Omaha daily bee., 1900-01-27
ANOTHER HIGH SCHOOL SITE
Board Of Education Holds a Meeting and
Makes Fourth Selection.
SOME DOUBT VIII Their 1T WILL STAND
Tract Lies on North Side of First
Avenue, West of the Shugnrt
Lots Mt the Corner of
seventh street.
SOME DOUBT WHETHER 1T WILL STAND

the fourth time since the bonds were voted
selected a site for the proposed new High
school building. The site chosen is one thai
had never been previously suggested or even
mentioned at a board meeting, but from the
expeditions manner in which the motion to
select it went through II was evident that 1t
had been discussed by the members pre-
vious to the session.
The property chosen as a suitable location
on which to erect the High school is on the
north side Of First avenue, lying directly
west of the Shugart lots at the corner of
South Seventh street. The owners of the
property are Postmaster Treynor and Mrs.
s.. e. Deming and 1t has a frontage of $50
feet on the avenue and a depth OF 1872 feet
to the alley between First avenue and Broad
way. On the map the property is described
as lots IL, 10 and IA, in block Z. Baylis'
First addition, and was offered to the board
at SIC, 500 by Postmaster Treynor on behalf
OF himself and Mrs. Deming, they reserving
the buildings and the right to remove them
as soon as the purchase is consummated.
The members voting to select this site
were: Sims, Swaine, Henry and Hess, while
Stewart and Moore cast their ballots against
it.
Done Mt n Special Meeting.
The meeting was a special one called by
President Sims for the expressed purpose of
taking some action looking toward rescind-
ing the selection of the Ballard tract on
First avenue, next to the Grand hotel, as the
site for the new High school. This 1t was
deemed advisable to do by a number of the
members of the board in view of the appeal
taken against the selection of this site by
II. w. Binder, as the resembling of the ac-
tions ~electing this site would terminate at
least this portion of the litigation now pend
ing against the board.
When President Sims called the board to
order Cooper was the only member absent
and he failed to put In an appearance during
the entire session. The ball was started
rolling by Member Hess, who %prefaced a
motion to rescind the action of December IS,
when the Ballard tract was selected, and to
proceed to the selection of another site, by
a few remarks explaining his reasons for
offering such a motion. He said that both
OF the other sites previously selected had
friends, but as far as he could see the Bal
lard tract had none. 1t had, he said, the
least claim of any of the sites selected or
offered as a suitable location for such a
building as a high school. In order that the
board could move on faster and proceed
nearer to getting the school built he would
offer the motion to rescind and select an
other site. The motion was promptly sec
onded by Moore.
Before putting the motion President Sims
asked if any of the members wished to dis
cuss 1t.
Stewart said he thought the matter ought
to be delayed until there was a full board
present. President Sims told him that Mem
Der Cooper was fully aware there was to
be a meeting and he had been given to I'M
derstand that Cooper said he would not be
present. Moore said Cooper had told him
he had a previous engagement and would
be unable to be present. With these assur-
ances Stewart did not press the matter any
further.
Sims then said as far as he was con-
cerned he would vote against the motion as
it stood.
This statement from the president brought
forth the remark from Swaine: THAT is
just my case, Mr.. President. Before / vote
to rescind anything l want to know where
we are going to land. II we select another
site tonight, what assurance have we that
it will not be appealed from? For one, l
would like to have this matter settled, so
that we can go ahead and build the school,"
Urges Postponement.
Stewart then took the floor and urged that
the selection of another site be postponed
until the regular meeting in February. He
said the members OF the board were gentle
men and, despite the assertions of the
newspapers, he believed they could get to-
gether and agree upon a location. He said
he had expressed his opinion regarding the
Ballard site at the previous meeting and
he stood by what he said then. He be-
lieved the site came nearest meeting the
requirements imposed by the state super
irtendent in his ruling, not that he for a
moment meant to infer by that that the
ruling Of the state superintendent was a
correct one.
AS soon as Stewart resumed his seat,
Swaine said he wished they could do it, any
how, and Moore replied: well, let us get
together right here and vote for the site at
the northwest corner of Seventh street and
Willow avenue" Moore referred to the
property directly opposite the Bloomer
school.
Stewart opposed the selection OF that site
ON the grounds that the owners would not
relinquish their property without litiga-
ton and there would be more work for the
lawyers.
Moore; Well, you can't get the Ballard
property without law"
Stewart; "oh, yes. we can; the women
owning that won't go to law; they are
anxious to sell it to US"
Moore; That may be, but there are 9th
ers who will go to law and YOU will have
all you want of it. There are lots of men
VINO VIII use every means in their power
to stop you putting the school next the
hotel"
Sims Takes IA Hand.
AT this point President Sims again took
a hand in the discussion and said that while
Re believed Oakland avenue was the proper
) place 10 build the school, despite the deci-
sion of the state superintendent. and while
he believed that the board should again Sc
lect that site, he was willing, If the major
ity of the board could agree on a site, to
vote for some location on First avenue,
} This declaration from President Sims was
what the other members were waiting for,
as ii brought matters at once to a head,
Hardly were the words out of Sims mouth
before Henry was on his feet with an amend
ment to Hess motion. His motion, as
amended, was to rescind the previous action
Of selecting the Ballard site and to select
the property offered by /, NJ. Treynor. This
was the first time the OFFER OF Treynor had
been mentioned and 1t caused a ripple Of
surprise among the audience in the lobby.
For the benefit of the audience, Stewart,
who was acting as secretary in the absence
OF Dillon Ross, read the proposition from