Omaha daily bee., 1899-04-14
ACTION Is RECONSTRUCTED
Board of Education Opens Up High School
Site Again.
MAY AFTER ALL REJECT STREET TRACT
Mistake May Have Been Made In
Selecting This Propcrty-Another
Star Chamber Session VIII
lie Held This Afternoon.
RECONSIDERED
MAY AFTER ALL REJECT STREET TRACT


Realizing that 1t had made a mistake in
selecting the street property on Bluff street
and Fifth avenue as the site on which to
erect the new high school building the
Board of Education held a special session
Yesterday afternoon in President Sims office
at which its previous action in choosing
the Street tract site was resclnded. After
getting this far the board decided 1t had
done enough for one day and adjourned until
| this afternoon, when another star chamber
session will be held and the question of Sc
lecting a site will again be tackled. The
members of the board say they hope the
meeting this afternoon will result in their
choosing n site that will not only be suita-
bic for such a building as is proposed to be
erected, but which will also be acceptable
to the majority of the people of the city.
The full membership of the board was
present at the meeting, which like the pre-
vious sessions at which the question OF the
site was up for action, was held behind
closed doors. Member Cooper moved that
the action Of the board in selecting the
Street property be reconsidered and was
seconded by Member Hess. On being put
to the vote Members Moore and Henry
voted against, but the motion was carried
by the votes OF Sims, Swaine, Stewart and
Hess. Some of the members were DESTROYS
of selecting another site, but after CON
siderable discussion 1t was decided to wait
until this afternoons session.
This action leaves the question of a site
just where 1t was before the meeting Tues
day, but does not prevent the board from
again selecting the Street tract. providing
hat property has sufficient supporters among
the members.
Not only is the majority of the people
of the city opposed to the new high school
being built on the Street tract, but a more
complete Investigation of the property by
the board has shown that it is not at all
well adapted for such a building. Levels
have been taken and they show that by the
grade established by the city the northeast
corner OF the tract is thirty feet higher than
the southwest corner. In order to grade
the ground anything like level enough to
build the school on it, it would necessitate
a terrace about twenty feet high on the
Bluff street side of the lot. AS the inten-
ton was to face the school on Bluff street
this terrace would require between thirty
five and forty steps leading to the main en-
trance. The large number of steps was one
of the principal objections to the present
building.
Another scheme proposed in order to make
the site available for the High school build
ing is to grade back from Bluff street a level
plateau. If this was done it would bring
the rear of the building against the bluff and
in order to prevent the dirt and water from
running into the BASEMENT from the bluff al
the rear, a retaining wall some ten feet in
height would have to be built at the rear
and on the north and south sides of the
building. This retaining wall. it is esti-
| mated, would cost in the OpiphhorhODI of
$4,000, and on this account it is very doubt
full from the expressions dropped by several
members of the board if the selection of this
site will ever be entertained again.
The only possible way that the property
could be suitably graded, it is conceded, is
by lowering Third street on the east side of
the tract. In order to have this done the
permission of the city would have to be OBJ
tanned and an ordinance passed changing
the established grade on the street. In such
an event, however, property owners on Third
street would undoubtedly want damage on
account of the change of grade and the city
would not be likely to make it unless the
school district agreed to be responsible for
all such claims for damages.
Many of those who were at first opposed
to the Oakland avenue site have since
changed their minds and would much prefer
to see the building placed there than on a
site like the Street tract. One strong point
urged in favor of the Oakland avenue loca-
ton is that the property offered as a site for
the school is almost twice as large as any
of the others so far offered. Even with a
school building of the dimensions of 200
feet square, as it was at first proposed to
erect, there would be ample ground remain
ing for a splendid campus or playground.
The only objection of any consequence raised
against this particular site Is that it would
bring the High school and Washington
avenue school rather close together, The
property, with very little grading, can be
made almost as level as a billiard table and
by grading back from Oakland avenue to
Scott street the hill on the latter street can
be very materially reduced.
Members Sims, Moore and Hess have been
appointed a committee to make a contract
with schoentgen & Co, the architects, sub
ject to the approval of the board.