The times., 1901-05-15
BUYING OF SCHOOL SITES
The Troubles Attending the Pur-
chase of Suitable Property.
Real Estate Agents Complain of the
Rejection of Proposals to Sell
Commissioner MacfnrIand shows
the Methods Pursued by the Bonrd.

Rejection of Proposals to Sell
Commissioner MacfnrIand shows
the Methods Pursued by the Board.
Some of the parties who have recently
offered to sell lots to the District for
school sites have complained because the
Commissioners have in nearly every case
rejected the bids. A real estate agent
voiced the general feeling to a Times re-
porter yesterday by saving that it was of
no use to labor with lot owners, get options
and offer to sell in the general competi-
ton inaugurated by the Commissioners,
because il. the majority of cases the Board
rejected the bids and then entered into
private bargaining for the sites they de-
sired This agent signified the intention
of having nothing more to do with trying
to sell school sites to the District under
the circumstances described.
That this complaint is founded in the
failure of various persons to connect with
the District in its advertisement for pro-
posals to sell property for school pur-
poses was made evident by the remarks
of another dealer in real estate who te!t
chagrined that site offered by him at
an especially low price had been rejected
with the rest. and that too, when it was
almost an ideal place for a school build
ing.
Commissioner Macfarland. in speaking
of the matter yesterday, explained that
the law does net require the Commission
ers to advertise for proposals to sell lots
He stated that the Board preferred TO do
so because when it became necessary 10
locate a schoolhouse within a certain
territory the advertisement fer proposals
usually brought out all the available lots
for the purpose. and often many
that are not suitable for school buildings.
The idea OF the advertisement for pro-
posaIs to sell, Mr. Macfarland said, was 70
give all who had property to dispose OF
a chance to offer their holdings.
The Commissioner explained that When
the Board advertised TOR bids on lots liz
a certain division they hoped 10 ma an
available site among the lots oitered- rms
was the case, he remarked. IN the pnI-
! chase of a site recently in the Nlnth Ll-
vision when the lot offered by j. L. Dyer
was accepted at the price at which II was
offered Mr.. Macfarland meftlohed thls
J instance to show that when the lot was
suitable as to location, grading, ana price
; il would be accepted lie said the ad-
vertisements for proposals were always
I made in good faith and not. as some
! seemed to think TO enable the Commits
sioners to drive q Bargain in the end
! Mr. Macfarland explained that there
were several things to be taken into con
SideratiOn in choosing School site. tlFSt,
| there was the amount OF money aVaila-
! kle for the purchase. He said that some
OF those offering sites had fallen into an
/ error in supposing that certain sums nam
; eo IN the appropriation bill were for the
| purchase of school sites. Mr.. Macfariand
mentioned the appropriation for the Irini-
J dad School as an example. lie showed
from the appropriation bill that the sum
of $50 600 was named for the purchase OF
a site and toward the construction OF an
eight-roOm school building, etc. Mr..
( MacfarIand called attention to the fact
that in the same clause in which this Ian
( guage occurs ii is further stipulated that
/ the entire cost of the site and building
I is not to exceed S47, 900. OF course, he
1 said. the Commissioners could not pay
| $4,000 for a site under those cfrcum-
! stances.
/ The Commissioner said that in deter
mining how much money could be used in
the purchase of a site for school the En-
I gineer Commissioner made an estimate OF
the cost of the building specified in the
/ appropriation. This amount deducted left
the money available for the ground upon
which to build. Mr. Macfarland explained
( that in deciding upon the site the Com
missioners first consulted the wishes of
the Beard of Education. They he said,
considered only the ideal site and it was
left fer the Commissioners to reduce this
I choice to practical facts in the finding
and purchase of the site. The Board Of
I Education, he said, signitied to the Com
missiOners the specific territory in which
the proposed schoolhouse should be 10
Gated. This was always. he said, mar
! row area, chosen with reference to Other
buildings and TO the population. The
Commissioners in advertising for pro
posals always enlarge this 50 as to have
in hand the property in the vicinity which
is purchasable.
When the offers were received the Com
missioner said the first thing was TO as
CERTAIN whether they were within the
price the Board could pay. The next step
was TO locate the lot as near the place
designated by the Board of Education as
I possible To this end the Board Of Edu-
cation submits to the Commissioners usu-
. ally three choices of location for the pro
times possible to secure lot which would
( meet the first choice, and. If not that, the
second or third. He stated that if any OF
! the sites were within the price the Com
/ missioners could pay and were such as
suited the views of the Board Of Educa-
/ ton they were accepted. If not. all the
{ proposals were rejected, and the Comm is
sioners proceeded to buy by private pur-
chase the lot that best suited them.
Commissioner Alacfarland explained
that the Board of Education had sigui
fed a desire that all the new school
houses should be heated by steam heat
ers and he said that this one Item
amounted to about s.. 900 or S2.5O0 for each
building which less aned the amount
available for the purchase of the lot
Then he said that the question of grad
ing and drainage was an important one
II ii was to cost 81 900 to grade lot that
might forbid it's purchase when it would
otherwise he available
Taking all things into consideration
Commissioner Macfarland was OF the
opinion that the persons who had offered
I I5ts had little reason for complaint.