The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-06-01
COST OF new BUILDINGS.
President Gibbons Say They Must
Not Exceed S2,4OO Per Room.
Opening of Bids Postponed.

Just what ii was that brought it
about does not openly disclose itself.
but be it what it may be, the board of
control has begun to reform.
When school No. IS. in Petersburg.
was recently erected it was designed to
cost not more than SIS, 500. or $500 a
room complete, as per a rule OF the
board. After the building was con-
ttacted for, an expensive heating ana
Nentiatins plant was put in. grading
had TO be done. this. that and the other
little forgotten details had to be pro-
Nidcd for. and as a result, when the
building was ready for occupancy ii
represented an expenditure of S4S0Oo. or
$4,000 a room. or other buildings SINH
lar stories could be uRfolded. No. is is
taken as an example mainly because it
was recently erected and having been
recently erected the evil in point was
not one of the long. long ago.
The reform move discovered itself
when the building committee, and the
members of the board at the commit
tees invitation, assembled to open the
bids for the construction of the three
proposed new buildings. No. 80, in the
First ward: No 20. in the Twenty first
| ward, and No. 80, in the Sixth ward.
AS to how the misunderstanding
came about is not very lucidly cX-
planned. but through some old mis-
understanding or other the architects
, and the boards heating and ventilat"
ing engineer did not get together in
time. or something like that, aud as Il
consequence no bids We're on hand last
night for the heating and ventilating
apparatus of the proposed new build
ines.
President John Gibbons, who is de-
termined that his regime shall make
Il record with the taxpayers, called the
attention of the committee Ia the fact
that unless the heating and vcntilatinG
bids were in. it would he impossible for
any one to tell whether on not the cost
of the buildings would he kept down
to s.. 100 a room. and h" did not pro-
pose that the s.. .i0O-a a-roon rule of the
board should be Il dcad-lettcr while he
was the boards president he advised
and insisted that the bids for the build
ing proper should he held back until
bids for the heating and Vontilatng
were at hand.
The board agreed with him to n
man and on motion of Captain May
the secretary was directed to keep the
building bids unopened until next Fri
day night, ana in The interim secure
bids for heating and vcntila ting. Con-
tractor i. Mulherin. of Mulherin &
Judge. one of the bidders on the build
ing, conferred with the other bidders
present and announced that this plan
was satisfactory to the bidders.
ON motion of Mr.. Langan, Secretary
Fellows was instructed to advertise
forthwith for heating and Vcntilating
| bids, and submit his action for the
formal approval of the board at next
Monday nights meeting.
Next Friday night the two sets Of
| bids will be opened and unless the
lowest responsible bid for each job
will permit of II s., 400-a- room build
ing. the bids will be rejected, the
building plans revised and new bids
| advertised tOr at once
There We're twelve lids submitted
for the construction of the building.
The Jayne resolution to postpone the
building of the First ward new school
was indefinitely postponed by tho
committee, with scarcely a word of
comment