Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1906-11-23
BrattIebOrO Local
AGREEMENT "TRUN" DOWN
PROPOSITION TO PURCHASE GRO.
WELL SYSTEMS REJECTED.

by Majority Of Voters at Special
Meeting Monday Evening
cessful Attempt to Gust Water Board.
BY decisive vote Of 800 to 800 the
voters of the village of Brattleboro
Monday evening turned down the tenta'
tive agreement between George H.
Crowell and the water board in regard
to the purchase of the Chestnut Hill
and Sunset Lake water systems for a
price approximating $4,000. The
meeting was in session for nearly three
hours and was marked by much heated
debate, closing with n grand pow-w0w
in which parliamentary rules were for
gotten and sound judgment over
whelmed by fractional feeling, Al
though ostensibly advocated by every
member of the water board the propo
sition to purchase the Crowell systems
met with an amount of opposition that
was not wholly unexpected, and the
outcome of the vote was surprising only
to a few. Messrs. Hooker, Roess and
Holden of the water board spoke IN re-
gard to the proposition, and while the
remarks of the last.named member
were earnestly in support of the plan
the other two talked rather discourag-
ingly of its advisability. L. Fleming
proved to be the floor leader of the OPP
position and was almost apoplectie in
his denunciation of the scheme. The
outcome of the vote, however, can be
attributed to the fact that large
number of voters had become disgust
ed with the controversy and were in ia
vor of dropping the question of village
ownership entirely. During the ballot
ing MANY were heard to express their
opinion against ratifying the agreement
and Mt the same time denounce the idea
of constructing an independent system.
At the close of the meeting an attempt
was made to dispense with the services
of the water board but fortunately Tor
that body the motion was ruled out OF
order.
Festival hall was crowded when the
meeting was called to order shortly ar
| ter s clock by John Calvin, chairman
of the bailiffs. After the call had been
| read bv Clerk w. d. Perry, James f..
Hooker. chairman of the water board,
was given the floor Mr.. Hooker SAID
that it was generally understood taet
that the water board had been unable
IN come TO anv terms with Mr. Crowelll
| in regard to the purchase of his water
systems. He spoke of the efforts that
| were made to buy the systems when the
| water board first began the work and
| mentioned the strenuous opposition
that had been met from the start of
| tho negotiations. The water board, he
| said finally voted to put in an indie
| nendent system at a price of about
| sI6s 900 not including the cost Of rock
blasting and damages. The Independent
system was not constructed, he said, be
cause of the water board s inability to
Mace tbe village bonds on account of
Questions of legality that arose. He
| tben mentioned the informal vote of
tbe village to arbitrate and the later
| action of the village in resembling this
| vote son the Saturday night pre-
v;ous TO the hearing at Montpelier,
sold Mr. Hooker. "a compromise was
,modo whereby the water board agreed
| 40 subm;t tn the village the proposition
| of nurchasinp Mr.. Crowell S two systems
for so7O 600 the cancellation of the
Am ne $4,000 which Mr.. Crowell owed
no village ON the Vernon street pipe
live and the cost of the new 10-inch
r,oin on Frost and Flat Streets Mr..
uooL or sa;d that he believed personally
tbot Il was too much money to give for
~. ~" .,,,stoms hut be was in favor of pay
NO +bo nr;ce for two reasons; first, that
if would avoid arbitrating; second,
that it would obviate the necessity of
ns;no the "foul drinking water
wh;eb comes from Pleasant Valley. Mr..
Hooker said that the water board had
40 ;ntert;on of using the Pleasant Val
law wafer Int would use the pure water
,'S;oh Aows in Halladav brook. In his
~" a;n;an the PURCHASE of Mr.. Crowell S
s opIta Of the nrice named and the addi-
| ,.,I oynonsa NJ securinp water from
u o brook would not necessitate
village tax even if the total cost
Shor1d roach 1900 600. He estimated
~ .hoa a. ;r+arast an that amount would
ho ana 600 which would leave margin
Of 10000 from the rentals which Mr..
| Crowell now receives from his systems.
Ia said that the new system would in
t;me nav for itself and that the water
r rs'ne p wonld he materially lowered. In
ad,s Mr. Hooker said, ~ believe the
nr Je Is excessive and tremendous, but
pnder the circumstances, | think the
.,;iIoao sbould make the. purchase
v" Jo5u L, Roess, chairman of the con
.truction committee of the water board,
ma q next heard. He said he had been
was s.rroot many n Good many