Page images
PDF
EPUB

Some offices appear to have made excessive requests for parking spaces. Furthermore, many of the request forms received by the Sergeant at Arms were not certified by proper authorities, such as committee chairmen.

As a result, the Sergeant-at-Arms was requested by the subcommittee to conduct a resurvey of parking needs for this group. New application blanks requiring additional information concerning the applicants have been addressed to committee chairmen and officers of the House. Requests for parking space for employees will not be honored unless properly certified by chairmen of committees for whose staffs parking spaces are requested and officers of the House under whose direction applicants are employed. This procedure is expected to induce an automatic reduction in the number of applicants.

The subcommittee recommends that the Sergeant-at-Arms screen all applications carefully and assign parking permits on the basis of some equitable priority system.

IV. FOR ACCREDITED MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE PRESS GALLERY

The following area is designated for the exclusive use of accredited press representatives who are members of the House Press Gallery:

Capitol Plaza center_-_-_

40

The Sergeant-at-Arms of the House has received a request from the Standing Committee of Correspondents for 40 spaces for automobile parking. Reciprocally, it is understood that the Senate will provide an equal number of spaces for press and radio personnel accredited to the House and/or Senate galleries.

Previously, press representatives have parked in scattered spaces along the Capitol Plaza and tributary driveways, especially Southwest Drive. By the arrangement proposed herein, all press parking will be located in a single area convenient to both the Senate and House sides of the Capitol Building.

V. FOR VISITORS TO THE CAPITOL AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

The subcommittee wishes to afford the maximum possible consideration to visitors, many of whom drive long distances to visit their Nation's capital and Capitol Building. Out-of-town visitors and local people who wish to transact business in the House have been deprived of places to park their automobiles in the past because of an abusive use of the Capitol Plaza by habitual all-day parkers, most of whom are believed to be Government workers employed in buildings in proximity to the Capitol. This has been a regrettable situation and the subcommittee recommends the following area be designated for the use of the general public to the exclusion of those who seek to park their vehicles in the Plaza on an all-day basis.

Capitol Plaza center___

72

It is recommended that public parking on the Capitol Plaza be limited to a maximum of 2 hours without penalty. Capitol Police officials have agreed to establish a marking system for timing parking and to serve tickets upon drivers whose vehicles exceed the 2-hour limit.

The subcommittee is informed that the Senate parking authorities have agreed to designate a similar amount of space for the use of visitors.

METHOD FOR ISSUING PARKING PERMIT STICKERS

The subcommittee feels that a primary objective of any recommended parking plan is to eliminate those unauthorized individuals who in the past have encroached upon areas properly designated for House employees and Members.

Many of these unauthorized persons have in the past obtained parking permit stickers by irregular means, making it impossible at times to prohibit their parking in House areas.

In order to strengthen enforcement of the parking plan, the subcommittee recommends that the issuance of parking permit stickers be handled by the Capitol Police force and that the Capitol Police force maintain accurate, up-todate data on automobile registration and license numbers of vehicles for which House parking is authorized.

It is recommended that the assignment of parking permits be established by the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House and that a list of said assignments be provided the captain of the Capitol Police force.

Whereupon, it is recommended that the captain of the Capitol Police force set up a method of distributing parking permit stickers along the following general lines:

Each applicant for parking space whose application is approved and whose name and designated parking space appear on a list submitted to the Capitol Police force by the Sergeant-at-Arms shall be advised by the Capitol Police force to appear in person at a designated time and place with his automobile and registration card.

Whereupon, the Capitol Police force shall satisfy itself that the person so appearing is properly certified by the Sergeant-at-Arms on the list submitted to the Capitol Police force.

Whereupon, if the vehicle is properly identified as registered in the name of the applicant whose application for parking space has been approved and listed by the Sergeant-at-Arms, the Capitol Police force shall apply the parking permit sticker to an appropriate position on the vehicle from which it is not to be removed by the owner so long as it is desired for use.

Further, it is recommended that transfer of the parking permit to another vehicle be effected only by the Capitol Police force (e. g., in the case of purchase of another vehicle by the same party) upon presentation of proper evidence that the former parking permit sticker has been destroyed.

It is recommended that the Capitol Police force move to confiscate all parking permit stickers and congressional automobile tags issued prior to the 83d Congress.

SUMMARY-ENFORCEMENT OF PARKING PLAN

The subcommittee feels that the adoption of this plan, aided by the acquisition of additional parking facilities, will significantly relieve the critical parking situation.

