Analysis of existing recreational areas
The public school grounds are very important to the recreational scheme of Lakewood. They are, in general, well located with reference to the pupil distribution but unfortunately, many of the school grounds are too small to cater to the present reduced child population of their surrounding areas, and would be entirely inadequate should there be another change in the population composition of Lakewood, with young children being in greater proportion of the population than they are now. Most of the undersized school grounds can be enlarged, but only at an almost prohibitive cost. Serious consideration might have to be given in the near future towards enlarging some of these playgrounds, however, if the need continues to remain critical.
Many authorities have done research on the problem of the amount of land required for a playground. The "Places for Playing in Cleveland" study, published in 1945, recommends 3-7 acres as the desirable size of a playground, or one acre per 1000 people. Thirteen other agencies listed in the report give figures of 2 1/2 acres (only one under 3 acres) to 8 acres for a facility of this type. Various figures are offered for the amount of square feet of playground space that must be allowed per child, ranging from 100 sq. ft. to 500 sq. ft. per child participating in the activity. The standard used in this particular study, using the schoolyard as a substitute for the playground, is 200 sq. ft. of play space per pupil enrolled in the grade school. This is a basic minimum, because not included are the parochial school children residing in the district served by the particular school yard. These children use the play areas and therefore space must be provided for them. This factor makes the standard used rather conservative.
The figures showing the January 1949 enrollment in the city elementary schools, and the amount of play space needed in each schoolyard, computed on the above mentioned basis and the difference between the existing play area and the required minimum play area are:
| SCHOOL | CENSUS | SUGGESTED MINIMUM PLAY YARD | DEFICIENCY OR SURPLUS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin | 305 | 1.4 acres | -0.7 acres |
| Garfield | 349 | 1.6 acres | 0.9 acres |
| Grant | 218 | 1.0 acres | -0.7 acres |
| Harrison | 215 | 1.0 acres | -0.5 acres |
| Hayes | 481 | 2.2 acres | 0.1 acres |
| Lincoln | 538 | 2.4 acres | -1.9 acres |
| Madison | 539 | 2.4 acres | Madison school
ground is operated with Harding Jr. High |
| McKinley | 436 | 2.0 acres | 0.7 acres |
| Roosevelt | 470 | 2.1 acres | -0.6 acres |
| Taft | 330 | 1.5 acres | -0.3 acres |
According to the standards used there are only three school yards that have a surplus of play space and the extra area at the Hayes School is barely negligible. Some of the figures indicate a serious deficiency in play space at certain schools and in the case of the Harrison and Roosevelt schools, conditions are actually much worse than are shown if a thorough study of the neighborhood pupil distribution is made. The Harrison School district in particular has a very large elementary school age population, but the greatest majority of the children in the area attend the parochial schools. The same is true to a lesser degree in the Roosevelt school area.
Statistically, the picture is somewhat improved on the Jr. High School grounds, if the factor of 200 sq. ft. of play space per student enrolled in the school is used. The space credited to the Madison School grounds is included in the Harding Jr. High figures:
| SCHOOL | CENSUS | SUGGESTED MINIMUM PLAY YARD | DEFICIENCY OR SURPLUS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emerson | 427 | 2.0 acres | +0.6 acres |
| Harding | 618 | 5.2 acres - (2.8 Harding) - (2.4 Madison) |
-0.8 acres |
| Horace Mann | 385 | 1.7 acres | +0.3 acres |
Although the factor of 200 sq. ft. of play space per student was used, more area should be provided, because older children require more space for play. Many more children play softball and other field sports, thus requiring more space than is provided by one ball diamond. Also to be considered is the fact that children in this age group can hit the ball longer distances than younger children can, therefore requiring larger areas for the ball fields. Girls in this age group should have their own play areas. All of these conditions combine to make it imperative to provide for ample play space on Jr. High School grounds.
| PARKS | |
|---|---|
| Lakewood Park | 31.6 acres |
| Lincoln Park (Metropolitan) | 20.0 acres |
| 51.6 acres | |
| NEIGHBORHOOD PLAYGROUNDS | |
| Andrews Field | 6.6 acres |
| Hall Field | 3.0 acres |
| Wagar Park | 1.5 acres |
| 11.1 | |
| FUTURE PLAYGROUND Land bought but in other use at present |
|
| Memorial Park | 7.5 acres |
| PLAYFIELD | |
| Madison Park | 15.3 acres |
Lakewood Park is the largest play area in the city. Its 31 acres contain tennis courts, a picnic shelter and other picnic facilities, band stands, bowling green and play area for children. The park is used to good advantage by the public during the summer months, being a favorite picnic ground for many large groups. There are indications that even more groups would use it for picnics provided additional shelter space could be made available. The number of permits for picnics fell off somewhat last year, although the demand was about as great as in previous years. A reason for the decline in use is the availability of picnic grounds in the Metropolitan Park and other areas making it possible for groups to use the out of town picnic facilities whenever they deem it inconvenient to share the picnic shelter in Lakewood Park with another group.
