The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-06-04
SUCCESSFUL BIDS.
Board of Education Awards
Contracts for the Re-
building Of School
No. |
IT WILL COST s1os,sa1
Directors Unanimous in Their
selection-New Building Will
Be a Credit to the
City.

The Board Of Education last night
awarded contracts for the rebuilding of
PUBLIC School No. /, which when finished
Will cost sos. 991. When the divided bids
and bids for the entire work were receiy-
ed last week by the Board it was found
that between the sum of divided bids and
the w of the two bids for the whole
Work there was a difference of about
$4,000 in favor of the divided bids. but
even this sum was deemed too high by
Mayor Hoos and Director F. ]. Mershei-
mer. Chairman of the Finance Committee.
The Mayor thought tlecost of the schools
should not exceed $4,000, or Whereabouts,
and he was not willing to approve of the
acceptance of the bids, and they were laid
over until last night.
In the meantime Director DAILY, of
School No. i Committee, Mayor EIoos n
Director Mersheimer e~ndeavored to find
out some way to reduce the cost. The
masonry contract was very high and an
attempt was made to cut that down, but
when Engineers Earle and Harrison as
sured the Board that they must go down
at least twenty-one feet for the founda-
tons the Board, after deep consideration,
concluded that for the safety of the
building the masonry part of the bids
Souiu HOt De changed
Before the meeting last night the Mayor
held a long consultation with the Direc-
tors and shortly after ten o'clock the
Board convened with President J. l..
Firm in the chair.
By a unanimous vote the mason's con-
tract for s5S, 4s was awarded to NJ. T.
Connolly.
You only charged one cent to tear
down the old building; can't 0 put it
TN TOR one npnt2t faGafinIC!u fnn41iral
YES" quickly answered Contractor
Connolly with a broad grin. IF you will
let me get at you some other way
Gaughter.1
Before the vote was taken on this con-
tract, however, Director F. J. Mersheimer
explained why the bids had been laid over
last week for consideration. In the
opinion of the Mayor and others. he said,
they were too high, but after careful
consideration the Board was convinced
that the schools could not be built for
less. There, were two reasons, he said,
which Influenced the committee and the
Mayor In accepting the sum of the. bid.
One was that the new school must be a
substantial building and In harmony with
Its downtown. surroundings. Tit second
was that owing TO the peeuliarities of
the land on which the school would stand
it was absolutely necessary to go down
a great distance for foundations to make
the school building safe for all the time,
and for these reasons 1t was deemed wiser
TO spend a little more money than first
anticipated.
The. remaining contracts were then
AWARDED as follows
Plumbing contract. s4.S4s, Philip E. Mar
tin, Jersey City.
Carpenter work, s22,s21. I. Jewkes and
Son. Jersey City.
Steam heating. etc, 1882. Blake and
Williams. No. 1862 West Broadway, New
York City.
A little discussion then arose as to the
disposition of the bids and bonds of the
contractors. Directors higgins. Cowles
and Mersheimer differed as to whether
they should be returned. 1t was
ultimately agreed to hold all until the
execution of the present bids.
Directors Firm, Finn and Frederick
were on motion of Director higgins APP
pointed a committee to supervise the ex-
tension of Public School No. 20.
The Board then adjourned.