The recommended plan is designed to eliminate unauthorized persons from parking their vehicles in House-designated areas and to prevent parking permit stickers issued to House employees from being transferred to persons not employed in the House.

Contingent upon the cooperation of the membership, the success or failure of the parking system rests largely with the Capitol Police force. Unless police officers deny parking space to unauthorized persons with the strictest, undeviating enforcement, the plan will break down.

The subcommittee recommends to the Capitol Police force that one of its ranking officers be designated as traffic control director. Under his cognizance should come the matter of maintaining registration lists, issuing parking permit stickers and ensuring proper use of same.

The resulting elimination of unauthorized persons who seek to park in House designated areas can be accomplished and the acute parking situation greatly relieved.

The subcommittee wishes to commend the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House, the Architect of the Capitol, officials of the Metropolitan Police force and Captain Broderick and his subordinates of the Capitol Police force who have contributed valuable suggestions and material assistance to this study.

The attitude of Captain Broderick toward future enforcement of the parking plan has been especially commendable and the Members of the House and employees may be grateful that the Capitol Police force has assured full cooperation in fostering their interests in the solution of this critical problem.

The subcommittee respectfully submits this report and recommendations to the Committee on House Administration and further recommends that a suitable memorandum be prepared and forwarded to each Member of the House explaining the basic provisions of the suggested parking plan, and asking for their cooperation in its administration.

Respectfully submitted.

Mr. HORAN. What action has the House mittee taken in respect to this report?

NEW PARKING LOT

PAUL F. SCHENCK. WILLIAM C. COLE. CHARLES B. DEANE. Administration Com

Mr. RUSSELL. They made this survey. The House Administration Committee authorized me to communicate with the B. & O. Railroad, who owns the plot of ground in back of the Congressional Hotel. Í

did, and received from them a lease at $1 a year, but the taxes would be taken care of by the House, which was around $800, and the estimate to put it in shape was about $10,000. After I received the lease, apparently the committee did not want to spend the $10,000 and shied away from it.

A syndicate came to me with a proposition that if I relinquished the lease-which had not been executed-to them, they would give us 50 parking spaces, with parking attendants, for the duration of their lease.

Mr. HORAN. How long is the lease?

Mr. RUSSELL. Thirty days. They are to spend $15,000 to put the lot in shape, and are to keep attendants there on practically a 24-hour basis.

Mr. HORAN. I was wondering what you meant by duration of their lease. Have we any assurance that at the end of 30 days we would not have to renegotiate with them?

Mr. RUSSELL. No, because that would be incorporated in the lease between them and the B. & O.

Mr. HORAN. Which would be a lease effective for 30 days?

Mr. RUSSELL. That is right.

Mr. HORAN. Are you making sure that whoever are assigned the 50 parking spaces over there will not have difficulty if they come down late.

Mr. RUSSELL. No. May I read this last letter that I have recieved? Mr. HORAN. Yes.

Mr. RUSSELL. This is from the attorney for the syndicate:

On

This will bring you up to date on what has happened with reference to the arrangements for a parking lot on the land located east of the Congressional Hotel which belongs to the B. & O. R. R. and the Washington Terminal Co. Monday, May 25, my group met with the real estate agent of the owners of the land and made a tentative agreement for the rental of the land. On Tuesday, May 26, the application was presented to the Board of Zoning Adjustment for a permit to use the land for a parking lot. The hearing on the application will be held on June 10, at 9:30 a. m. Should a permit for a parking lot be granted, my group will then enter into a firm agreement with the land owners, and then work will begin immediately for the development of the facilities of the parking lot. It is our understanding that sufficient space for the parking of 50 automobiles will be reserved for the House of Representatives. Should the Board of Zoning Adjustment grant the permit for the parking lot we are hopeful to have the space available for the House of Representatives on or about July 1 next.

If you or one of your assistants could be present at the hearing before Board of Zoning Adjustment on June 10 to testify to the need for parking facilities near the Capitol, it would be most helpful.

Then I have an agreement signed by them. Do you want me to read that?

Mr. HORAN. No; that is not necessary. I just want to make sure that we do not have any altercations over there regarding the reservation of 50 spaces.

Mr. RUSSELL. It is absolutely free.

Mr. HORAN. But we do not want to have somebody over there that cannot count up to 50.

Mr. RUSSELL. No; these spaces would be marked off and not used by any other cars.

Mr. HORAN. They would be reserved for the House of Representatives and so designated?

Mr. RUSSELL. That is right.

Mr. HORAN. And the people assigned to those spaces will be sure they will not have an argument with anybody when they come in to park their cars?