The City Park Department operates all of the facilities in Lakewood Park and issues the various types of permits, such as tennis courts, picnic shelter, bandstand and softball diamond.
So far the administration has been successful in preserving the character of the operation of the park, keeping the greatest part of it for use in passive recreation. This policy is justified by the large crowds of people that use the park for picnics and other types of quiet relaxation. A further attraction of Lakewood Park is that it represents the only location in the city for many residents to obtain a close view of the lake.
Madison Park, despite its title, is a large playfield type of facility. It is used intensively for active recreational purposes and will receive even more such use after the two new softball diamonds are completed. The use of the park is undergoing a change, seemingly towards a greater use emphasis on spectator sports activities. The hardball diamond was lighted for night play and stands were installed.
The park serves one of the most intensely populated sections in the city, one that has a large concentration of children. Accordingly, the young children's play apparatus and other facilities are in almost constant use. There is also a wading pool operated for the youngsters. From the children's viewpoint it is very lucky the park is located where it is, in view of the fact that the Harrison School grounds are inadequate to satisfy the demands put upon it.
Permits for the use of the baseball diamond are issued by the city, which also maintains the diamond along with the rest of the park, but the Board of Education's Department of Recreation actually operates the field. A caretaker in the city's employ issues permits for the tennis courts and collects the fees that are charged for the use of the lights for evening tennis play.
A football field is marked out and made available for play during the fall season. A portion of the park is flooded and used for ice skating during the winter months.
Wagar Park is the smallest of the city owned play areas. It has four tennis courts, unlighted, a children's play area and a wading pool. The wading pool has not been in operation in recent years because of misuse on the public's part. Wagar Park shows the results of trying to provide for the needs of too many age groups on a small piece of property; no age group is adequately provided for. Consideration should be given to the matter of removing the children's play facilities from the park and installing them at the Madison-Harding Junior High School ground. Shuffle board and horsehoe courts could then be set out in the park for the convenience of the adults in the neighborhood that are not too interested in tennis. Regardless of the use ultimately made of the area, a shelter house should be constructed on the site.
Andrews Field will go into operation this summer, providing the public with a hardball and softball diamond, basketball court, playground apparatus and an area for young children's free play, tennis courts and eventually, some shuffle board and horseshoe pitching courts. The park is almost seven acres in size and is located very favorably with reference towards serving a large segment of Lakewood's population.
The Hall property, too, will be available for summer play in 1949. Some equipment was installed last summer and the contemplated future improvements include the construction of a spray pool, basketball court and horseshoe pitching court. The small size of the property precludes the installation of a regulation softball diamond and as a result only informal play will be allowed on the grounds.
A very comprehensive plan was worked out for the development of Memorial Park
for recreation use. The work can only be affectuated when the housing project
is removed. Care was taken to install the water and drainage lines used for
the project in such manner as to be useful for the future development of the
park.
More than two acres of land immediately north of the Nickel Plate tracks and
north of the project is being made available for play purposes on a temporary
basis. Playground apparatus will be installed for the younger children and
the older groups will have a softball diamond. These facilities will serve
the residents of the housing project and the immediate neighborhood until Memorial
Park is built.
Leadership for the activities on playgrounds and most of the city owned parks has been provided by the Board of Education's Recreation Department ever since 1925. At the height of this year's play season it is expected that about 85 people will be employed in the various divisions of the program, but this number tapers down during the winter months. The activities that are provided for during the year are the morning play school program; after school play yard; the summer playground program, community center, both Jr. and Sr., swimming, tennis, basketball, hardball and softball.
The Athletic Commission, appointed by the Board of Education, is composed of a Hardball Commission and a Softball Commission and together they prepare the amateur athletic programs. Each commission works out a program for its group. The hardball commission's program includes the Jr. hardball activity and the girls' softball is under the supervision of the Softball Commission. Most of the foregoing activities are well known to the average Lakewood citizen and need no further explanation.
