MAINTENANCE 657 



locating the maintenance headquarters in a large park is that large parks 

 acquired in recent years at least are usually not centrally located with 

 respect to other units of the system and it is difficult to embody a service 

 area in the landscape design of such parks. However, the frequency with 

 which this plan is met in the park systems of the country indicates that it 

 is of practical value. Examples of maintenance headquarters located in 

 large parks are to be found in the Bronx Park, Bronx Park System, New 

 York, Franklin Park in Boston, Delaware Park in Buffalo, Forest Park in 

 St. Louis, Forest Park in Springfield, Massachusetts, Fairmount Park in 

 Philadelphia, Shawnee Park in Louisville, Branch Brook Park, Essex County 

 Park System, New Jersey and Warinanco Park, Union County Park Sys- 

 tem, New Jersey. The operating headquarters are also included. 



In large park systems and especially in county park systems the neces- 

 sity for subsidiary service areas and structures for the housing of live 

 stock, storage of feed, machinery and tools is obvious. In a park system 

 of any size it is desirable to have some storage facilities on each area that 

 is intensively used. This may consist of a waterproof box for the storage 

 of playground supplies such as is commonly found on many playgrounds, 

 or it may be a room under a band stand, in a comfort station, shelter house, 

 or other structure in the park, where the caretaker can house tools and 

 machinery that are in constant use and where he can keep small quantities 

 of supplies. 



In a few cities the development of a central municipal service station 

 has done away to a considerable extent with the necessity of the park 

 department maintaining a service center. Thus in those cities having a 

 centralized purchasing department with large storage yards and houses, all 

 materials and supplies can be gotten directly by the park department 

 through this center. Again, cities having municipal shops handle all the 

 minor construction work, repairs to machinery, sharpening of mowers and 

 tools and similar tasks for the park department. A few cities have large 

 municipal garages where all park department motor vehicles and machinery 

 are cared for and from which all motor supplies are secured. In the smaller 

 cities this is perhaps the most economical manner of handling the problems 

 of maintenance equipment, materials and supplies. 



Maintenance Structures. 



Maintenance structures include such structures as dwelling houses for 

 foremen or caretakers, barns, shops, machinery sheds, storehouses, prop- 

 agating greenhouses and propagating beds or frames. 



Dwelling houses. The practice of providing dwelling houses for fore- 

 men or caretakers in the principal parks of a system is quite common 



