The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1906-08-16
Arbitration Board Appointed by
School Board Declares Walls
Must Come Down
GIVE A TWO EDGED DECISION
Board, However, Holds That the Con-
tract Must Be Carried Ont to the
Letter and Work Will
Be Started Over


D. Gaastra, who is acting as super
intendent of the new addition to the
High'school, wona complete victory IN
his fight against the contractors this
morning when an arbitration board
composed of B. f. George, J. p.
Corse and J. M. Evans, Of Racine,
decided that the wall as erected at
the building was not in keeping with
the specifications, and the board on
this report gave it as their sentiment
as Individuals that the wall must
come down. The. contractors accepted
this order and the leveling Of the
work of several weeks was started at
once. It will be put up again in direct
keeping with the specifications.
The school board met in informal
session at the Office of nperintendent
Zimmers, and as before, it was under
stood that they would take no action
on the report of the arbitration board.
Both Gaastra, the superintendent of
the work, and the contractors had
put up their money to back their
opinions Of the wall and the entire
matter was left to the arbitration
board to decide.
Mr.. George came to Kenosha as a
representative of the three Racine
men and stated that the examination
had showed that the wall was not in
keeping with the plans and specifca-
tions IN the way that the contractors
had not placed the amount Of cement
demanded in the mortar. Further,
he stated that he regarded the wall as
good and one that would carry the
weight Of the building, but he insisted
that this was not the point left to the
arbitration board.
All Of the contractors were present
and some pretty hot words were
passed between them. It was alleged
that I. Gaastra, the architect, who
had begun the inspection of the build
ing, had accepted part of the wall
before his father took up the work,
but it was not the sentiment of the
board that any such acce ptance
should be taken into consideration, as
the members held that the issue had
been clearly drawn in the agreement
between the supervising architect at
the present time and the contractors.
Under this agreement there was moth
ing to be done but tear down the wall
and rebuild it at the expense of the
contra ctors.
The mason contractors urged that
some compromise of the matter
should be made on account of the ia ct
that the work on the building would
be delayed by the tearing out and re-
building the wall, but the members OF
the board held that it would be unfair
to the taxpayers and to the superin-
tendent of the work to allow any de-
Walton from the specifications. The
mason contractors held that the wall
as it stood was better than the wall
demanded by the specifications, but
the supervisor Of the building con.
tested this point and declared that the
wall was rotten George was not
asked to decide on this point, but he
admitted to the members Of the board
that he considered the wall a good
wall.
The work of tearing down the wall
and rebuilding it will take several
weeks, but it is not thought that the
delay will be serious one and it is
possible that the building may yet be
| completed within the contract time.