The Community Center program has reached its greatest success with the adult
population during the late fall, winter and early spring months. Groups meet
at the various schools and learn and participate in folk dancing, photography
and various other arts, games and crafts. It is a program that is the envy
of many other communities and one of which all Lakewood should be justifiably
proud. Besides the adult program, there is also one for juniors. It is not
so well advanced as the adult program, but will undoubtedly continue to improve
with the
passing of years.
The Board of Education property and the equipment on the property is taken care of by the Maintenance Department of the Board, whereas the Park Department provides the maintenance of Board operated diamonds and playgrounds on city owned property.
City Expenditures for Recreation
The city has pursued a policy of spending an increasing amount of money on recreation ever since 1939. The following table shows the total park budget, with the amount set aside for labor and the money for capital improvement by years since 1939:
| YEAR | TOTAL | LABOR | CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | $ 11,560 | $ 5,154 | |
| 1940 | 18,891 | 7,849 | |
| 1941 | 18,057 | 7,678 | |
| 1942 | 19,830 | 10,784 | |
| 1943 | 17,653 | $20,000 (Hall Property) | |
| 1944 | 24,165 | 16,803 | 32,150 (Memorial Park) 11,000 (Andrews Field) |
| 1945 | 28,780 | 21,785 | |
| 1946 | 45,636 | 30,145 | |
| 1947 | 75,395 | 30,536 | |
| 1948 | 69,900 | 37,390 | |
| 1949 | 112,550 | 65,000 (includes $19,503 for lighting of Madison Park ball diamond). |
The unusually large expenses of the past few years are due mainly to the cost incurred improving the three new parks. Once the new tennis courts, parking lots, shuffle board courts and other contemplated features are constructed, the park budget should go down.
There are a few areas in Lakewood that are not well provided with open space suitable for play properties. The south central and south western parts of Lakewood are the two areas where pressure for additional space will probably build up in the future. Both of these areas are comparatively young as Lakewood goes and will provide the good housing so desirable for young couples for many more years to come. This in turn provides a favorable environment for even more children in the area than there is now. Although it is financially impossible to accomplish anything at present, it would do well to think in terms of a neighborhood playground located in the south central-western portion of the city, plus the consideration of enlarging the Roosevelt School grounds.
The other area that could use more play space is the Lincoln School district. The opening and further development of the Hall property and Andrews Field should relieve some of the pressure in this particular district, but there are a large number of children who would find it more convenient to use the school ground provided it would be larger than it is presently. These children live too far away from Detroit Avenue to reasonably expect them to walk to the Hall Property.
The possibility of having one organization responsible for recreation should be investigated. At the present time both the city and the Board of Education are responsible for different phases of recreation and there is some duplication of service and functions. It is possible, study would indicate that the present sponsorship of recreation is very satisfactory and that no change is needed. However, it is also possible that the study might show means to accomplish a more economical administration and operation of the program.
A second study worthy of consideration is the possibility of permitting the recreation department to obtain its own source of income. From 1925 to 1935 it operated on a 2/10 mill budget but, as previously mentioned, the tax levy proposal was defeated in 1935. The legislature amended Section 5625-15 of the general code in May, 1947 so that a five-tenths of a mill may be levied for recreational purposes. Based on the current value of the tax duplicate, this would amount to more than $50,000 a year, as contrasted to the $30,000 presently allocated to recreation by the Board of Education. The extra funds could be used to increase the staff. $50,000 a year for recreation would mean an expenditure of $.70 per person, as contrasted to the recommended standard of $1.00 per person. The National Recreation Association recommends an expenditure of $ .75 per person for leadership and $ .25 for supplies and incidental expenses. I also suggest a sum of 50¢ per person be as necessary to maintain areas, buildings and facilities used in connection with the recreation program. The city administration has been appropriating more than a dollar per person for its share of recreation during the past three years.
SUMMARY
Lakewood has fairly well located outdoor recreational facilities, but some such as school grounds should be enlarged and the south central west part of the city should have a neighborhood park of 4-7 acres. While recognizing the fact that it is financially impossible to obtain such an area today and it is likewise impossible to enlarge any school ground, Lakewood must realize that such improvements are essential to the future well being of the city.
The possibility of obtaining a number of other special facilities should be investigated. Three that are top most in the minds of a number of Lakewood's citizens are a swimming pool, golf course and community center. If the need for any of them can be demonstrated, action should be initiated to prepare definite programs for accomplishment.
Lakewood has every reason to be proud of its recreation program, both its program leadership and its physical properties. However, there are many more improvements it can and should have if every citizen is willing to work for them.
The Summary of the History of Recreation in the City of Lakewood was completed in 1949 under the direction of Charles A. Foster, director, Adult Education and Recreation (1936-1967).