Mr. RUSSELL. It is my hope that only Members of Congress will use them, then we can move down where the secretaries are parking another whole row.

Mr. HORAN. We would like to make it possible for people to park as close to their work as possible, of course. Are there any other questions on this Congressional Hotel site?

OLD HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING COURT

Mr. RUSSELL. We explored the idea of the court of the Old House Office Building, and that is incorporated in the report of the House Administration Committee. We are parking about 70 cars in there now, and we can increase the spaces to 154 at a cost of about $45,000, but there is some objection by the Members. They contend that in the summertime the fumes coming up from that number of cars in the court would be obnoxious, and they would oppose it.

CANAL STREET SITE

The next thing we explored was Canal Street, two blocks away from the New House Office Building. There is considerable parking space there, enough to relieve the whole situation, but I was astounded at the cost for 86 spaces in the first plot. It would cost $28,000 to grade and concrete it, which seemed to me pretty high. I have those plane, however, if you gentlemen are interested.

Mr. HORAN. We went into that last year, and I had am amendment for $54,000, I think, which was out of order because it has not been authorized by the House Administration Committee or the Congress. What is the status insofar as authorization is concerned for the Canal Street parking spaces?

Mr. RUSSELL. The land is owned by the Government. It will take law. The District has been working down there on the traffic problem.

Where the old Botanic Garden was, they will take that out, and it means a lot of work on the light system. The only thing I have to offer you gentlemen is the plans and approximate cost of using that facility. Of course, the question arises, if we go that far down, we will have to have additional policemen down there.

Mr. HORAN. As I recall it, there are about 4 blocks of wide parking spaces between the two 1-way streets of Canal Street. Is that not true?

Mr. RUSSELL. That is right.

Mr. HORAN. I wonder if you could supply for the record the number of cars that could be accommodated in each of those sections and the cost of landscaping and surfacing each of them?

Mr. RUSSELL. The first one, which is closest to the House Office. Building, is $28,400 for 86 spaces.

Then we go to the next block, 52 parking spaces for $17,700.
The nest is 56 parking spaces for $18,900.

That is a total of $65,000 for 194 spaces. If you did that, there would be no parking problem, but whether people would go that fa away, I do not know. It is two blocks.

Mr. HORAN. From the New House Office Building someone has to go almost every day to Grant's Statue to park.

Mr. RUSSELL. But this is a neighborhood, that some of our women employees would hesitate to go after dark.

Mr. HORAN. I assume if we use that for parking space we will have to keep 1 or 2 officers down there.

Captain BRODERICK. It would take at least that.

Mr. KIRWAN. Both at night and in the day.

CAPITOL LAWN SPACE

Mr. HORAN. I think the simplest way out of this, and I think actually it would improve the Capitol Grounds' appearance, would be parking spaces on the Capitol lawn. We have room enough there to park the cars for those who attend the Army-Navy football game, and I think it would look better. Probably it will never happen, because I know most of the people who would likely have to approve it are against the idea.

The alternative is parking space of this nature until we may find it necessary to build a new building for office space or for other reasons. If we do so, it will run into several million dollars. If we do that, however, I trust we will have parking space incorporated into the building itself. The logical place to put such a building would be where the present parking lot is, but if you undertook such a project you would have to park the cars elsewhere while the building was under construction.

Mr. Bow. I think the agreement, concerning the new parking lot, attached to the letter Mr. Russell read, should go in the record. Mr. HORAN. Without objection, it is so ordered.

(The agreement referred to is as follows:)

Hon. WILLIAM F. RUSSELL,

1740 K STREET NW., Washington 6, D. C., April 28, 1953.

Sergeant at Arms, United States House of Representatives,

Capitol Building, Washington, D. Č.

DEAR SIR: Pursuant to our conversations we hereby set forth our proposal for the development and use as a parking facility the property belonging to the Washington Terminal Co. and the R. and E. Development Co. of Baltimore, which is located south of the Old House Office Building and east of the Congressional Hotel.

We, the undersigned, propose to apply to the owners of said property for a lease, and in the event such a lease is granted by the owners to these proponents, and the Zoning Commission of the District of Columbia permits the use of the property for parking, we shall grant to the Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives permission to park 50 automobiles without charge on facilities to be provided. Should the owners of said property grant a lease to these proponents, we would propose that a clause be written into these lease which would guarantee this right to the United States House of Representatives.

FRANK J. ALBERTOLI,
SAMUEL M. SELDEN,
RICHARD F. HARLESS.

« PreviousContinue »