION (Chapter 45, Section 14, General Laws) ; and (8) provision, through INCREASED APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS TO THE OTHER DEPART- MENTS CONCERNED, for works having to do with Recrea- tion facilities. Playground improvements under the City En- gineer (as recommended by the Commission) and minor items of improved equipment, contributed to the benefits and prog- ress of the services under the Commission.
From 1930 to 1934, EXPANSION AND PROGRESS CON- TINUED steadily. The number of children served through the previously-existing program was now multiplied. Multiplied also was the diversity in recreational activities - especially
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the Summer play and Saturday play programs. And the ADULT PROGRAM (of which small beginnings had been in- itiated several years earlier, but which had made little prog- ress because of lack of facilities and lack of funds for trained leadership) now became fruitful with activities and with val- ues civic, and recreational to thousands of adults, particularly younger adults ; and foundation was laid for far-reaching serv- ices in the future. The Summer Play organization was great- ly enlarged by new units at newly supervised areas; the length of the Summer season increased ; new units added to the Satur- day Play organization ; the After-School Supervised Athletics program for older boys and girls expanded and intensified ; athletic leagues for adults established - in Basketball, Base- ball, Bowling, and Softball; and for the season May-through- August, general outdoor twilight activities for men, operated on nine play areas (Horseshoe-pitching, Quoits, Softball, Bocce, Baseball, Paddle Tennis, etc.). And the beginnings were made of the important, organized activities in Boys' and Girls' Clubs and Children's Theatre - which have since been fruitful, though limited in scope and beset by many difficulties and in- terferences, as this Report records later.
THE EVENING RECREATION CENTERS AND THE GYMNASIUM at Central Hill were important vehicles of the adult program. Co-operation of the Public Buildings Depart- ment, through the good offices of His Honor The Mayor, made four school buildings available four evenings each week as Recreation Centers, and the Gymnasium six evenings each week. Through these Centers community and neighborhood ac- tivities were promoted in dramatics ; music (vocal and instru- mental) ; social recreation in many forms; diversified and ex- tensive handcraft; table games - Chess, Checkers, Bridge, Whist, Parchesi, Dominoes, etc .; lectures and "talks"; ping pong ; dancing; community singing ; art and sketch clubs ; min- strels ; photography; orchestras ; discussion clubs ; holiday ob- servances; and community entertainments. Out of these branched also other recreational activities not localized in the Centers.
In COMMUNITY DRAMATICS FOR ADULTS a success- ful experiment, launched in 1930 and developed through 1931, had by 1932 attained sufficient substance and community im- portance to prompt the George Washington Bicentennial Com- mission to assign the Somerville Community Theatre, spon- sored by the Recreation Commission, to conduct Somerville's
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major feature in the local, all-year public observance of the Bicentennial. In similar manner on other occasions the adult groups in Recreational Drama rendered community services while pursuing the leisure interests of their members.
Thus, in the early "thirties", Somerville could review a quarter-century of PROGRESS from early, foresighted begin- nings in Community Recreation; for it was in 1909 - before the municipality took up the work - that citizens had begun it with the Summer Playgrounds organization under the Som- erville Playgrounds Association. From the beginning and through the years a spirit of enterprise FRUGALITY AND ENTERPRISE and progress had been combined with ex- treme frugality of expenditure and ex- treme care in selecting and training Rec- reation Leaders. The years 1930 to 1933, inclusive, were now experiencing the rich fruits of the public-spirited, economical, non-political management and direction of the Service through all those years. (Mayor Murphy had re-appointed as Com- mission members the same able, public-spirited, self-sacrificing citizens who had served previously, although they were not of his political party.) In 1932 a national survey, by the Nation- al Recreation Association, included in its findings the follow- ing: - Among all cities of the United States the one getting the most for its Recreation dollar was Somerville, Mass. Dur- ing the four years of "the third period" EXTREMELY LOW COST in the history of the Service, the average expenditure through the Commission rep- resented about two cents a month per citizen, or a cost to the average family of less than one loaf of bread each month, or less than the cost of one Sunday news- paper each month. To Somerville many other cities, far and near, looked for example and copied and imitated its methods and policies. To its agents those of other communities came for guidance, advice, and help.
