Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1905-12-08
NEITHER REPORT ACCEPTED
WATER QUESTION DISCUSSED
NO ACTION TAKEN
Meeting Adjourned Subject to Com.
mittee's Call - Majority Recon-
mended Village Ownership-Minor-
ity in Favor of Control by Town.

| After a session lasting nearly three
/ hours, during which the question of a
municipal water system was pretty
well threshed out, the special meeting
called last Friday evening to consider
the report of the committee appointed
to investigate the matter, adjourned
! for an indefinite period without taking
any definite action. AS was expected
there was a majority and minority
report. f.. c. Crosby differing with the
other members of the committee on
several important points as will be
seen from reading the reports pub
lished in full in this paper. Both re-
ports were discussed at length, but no
action was taken indicative of the
sentiment of the meeting.
As was predicted municipal owner
ship was recommended, the majority
holding that the village should own
the system and the minority that it
should belong to the town. The major
ity further recommended that the viii
lage purchase the present system,
known as the Chestnut Hill system,
without any alliance with the Sunset
Lake water company, at the price
named by the engineer, the aggregate
sum paid not to exceed the bonded
debt of the company In event of
failure to do this an Independent sys-
TEN was recommended. Mr.. Crosby
dissented with the majority of the
committee as to what should be paid
for the Chestnut Hill system. claiming
that its cost should be taken into con-
sideration in making the price. He
also held that it would be useless to
attempt to discriminate between the
Chestnut Hill and the Sunset Lake
companies as the stock in both corpo-
rations is all owned in the Crowell
family.
When the meeting was called TO
order by Bailiff John Calvin at 5
O'Clock nearly 500 people were in the
hall. The report of the majority of
the committee was read by e. w. Glib
son, who stated at the start that the
word committee had been used in the
report before it was known that there
was to be a minority Mr.. Crosby
read his report when Mr.. Gibson had
finished. When this was completed
Clarke C. Fits took the floor and as
counsel for George Il. Crowell gave a
very concise statement of Mr. Gro
wells position. In the beginning he
gave a brief history of the foundation
of the Chestnht Hill system. saying
that it had been started by Mr.. Gro
well for the purpose of supplying has
own houses with water and had been
enlarged as the demands of the vii
lage required. He spoke OF the act OF
1892 which gave the village the right
to own and operate its water system.
told of the report of Engineer ELS
worth made at that time in favor OF
Stickney brook and Marlboro North
pond as the most available supply.
drew attention to the analyses OF wa
ter from that source by Professor
Wood of Harvard university, and
called the attention of the meeting TO
the action of the village at that time
in voting to take no action under the
charter in consideration Of what MI
Crowell intended to do. Mr.. Fits
further stated that it had been Mr..
Crowelrs ultimate intention from the
first to use the water of Marlboro
North pond and Stickney brook for
a gravity system. and called to NINA
the survey of that source which was
made for Mr. Crowell by Engineer
Walcott of Greenfield. In regard to
the water rights now held by the Sun
set Lake company Mr.. Fits showed
that they were all con-
trolled before the village committee
was appointed. In closing Mr.. Fits
stated that it did not seem fair TO Mr..
Crowell to ask him to sell his system
for just the amount of the indebted
ness, but that Mr.. Crowell was will
ing to leave the appraisal to a courts
and would abide by any
such decision: he was also willing to
have the question of water rates de-
termined by county court at any time.
ITO take such action as is recon-
mended by the majority of the COM
mittee would avail the village noth-
ing" said Mr.. Fits. "and would re-
suit only in furnishing Mr.. Crowell and
for what?"
C. H. Davenport then spoke at some
length as to what action the village
ought to take, the gist of his argu-
ment being that Mr.. Wesson. holder
of the Chestnut Hill reservoir bonds.