Prospects Bright for Kessler Program Cary Report Urges Action: Points Out Unity of Support and Cost of Further Delay Page: 1 of 2
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Prospects Bright for Kessler Program
Cary
Report
Urges
Action
Points Out Unity of Sup-
port and Cost of
Further Delay.
With public sentiment more
largely unified behind the pro-
gram, with physical accomplish-
ments progressing more rapidly
than ever before and with the sup-
port of more/than a hundred civic
and commercial and other organi-
zations pledged to its execution,
there is a better prospect for the
realization of the Kessler city plan
for Dallas at the beginning of
1926 than at any time since the
plan's inception, more than fifteen
years ago, Dr. E. H. Cary, presi-
dent of the Kessler plan Associa-
tion, declares in his annual report,
which will be submitted to the di-
rectors at their meeting.
In connection with the enumer-
ation of a number of the most
vital and significant of actual city
plan acchievements of the year,
Dr. Cary says:
1926 promises to be the most
important year in the history of
Dallas. With over one hundred of
our leading organizations working
together, all committed to the one
big task of putting over the entire
Kessler Program, prospects for
success are splendid.
Kessler Plan Practical
Fifteen years of experimenting
with, and testing out, the Kessler
Program, has not been in vain.
Features of the program that have
been carried out-Turtle Creek
Boulevard, Pacific Avenue, South
Lamar, St. Paul, Masten, Irar-
wood, etc, have proven that the
program is practical, that its ex-
ecution can be made fairly simple.
that it net only pays for for itself
but returns big profits, that 90%
of the obstructions in the way are
psychological and that the pro-
gram must be carried out in full
and within the next few years, or
else Dallas will face losses many
times greater than the entire cost
of execution.
While these facts were known to
those who had given close study to
the matter, yet there had grown
up in Dallas a spirit of sectional-
ism that had prevented many from
seeing further than their own
street or their own district. There-
fore, the Kessler Plan Association
was compelled to spend much time
during its first year in personal,
individual missionary work, show-
ing leaders of each group and of
each district that the things they
needed would also benefit otherdistricts, and that by all joining
forces and putting over the entire
Kessler Program all would be best
served.
Other Cities' Expenses
In organizing and developing the
Kessler Plan Association we have
drawn from the experience of sim-
ilar successful organizations of
Chicago, Los Angeles and St.
Louis. From Chicago we borrowed
the idea of educational work,
which was so successfully develop-
ed in that city twenty years ago,
under the leadership of Edward S.
Butler and other members of an
exclusive organization, known as
the Commercial Club. A fund of
$300,000 was used in an education-
al campaign, the chief feature be-
ing a text book taught in the
elementary schools. As the result
of this teaching all the younger
men and women of Chicago under-
stand the Chicago plan :and big
civic programs continue to go
forward year by year without any
apparent effort.
From St. Louis we borrow Fedl ogar
form of oganization-the Kessler
Plan Association is the most demo-
cratic organization in Dallas.
Every element and every section
of Greater Dalas is represented.
From St. Louis we also borrowed
the idea of enlisting the co-opera-
tion of every other organization
in the city. Already many organ-
izations have appointed civic pro-
gram committees. Within another
sixty days such committees will
have been appointed from over
one hundred educational, com-
mercial and labor organizations.
When each of these organizations
shall have determined what civic
improvements its members desire
we will ask themshrdluetaoineta
we will then ask each to send a
delegate to a general meeting at
which a city-wide progrant will be
formulated. The engineers can
then make the surveys and deter-
mine the cost
Furnished with a list of items
wanted by the people and with
estimates of costs before it the
mayor's committee will be in a po-
sition to make recommendations
as to methods of financing.
Los Angeles and Dallas
Los Angeles has an organization
similar, in many respects to the
Kessler Plan Association. The Los
Angeles organization Is co-operat-
ing with the Park Board, City
Plan Commisqion, the City En-
gineer, the County government,
the Chamber of Commerce andwith all civic and improvement
leagues. It has an income of $56,-
000 a year with dues ranging form
$25 to 500. The Los Angeles or-
ganization is purely a citizen's
organization. It has no authority.