But at New Year, 1934, Somerville FOURTH PERIOD REVERSAL suddenly reversed itself. While other cities were increasing Recreation budgets and cutting down other expenses in gen- eral, Somerville -- which in 1934 INCREASED ALL ITS OTHER MUNICIPAL EXPENSES TO 115 PER CENT over the previous year - REDUCED THE APPROPRIATION TO THE RECREATION COMMISSION TO 33 PER CENT of normal. The following year, 1935, while the City's expend-
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1
itures went still higher, the Recreation budget was cut still lower. Meanwhile the enforced leisure of citizens of all ages had multiplied as The Depression had affected every American community. Everywhere, Government - Federal, State, and Municipal - aimed at increase in public Recreation services. Everywhere leaders voiced the imperative need for increased Jeisure-time opportunities and professional guidance of leisure as antidote for juvenile delinquency, break-down of morale, worry, etc. But at this very point (while agencies of other communities were coming to Somerville to study how best to supply these needs) the Government of Somerville - certainly not the citizens -- took the OPPOSITE attitude. And more. In reversal of previous procedure, the Recreation Commission was FORBIDDEN - despite its serious, respectful and con- tinued urgings and protests-TO USE PUBLIC BUILDINGS. Somerville citizens had petitioned years before for the Statute which provides use of public buildings as a necessary imple- ment for public Recreation; and now AN ESTABLISHED DEPARTMENT OF THE CITY WAS TREATED AS ANY OUTSIDER WOULD BE TREATED AS TO USE OF THE PUBLIC'S OWN PREMISES, NOTWITHSTANDING THE PUBLIC'S OWN LAW TO AVOID THAT DIFFICULTY. The Indoor Centers were closed; the Gymnasium activities were stopped : the development of the Boys' and Girls' Clubs was arrested; flourishing Community Drama and Children's Theatre activities were seriously impeded. The clubs men- tioned were (and still are) without a home or meeting places. And this in the midst of a nation-wide movement for wider use of public buildings for Recreation, especially school build- ings; and after the retiring Mayor Murphy had in 1933 DESIGNATED the former Police Building on Bow St. AS INTENDED FOR USE AS A RECREATION BUILDING when vacated by the Police Department. The financial dif- ficulty in the same year caused abandonment of the Saturday Play service, closing of several Summer Play units, and short- ening of the Summer season.
In the two following years, 1936 and 1937, ANOTHER MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATION continued a policy of op- position ; continued to reverse the progress made from 1909 to 1934. Taking the average of the four years 1934-5-6-7, the fru- gal expenditures through the Commission, previously noted as two cents a month per citizen for the preceding four years, had gone to FOUR-FIFTHS OF ONE CENT a month. In pursuance of the same destructive course, THE RECREATION COMMISSION WAS DENIED ITS FUNCTION TO CO-
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ORDINATE THE PLANNING AND THINKING FOR REC- REATION. Decisionary and planning authority in respect to outdoor playground needs was given over to agencies which previously had had little or no occasion to think of so vital a community work. Installation of questionable "equipment", at tremendous financial expense, at spots where open space was already too sparse, greatly reduced play space for children who badly needed more. The John M. Woods Playground, for which the land had been purchased a few years earlier in response to public demand to meet a sore need, was rendered un-playable by mis-planning and by installing never-to-be-used equipment and erecting devices calculated to PREVENT play. One result is that a section of Somerville, two square miles, with population of about 30,000, is without a baseball diamond. The Conway Playground was similarly rendered useless - its play space broken up by installed "improvements". Funds used for these un-productive "improvements" were many-times- multiple of the amounts with-held from the Commission's use.
SKELETON OF THE SERVICE
During the latter half of 1937 there was par- tial restoration of the with-held funds; and skeletons of some other services were preserved.
In 1938, the Commission strove to effect the continued restoration when still ANOTHER MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATION had begun ; but the 1938 appropriation of funds was only 54% of the Commission's conservative estimate for restoring the minimum of the several branches of the nor- mal service. (The 1938 appropriation was the same - to cover a full year - as that which had been available for the latter half, only, of 1937). As result there was in 1938 no restoration at all of SOME of the neglected services, and others, partially restored in 1937, had to be again abandoned. AND AGAIN, BEGINNING IN 1938, THE PUBLICLY-PROMOTED REC- REATION PROGRAMS WERE DENIED USE OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS. And as to the use of fields on public play- grounds, such as baseball diamonds, the Commission - the public agency for determining the relative claims of recreation- al groups as to those facilities - was itself in the position of suppliant and could not obtain the uses even for its own di- rectly operated program.
In 1939 and 1940, while the same conditions prevailed as To use of buildings, there was slight relief through slight restor- ation of funds for leadership (bringing the available funds to
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63% of normal). Services benefitting through this partial res- toration were the Summer and Saturday services in organized play. To the Boys' and Girls' Clubs it was the resourcefulness, ingenuity, and hard work by Counselors that brought success- ful developments in 1939 and 1940 : a salutary accomplishment in an otherwise dark picture, for the work continued to be very sadly restricted by unavailability of indoor facilities. Even. for special events involving large groups from all Clubs and serving as incentive to their continued life, the Public Build- ings Department's approval for use of public premises was denied.
In 1941 still further curtailment of services and program befell, as result of a factor not hitherto mentioned in this Re- port (and the Building Department's with-holding of approval of uses of buildings still continued). For seven years previ- ously Federal Relief (W.P.A.) projects had made available Federal funds and some Municipal funds in supplement to the sub-normal appropriations to the Commission. While the Com- mission could not directly administer these funds to the best advantage of the service, their effect had helped to keep the skeleton in operation. But in June, 1941, the W.P.A. project was withdrawn; and the Recreation Service lost the Federal funds as well as the Municipal contribution to the project. (The reason declared by the Federal Government for withdraw- ing the project was the City's non-compliance with its agree- ment to furnish specified Sponsor's Contribution.) Withdraw- al of this project left the Recreation Commission during the latter half of 1941 without funds to carry on its program. The resulting lack of Counselors led to the disintegration of several Boys' Clubs, several Girls' Clubs, and one unit of the Children's Theatre. Another Children's Theatre unit and other Boys' and Girls' Clubs were also lost because of un- availability of buildings, as mentioned.
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