Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-03-28

With matters left as this meeting left
them, it will undoubtedly be necessary to call
another meeting in order to give the commit.
tee legal basis on which to act with regard
to the old buildings. Under the statute the
vote to sell the old buildings does not hold,
there having been no article in the warrant
calling for such business. When such meet.
ing is held the whole question of putting ten
ement houses at the rear of the lot and of hay
ing highway around the school grounds will
come up.
In the view OF many people, who object to
the district going into the tenoment-house
business, there would be no objection TO NOV.
ing back the main part of the Phelps house
and making of it a house for the ianitor to
live in. With this view we agree. There
are, indeed many things to commend such a
plan. 1t would give the janitor a settled res.
ldence close by the schools and on property
belonging to the district In it there would
be the same element Of propriety that there
is in religious society owning house for its
minister to live in. The interests of the ian.
itor would be identical with those of the
teachers, and instead of him and his family
coming into constant collision with the chill
dreD, as would be the case with any other
family living close to the schools he would he
at one with them and constantly on the look
out for their welfare. But that the district
should attempt to provide a aforementioned
for general rental on its grounds seems to us
entirely wrong and inexpedient. Economy of
this sort would be bought at too dear price
To US, as we think it was to nearly all the
voters present Tuesday evening. it was new
revelation that public street had been laid
out from North Main street along the north
ana west sides of the school grounds to the
Grove street entrance, thus practically giving
public driveway clear around the grounds.
The entrance from Grove street was a neces
sity in order to give easy access for supplies
and to provide short way to the schools
from western avenue, Forest square and Es.
teyville; but here we find, it has.been almost
universally supposed that the street ended.
There ought to be room to drive in from Grove
street to the rear of the buildings and turn
around, but the necessity for a public drive
way around to North Main street is not an
parent. When the district bought the Phelbs
property in order to secure the largest and
finest school grounds in the state, it did not
contemplate paying $4,000 in order to make
the town present of a new highway, but
this Is what tho opening of this new street
practically amounts to. 1t strikes us that
the argument that this street is a necessity in
order to accommodate people who carry their
children to school, enabling them to drop
them at the door, is a very weak one. As
against the convenience of the children in a
dozen families who can ride to school in bad
weather, simply saving them the walk up the
path from North Main street or around from
the rear entrance from Grove street. how
about the other GOO children who can never
ride, but, sick or well, must walk, frequently
through rain, mud and slush, the whole dis
lance, no matter how great 1t may be?
In these comments We do not criticise any
action OF the committee, because these gen
tlemen have invariably acted in good fsitb
and for the best interests of the village. When
the new street was laid there was some show
OF reason for it in connection with securing
the entrance from Grove street but that Is
now done away with, and the selectmen would
unquestionably discontinue it if petitioned to
do SO. Let us have tenement for the iapi.
tor in the rear of the grounds, as proposed
by the committee, and, for the rest, let us
have the grounds cleared up and made what
we paid our money to have them-the larg-
school grounds in New England