However, it has wonderful influ-
ence and is successful in getting
things done and in a big way.
Aside from carrying out our
educational campaign which is
reaching men and women of every
class and in every section, the
Kessler Plan Association is co-op-
erating with city and county of-
ficials and is getting things done.
While all of us want to see a
more equitable plan of financing
devised-a plan that will place the
burdens evenly and justly and a
plan that will enable the work to
go forward, yet we must remember
that there are many features of
the Kessler Program which should
be paid for largely, if not wholly,
by benefitted property owners.
Getting Things Done
Fifteen years' experience has
shown, however, that property
owners are unable--except in rare
instances-to get together and
work out these problems. During
the past year the Kessler Plan
Association has been instrumental
in doing some very effective work
in getting owners together, show-
ing them advantages to be derived
and organizing them to put the
pans over. In this Dallas is gain-
ing what will, within a few years,
prove to be some of our finest
streets and boulevards and that
without cost to the taxpayer.
People Co-operating
There are 72 streets on the
Kessler Program for opening and
widening. There are miles and
miles of boulevards to be develop-
ed. A bond issue to cover the en-
tire cost of all these would amount
into big money. Of many of these
items the city or the county, out
of their funds, should pay a part.
Most of them could and should
be handled almost, if not exclusive-
ly, by nearby owners-provided
the work done is done now ahead
of development. Next year may be
too late. By next year develop-
ments may com which wil increase
costs so high as to make it neces-
sary for the city and county to
distribute. All of which is another
strong reason for doing these
things now.
Officials Are Helping
The Kessler Plan Association
has received the finest of co-opera-
tion from officials of every depart-meant of both city and county gov-
ernments.
Through the co-operation of our
school board and our teachers,
we were abe to secure the services
of Dr. J. F. Kimball in the prepar-
ation of the text-book, "Dallas
Civics," without one cent of pay.
Dr. Kimball has spent months in
the preparation of this book, which
will be a source of information
and inspiration and eagerly read
studied by grown folks as well
as by the children. Its influence
on the "Dallas of Tomorrow" will
be tremendous.
Our park and boulevard system
deserves from the hands of the
Dallas people most generous treat-
ment and to the Park Board
should be given high appreciation.
We sometimes criticise the Park
Board for failing to acquire need-
ed park property and for failing to
develop property it owns. In doing
this we ourselves fail to take into
consideration the fact that the
Park Board has for twenty years
been working under the same ten-
cent tax and that while valuations
have increased, giving larger re-
turns from this tax, that the sink-
ing fund and interest to take care
of purchases have likewise in-
creased.
With the limited funds at its dis-
posal the Park Board has accomp-
lished much for the pleasure and
happiness of our people.
Rare business ability has also
been shown in putting many of
the more important features of the
park system on a self-sustaining
basi. That $463,350 in gift have
been made to the park system
within the last few years is in
itself an eloquent testimony to the
management of the system.
Aid From County
Dalas citizens do not fully appre-
ciate the important work which
our county commissioners are do-
ing in the execution of the Kessler
Program. Kessler's plans call for
the development of trafficways,
boulevards, parkways and parks
in much territory still outside of
the city. If we delay this work
until this territory comes into the
city the costs will be many times
greater and often prohibitive.
Through foresight and co-operation
our county commissioners are do-
ing this work now.
City officials having in charge
the execution of the Kessler Pro-
gram have, during 1925, been
most diligent. Our City Plan En-
gineer is developing the technique
of street widening into science.__
I--'-
LIII
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Prospects Bright for Kessler Program Cary Report Urges Action: Points Out Unity of Support and Cost of Further Delay, text, 1926~; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth207140/m1/1/: accessed May 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Municipal Archives.