These projects would probably require from 15 to 20 man-years of labor to accomplish, and are programed for construction during the next 4 years. I hope this information will be of assistance to you. Sincerely yours, DELBERT SHEARER, Director, Parks & Recreation Division. CITY OF HOUSTON, Houston, Tex., June 24. 1964. Hon. GAYLORD NELSON, Washington, D.C. DEAR SENATOR NELSON: This will acknowledge receiving your recent inquiry regarding certain personnel that may be needed in our parks and recreation department work program. Since the rapid growth and expansion of Houston there has been a definite need for additional parks and recreation facilities in our system. Consequently, some 65 new parks have been acquired in the past 8 years and the development and maintenance of these parks have become a problem due to the lack of adequate personnel and operating funds. Much of the clearing, cleaning, drainage, and grading of new park areas therefore requires a large labor force and at the present, we could very easily use some 150 to 200 additional laborers for this purpose. Therefore, I am certainly in accord with any program that may be proposed in the future by the Federal Government, particularly in line with the CCC program that was so effective many years ago. It is my belief that such a program would not only be an asset to all cities, counties, and States that may participate, but would also be excellent training, both in mind and body, for many of our citizens that now have difficulty finding regular employment. Yours very truly, GUS H. HAYCOCK, Director, Parks and Recreation Department. CITY OF LUBBOCK, Lubbock, Tex., June 22, 1964. Hon. GAYLORD NELSON, Washington, D.C. DEAR SENATOR NELSON: I received your letter of June 12, pertaining to your drafting legislation to provide funds to Federal, State, county, and municipal agencies to utilize unemployed workers on conservation projects, and I wish to assure you that I am definitely for something of this nature. We have too many youth unemployed. We, here in Lubbock, are trying to do something about it, but it is too big a job for a city to handle alone. Enclosed is one of our pamphlets entitled "Challenge of Jobless Youth." At the present time we are working some 200 boys 4 hours a day. We could work 4,000 or more and I am for any type of legislation that would make it possible for any youth who wants a job to be permitted to get one. Yes, we have many projects in our own town that we could use help on that would not require extensive new preparation. We have 16 boys working on one park, getting it ready, whereby we can level and put in a water system. We have 8 or 10 of these projects and many, many others. I don't know just exactly what you meant when you asked if I could estimate the number of man-years. I have been with the City of Lubbock Parks and Recreation Department 20 years and can assure you that we have never caught up with work that needs to be done within our city. If I can be of further assistance to you please let me know, because I am definitely interested. Sincerely, A. C. HAMILTON, Director of Parks and Recreation. CITY OF EL PASO, TEX., Senator GAYLORD NELSON, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. DEAR SENATOR NELSON: The city of El Paso could use a number of unemployed workers for park development in the near future. The decision to do so would be a policy and would be made by the mayor and city council. The projects programed within the next 5 years are the construction of parks. This would utilize truckdrivers, heavy equipment operators, plumbers, carpenters, cement finishers, and some common labor. I estimate we could use 75 man-years, provided the city could develop parks with free labor cheaper than could be done with private enterprise. Should there be available, with supervision, a good ratio of skilled to unskilled workers, this could possibly be done. I am not sufficiently informed to make comments or suggestions, but I am interested and will help in any way I can. Sincerely, Hon. GAYLORD NELSON, U.S. Senator, Washington, D.C. BYRON D. TATE, Superintendent of Parks. CITY OF ALICE, PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, June 24, 1964. DEAR MR. NELSON: I am in reply to your letter June 12, 1964, regarding legislation to provide funds for county and municipal agencies to utilize unemployed workers. In this section of south Texas we are in an area of high unemployment and something of this nature could help our economy greatly. I and my department are in a program of park development and golf course construction. Extra funds for labor has been our greatest problem. With manpower we could complete these programs ahead of schedule. We had set up these on a 3-year program and still have 3 years to go. With a 10-man labor force we could complete in 1 year. We could also use extra men on park maintenance. I think you have a fine program underway and I hope this program will benefit us soon. Should you need additional information please let me hear from you. Sincerely, JAY S. WILLIAMS. CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, Hon. GAYLORD NELSON, Washington, D.O. DEAR SENATOR: This is in reply to your letter June 12, 1964, pertaining to your drafting of legislation to provide funds to Federal, State, county, and municipal agencies to utilize unemployed labor on conservation projects. In this regard, provided funds were available, the department of parks and recreation, city of San Antonio, could utilize 50 additional employees annually in general park development. They could be utilized in clearing and opening of land areas to provide open spaces for playgrounds, picnic areas, nature trails, and the like. In addition, they could be well utilized in augmenting presently established crews engaged in installation of irrigation systems, construction of park roads and paths, erection of playground equipment and picnic units, and allied park work. A large crew, I would estimate to be about 100, could be utilized, if additional funds were provided for equipment and materials in park development work. Our long-range master plan would indicate that an augmentation, as mentioned in the two preceding paragraphs, would cover a period of 5 years. Therefore, each plan, under a 5-year program, could be estimated at 250 man-years and 500 man-years, respectively. The above estimate is solely my own and has not been referred to local city officials for approval or policy. It has been my pleasure to make the estimate for you. ROBERT L. FRAZER, Director, Department of Parks and Recreation. Hon. GAYLORD NELSON, CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI, TEX., July 7, 1964. Washington, D.C. DEAR SENATOR NELSON: This has reference to your letter of July 1, 1964, regarding our