Daily Kennebec journal., 1896-05-21
A Communication.

the spring term of schools commenced
May II: the grammar grade taught by
MISS Alice Getchcll and the primary by
MISS Flora Trask, both of Riverside.
: use the words, talked of and talked
aoout' as this building has quite n
'hstory, although not a very long one.
us the Following facts will show.
Ever since the adoption of the town
system, large part of the inhabitants
oi the south west part of the town of
Vassaiporo have hoped that they might
nave school house at Riverside. with
accommodations suitable for graded
scnooi, so as to do away with two or
three small schools, which could not be
maintained profitably Nothing was
done in regard to the matter until last
spring. 1895, when at the annual March
meeting it was voted to consolidate
permanently districts Nos. 5. Is and %.
Win uistrlct No. 4, which was formerly
Two districts, but We're united some ton
Years ago, and to build a new school
building. When the question was
asked now much 1t would cost to build
suitable building, member of the
school board said that they thought
anont $laoo. 1t seemed to be the gen
eral opinion of the voters that this
amount was not enough. and it was
voted to raise $500, and to leave tho
matter entirely in the hands of the
school board, as we'll as the disposal of
the old school houses in districts +. 1e
and %. A meeting was called about
the middle of April, to get the express
sion of the citizens as TO location. etc.
At meeting of the board. at aboui
that time, building committee of three
members of the board was chosen TO
nave charge of the business: n A.
Luce, II. II. Smell and c. A. Stilson.
The board met at II. II. SHELLS. April
u, and decided on the building spot and
made arrangements to commence on
GRAFTON.
Arrangements were made with Mr. A.
c. Jewett of Augusta, to take charge
OF the work. and the carpenter work
was done by him, by the day. while the
stone work was done by contract. by
Daniel Young of Augusta. and the
brick work and plastering by A. A.
Nichols also of Augusta. The design
for the building was selected from q
series of school house plans published
by New York firm, and the estimated
menced in May, and progressed fairly
Well but new trouble came up soon
after. AS the money voted for differen,
town expenses did not become avail
able until the taxes We're assessed and
the Dill committed to the collector
whlch is usually about September. and
III the mean time the teachers of the
spring terms of school had to be paid
ana the transportation of scholars to be
PAD for also, there was no money in
the treasury and the selectmen thought
1t not good policy to hire the money.
IL left the building committee without
funds, so that they had to hire some
money individually to meet some of the
blllS- Later the selectmen hired 500
to keep the work along AT last. near
the middle of August. work stopped en-
tirely and some said they could not get
funds, others that they had expended
the amount appropriated. and many
thought exceeded the appropriation.
Nothing more has been done since
until this spring. excepting aslittle work
To better protect the building from cold
during the winter. but Nov -. 1895. a
special town meeting was called to sec
what action the town would take in re-
gard to completing the building. AT
that meeting only one member of the
building committee was present and he
made statement as To what had been
done, what remained to be done. etc
He said the estimated cost of the build
ing as before stated, was $1,000 Also
that an Augusta contractor-name not
given-said it could be built for $500
Whil" up to that time they had paid out
S239i and some odd cents but that the
amount which the three old school
houses sold for, would about offset the
excess of the appropriation. There was
not very large attendance at this
meeting, but the larger part of the
voters present thought it not good
policy to do anything more on the
building at that season of the year.
when it was getting SO cold weather
and the days SO short. and besides.
there seemed to be no particular reason
why the meeting could not have been
called six or eight weeks earlier at Il
time when work could have been done
more prolitably. So it was voted not to
take any action toward finishing the
work.
At the annual meeting this spring.
tut LOW IL Nottu W id1Se tIle sum OF NtNn
to complete the building, put in seats,
furnace. etc. and the whole matter was
left in the hands of the school board,
the same as last year. The whole affair
has caused considerable comment and
dissa tisfaction, ("kickins'' is the term
most commonly applied to it here)
among the taxpayers of the town, many
of whom think that the business has
not been managed in a business like
manner, when $500 was a t first thought
sufficient, then $2500 was appropriated
to build building which the COM
mittee admits was estimated at as low
a figure as $1,000 and is to cost eventu-
ally $500, and possibly more.
| have no ways of learning the
amount expended this spring but it is
hoped the last appropriation is sufli-
cient. The carpenter work done this
spring. mostly inside work was done
by contract, by Mr.. David Stone of
Augusta, and the painting by Mr.. Wal
lace Gilbert of Riverside.
A CITIZEN.
officers McGuinness and Ward ar
rested a man On Water street, whowas
doing his level best to tear things to
r,;a To