Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-03-06
BELLOWS FALLS NEWS.
A New High School Building.

A Vote 90 Buy the st. Agnes Hall Prop
erty and Erect New Building was
the Main Outcome OF Tuesdays Town
Meeting---DetaiIs OF the Business
Transacted, OhiceAs Elected, Etc.
The attendance at the town meeting
Tuesday was not large, there being but 12S
votes cast at the largest ballot. Little of
special importance was in the call except
the article to provide additional High
school facilities, and even that was not
enough to call out a large number of voters
Only about one-tenth of all the voters were
present, as there are l177 names on the
list. The election of officers resulted in
the reelection of nearly the whole board,
as is shown by the list elsewhere. George
M. Cory was elected selectman in the place
of Sidney A. Whipple; J. f. Alexander as
auditor in place of M. P. Barry; Prof. II.
C. Bristol replaced Prof. Williams on the
board of trustees of the library, Mr.. Will
liams having moved away. o. d. Olcott
sent in his resignation as custodian OF the
Campbell fund and library fund, and p. II.
Hadley was elected to fill the vacancy.
George o. Guild, who had served nine
years as trustee of the Campbell fund, de-
clined reelection for the three years term,
and L. S. Hayes was put in his place, the
other two being j. +. Alexander and j. b.
Divoll. With the exception of minor of
fees these were all the changes, and only
three ballots were had. The business of
the meeting was rapidly disposed of by
Moderator Ryder, and adjournment was
reached at half-past eleven. Six hundred
dollars was appropriated for the improve
ment of the different cemeteries, 500 for
Memorial day, and 5000 for the town libra
ry, each of which was the same as the past
years.
The school directors reporting that no
special appropriation was needed for the
betterment of the Bartonsville schoolhouse,
and none of the citizens of Bartonsville
asking it, the article relating to that was
dismissed. The report of the special com
mttee appointed last December to inquire
into the needs of the schools of Bellows
Falls, and what ought to be done regard
ing additional buildings, reported in detail
two or three things which could be done in
changing the present buildings. After
discussing each method and giving Archi-
tect Buckham's views the report closed as
follows:
We unanimously recommend that committee
of five be appointed or elected and that they be
instructed to purchase the st. Agnes Hall prop
erty, so called, and if they cannot agree with the
measures for the condemnation thereof under the
statute; and that said committee be further in
structed and directed to proceed at once, II they
succeed in purchasing said property, TO procure
plans for a High school bulldingwhich sha contain
four good school rooms on the first floor and sua
. BILE accommodations on the second roor for the
High SCI DOL said building to be so planned and
constructed that additions can be made thereto
as further needs may require, and that SAID com
mittee be authorized and instructed to build such
building and at a cost, including site, not to eN
coed $4,000.
The report was fully discussed and many
questions asked which were answered by
the committee, the only ones Directing be-
ing George Slate and John r. Blood. The
report was adopted by the meeting unani-
mously, with these two exceptions. Tie
moderator has named as the building com
mittee L. NJ. Read, John I. Moore, E. T..
Coy, B. Cannon, jr., and F. G. Pierce, and
arrangements for the building will begin at
once. The village is to be congratulated,
as well as the town, on the harmony which
prevailed and the prospect of having a
creditable High school building in desira-
be location. The property is located on
the north side of School street, one of the
best in town. The old frame building has
been unoccupied and falling to decay since
it was given up by the young ladies' board
ing school. The doors, windows and
nave Uttn anu luC
ing used as a rendezvous for tramps and
all manner of low grade gentry. Hundreds
of women of today look back to the years
spent there under the teaching of Miss
Jane Hapgood and her assistants as the
pleasantest days of their schoolgirl life.
1t is expected to have a portion of the
building, if not all of it, ready for occupa-
ton when the schools open next Septem-
Der.
The town voted no additional appropria-
ton for highways and bridges above that
required by the state law. The treasurer
is to collect the taxes as heretofore. A
tax of So cents was voted for current eX-
penses and 10 cents to apply upon the in
debtedness, the details of which were
shown two weeks ago. A proposition was
received by the meeting and referred to the
selectmen for action from Messrs. Brosna-
han & Blakeley, offering $1,000 for lease
of the opera house and banquet hall in the
town building for one year. The town
have averaged to receive but a trife over
$3.50 from them the past five years.
James II. Williams has been confined to
his residence by illness this week.
NJ. A. Coolidge of Fitchburg, Mass, was
in town yesterday looking about town on
electric railroad matters.
Hoyt has already made date here for a
return of "a cohtented woman" beginning
the season at Bellows Falls, Sept. II.
Architect Buckham of Burlington was
in town Tuesday and Wednesday in con-
sultation with citizens and the school
board as to the new High school building.
In the high wind of Tuesday one of the
large doors in the post-office slammed so
furiously as to break one of the panes of
plate glass in it and it has been boarded up
since.
F. NJ. Thompson moved into his new
residence on Burt place yesterday, and the
tenement formerly occupied by him in Mr..
Prouty's house on School street is soon to
be occupied by j. II. Blakeley.
The dynamo of the Westminster Paper
company, which is used for lighting their
mills, broke down few days ago and is