Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1906-10-12
STATEMENT FROM GEORGE E. CROWELL
Record OF Negotiations With the Water Board Looking to A
aOnWhy Work Pleasant Valley and at Sunset Lake Was
Suspended. The Correspondence

| BrattleDOro on June ~, 1906, the following
| proposition for arbitration for fixing the
! price to be paid by the village for the
! Crowell Water System, was talked over
| tentatively and agreed to by Mr.. Crowell
and certain representatives of the water
board, subject to the approval of the
full water board, or at least a majority.
! That the village agree with Mr.
Crowell for the purchase of his water
! system, the price to be paid therefor to
| be fixed by a board of arbitrators, who
are to examine the property, hear the
parties and evidence, and consider all
matters bearing upon what ought to be
! paid by the village for the Crowell sys-
TEN. and that the price fixed thereupon
! by the said board of arbitrators. be paid
| by the village and accepted by Crowell
and the water systems he controls as
final and full payment. 1t being under
stood that Mr.. Crowell controls the Chest
| nut Hill Reservoir company and the Sun
set Lake Water company. and said cor
| porations are to be parties to the agree
ment to arbitrate, and the time taken
| for evidence not to exceed two weeks
! for each party.
The board of arbitrators shall consist
| of three men to be agreed upon by the
| parties. If they can agree and II the par
| ties cannot agree said board shall be ap-
pointed by Hon James NJ. Tyler. When
the price fixed upon by said board of ar
bitrators as above provided is paid by
| be transferred to said village. all the
property franchises and rights of the
! Chestnut Hill Reservoir company, and the
! Sunset Lake Water company"
Copy of resolution passed by water
! board July Z, 1906.
! Moved That the water board notify
| Mr.. Crowel that we understand that the
! agreement to arbitrate on the purchase
! of his water system applied only to the
! system as 1t existed at the time of said
| NnN nd N1na nrfaNa
| Crowell not to expend any more on said
system pending said arbitration.
40 this replied as follows:
Brattleboro, VT. July u, 1906
d. p Dewitt.
Secretary Water Board.
| Brattleboro VT.
| Dear Sir:-I acknowledge receipt of your
| letter OF July g. containing copy of the
| resolutions of the water board passed at
! its meeting on July T. 1906. which is to
work on the water SYSTEMS controlled by
me pending the fixing of the price to be
| paid by the village therefor by the board
| of arbitrators, to be selected as agreed
| upon between said board and me. / beg
to say that ! am ready and willing to
as it is desired that the system shall re-
main In the same condition until the
| board of arbitrators determine the mat
| ter, am ready to leave IL so with this
| exception: There are a few things, par
| tlcularly as to one line of distribution in
the Vlllage. ana certain matters relative
| to keeping pure the supply, which, iL
| seems to me, should in justice to all par
| ties be attended to- 1t cannot greatly
affect the price to be fixed by the arbitra-
| tors. and In fact, cannot adversely affect
| either interest. | would like to discuss
with the committee of your board this
| matter, and have II understood just what
should be done along this line. and l be-
| lieve II will be for the best interests of
the village, as well as for myself, that
this matter be taken up as early as posi-
BILE.
Yours truly
GEORGE E. CROMWELL
At will be seen by this that / was ready
to care for the drainage at Sunset lake
In response to this letter l was invited
| to meet the board on July 49, and there
discussion was had as to the ACCESSIBILITY
| of putting in a sewer at Sunset lake, and
| of laying the ten-inch main through
| Frost and Flat streets at once. At that
| meeting suggestion was made about go
ing ahead with the arbitration. and my
| counsel stated, repeating what he said
at the first meeting, that he doubted the
| legal authority of the village to arbtrate
without special provision, and that 1t
could not bind itself beyond 10000 In
| the discussion of that he stated that as
| long as the appointment of arbitrators
was to be left to Judge Tyler II the par
| ties didn't agree, that Judge Tyler also
! determine the question whether the VIII
| lage could now legally arbitrate, and that
l would be bound by Judge Tyler's de-
cision in that regard. and would proceed
| at once II Judge Tyler decided that the
| village could be bound without any fur
! Their act of the legislature. Nothing ever
| came of that suggestion. l have never
refused to arbitrate, nor has my counsel
ever advised me to refuse to arbitrate
l have always been ready and willing to
do so. and expect to live up to the agree
! hlent l made about letting the village
take my property according to the terms
of arbitration agreed upon.
After the last meeting above referred
to- I received from the water board the
following letter:
July "A. 1906.
Mr.. George f. Crowell,
Brattleboro. VT.
Dear Sir:-Enclosed hand you copy of
resolution passed at meeting of the water
Moved by DR. Thicker that we acquire
the system substantially as II was at the
time the arbitration was made: that the
board decline to enter into any further
to consummate the arbitration.
Yours truly,
d. p. Dewitt.
In accordance with both. resolutions
above referred to, l ceased work on the
construction of the reservoir in Pleasant
valley, abandoned the plan of putting in
| sewer at Sunset lake, and of providing
| water to the level for which my contract
gives me the right, cancelled my order
for the 16-inch pipe to reach from the
Sam Sargent place to the top of High
street and have undertaken In everything
to meet the spirit of the resolutions pass
ed by the water board. II became neces-
sary later to do something to protect the
water at Sunset lake. and / looked over
the ground to see If a drain could then
be put in, but decided to take care of
the sewage by having 1t carted away,
which has been done since then.
II had been permitted to go on with
the work of completing the reservoir at
! Pleasant valley, and caring for the water
| at Sunset lake, and putting in the 16-inch
pipe from West Brattleboro and down
| Western avenue, there would have been
an abundance of water all summer AS
1t turned out by reason of not doing
that, was compelled to pump for some
thing like two weeks, and that is all
during the last year.
There has run into the Chestnut Hill
reservoir all the water that would come
through the six-inch pipe now coming
from Sam Sargents place, but the con-
sumption in the village has through the
dry season largely exceeded the capacity
of the six-inch pipe, hence the necessity