6 
Annual Report 
To the Honorable Board of Park Commissioners, Cincinnati, O.: 
Gentlemen — I have the honor to submit herewith a report 
of the work done under direction of your Board from December 
10, 1908, when control of the park properties of Cincinnati was 
taken over, to December 31, 1910, together with the financial 
statements for the years 1908 and 1909, no Park Reports having 
been published for those years. 
Soon after the Board organized in December, 1908, an inspec- 
tion of park properties was made, which, summed up, consisted 
of six established or older parks, two playgrounds, and nineteen 
pieces of unimproved land of various sizes. 
An inventory of working material showed an equipment 
inadequate to carry on economically the work necessary to bring 
the present parks to a creditable standard. That a better standard 
be attained, additional funds were an imperative necessity, and 
justified the Board, on December 30, 1908, in their request to 
Council to issue bonds in the sum of $125,000 for the improvement 
of existing properties. Owing to limitations of statutes, it was 
found these much-needed funds could not be issued. It was 
then decided to request Council to submit to the electors of the 
city, at a special election, the question of issuing $l-,000,000 in 
bonds for the purchase and improvement of additional park lands, 
but unfortunately, in this election the required two-thirds vote 
in the affirmative was not received, and consequently the much- 
needed money was not forthcoming. 
The Board, handicapped through failure to receive the neces- 
sary money, proceeded with the improvement of the existing 
properties. The most notable was the Sinton Playground, bounded 
by Mound Street, Kenyon Avenue, Barr and Cutter Streets, an 
entire city block of 2.33 acres, which was so constructed as to 
combine an attractive park with a well-equipped playground for 
boys and girls as an adjunct. Equally important was the con- 
struction of ''Sinton Shelter," combining in one large building, 
sixteen shower baths, toilet facilities, sand courts, a screened 
reading-room and a large shelter-room, at a cost of $32,308.06. 
This building was named in honor of Mr. David Sinton, father 