program for the development of parks, etc. We have recently received voter approval for the issuance of $800,000 of bonds for park improvements in the city. The work will be performed by regular city personnel. Much more could be done, and will be done as funds become available, under plans presently available. We would be glad to have any additional data developed on the subject. JAMES L. BARNARD, Mayor. CITY OF HARLINGEN, Harlingen, Tex., June 30, 1964. GAYLORD NELSON, Washington, D.C. DEAR MR. NELSON: As a result of your request of June 12, 1964, we have arrived at the following estimates for a project which could be undertaken immediately: 1. Park development: 191 acres presently undeveloped in 5 decicated parks. Man-years required-- 2. Municipal Lake: 75 acres of water, 20 acres shoreline developed for recreation, municipal water supply. Man-years required___ 3. Municipal golf course: Development and completion of 27-hole course. Man-years required___ 4. Arroyo Colorado: Development, beautification, and conservation. years required____ 5. Roadside improvement: 137 miles. Man-years required__. Total man-years required_-- Man 120 326 It has been a pleasure to assist you in the research of utilization of unemployed workers. If I may be of further assistance I should be most happy to do so. DEAR SENATOR NELSON: Under the present organization of our department, we could utilize only small numbers of people in the programs you are interested in. We operate on an extremely limited budget, most of which goes into our fire control program. Also, at this time, our department does not administer any State land. If details could be worked out, there are some areas of State timberland administered by the State land board on which extensive timber stand improvement work could be done. This project would be seasonal but there are 3 areas where 30-man camps could spend approximately 4 months for 2 summers and do a lot of good. In addition, in Utah we have State fish and game land and State park and recreation land that could receive benefits from a program of this type. Sincerely, RICHARD P. KLASON, Assistant State Forester. DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME, Hon. GAYLORD NELSON, Washington, D.C. DEAR SENATOR NELSON: In regard to your letter of May 29 concerning the use of unemployed workers on conservation projects, we would have few projects to offer other than limited fence building work. Department field conservation projects are presently centered around such management practices as clearing big game range areas of pinyon-juniper-type vegetation by chaining to uproot plants and scarify the soil prior to replanting, waterfowl management area dike construction, and other types of habitat improvement. Needless to say, most such projects require the use of heavy equipment and current and projected needs for manual labor are relatively small. Thinking of the State as a whole, however, it would be my opinion that in the near future, depending on the disposition of H.R. 3846, the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act, there might be a wealth of development work that would involve manual labor. Such could revolve around clearing access road rights-of-way, developing picnicking and camping sites, building trails, etc. The extent to which such manpower could be used would be dependent upon priority determination of projects as outlined under the State recreation plan which is now being developed. Sincerely, HAROLD S. CRANE, Director. STATE PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION, Hon. GAYLORD NELSON, Washington, D.C. DEAR SENATOR NELSON: This will acknowledge receipt of your May 29 letter to me and to Dwight C. Freeman, assistant director of the commission, with respect to the number of people we could utilize if funds were made available for hiring of the unemployed to work in conservation projects. We would be in a position now to hire between 50 and 100 people for use in the following type programs in close proximity to Salt Lake City in our Wasatch Mountain State Park: 1. Cleanup of timber. 2. Building of trails: (a) Hiking. (b) Horseback riding. 3. Cleaning of new picnic sites. If it would be possible under your legislation to provide some carrier in the bill, it would give us the opportunity of obtaining some materials, also to employ these men as our budgets are very meager in Utah at the present time just before legislative year and due to the important emphasis our State places upon providing good schooling in Utah, we would be able to carry out the following developments in the very near future: 1. In taping of springs for culinary water supply. 2. Piping of the water from these springs to picnicking and camping areas where we could put in distribution systems. 3. Building of new campsites. 4. Many other projects, provided funds could be obtained for material purchases. If it would be possible for you to put in another rider in your bill with reference to interpretation-and here again we might be able to do—say relief maps or doing research work upon histories or various type things in interpreting many different types of things which are of interest in our State park areas. We hope that this will serve to help you somewhat in preparing of your legislation. Sincerely, A. O. HAYWARD, Director. Hon. GAYLORD NELSON, UTAH DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT SECURITY, DEAR SENATOR NELSON: Mr. Otto A. Wiesley, chairman of the Industrial Commission of Utah, has requested that we respond to your letter of June 3 concerning your request for specific information of numbers of unemployed workers in Utah that may benefit from conservation project programs. Of the near 18,000 unemployed in Utah in June about 4,300 are men with loose enough attachment to any particular occupation or industry that they may be considered as those most available for Federal, State, and local public works projects. The approximate number that would be most available in each county in the State is as follows: The number of man-years of work which might be usefully undertaken in your proposed programs in Utah is dependent upon the economic health of the basic industries of Utah which, in turn, depend upon the economic health of the Nation as a whole. (It would appear that conservation projects outside of the private sector of our economy such as park development, timber stand improvement and the like could be done without extensive new preparation.) DEAR SENATOR NELSON: Mr. Howard Jeffrey, the Vermont director of recreation, has advised me of your recent letter to him concerning some legislation which you are drafting which would provide funds to Federal, State, county, and municipal agencies to utilize unemployed workers on conservation projects. |