Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1906-12-07
BRATTLEBORO WATER WORKS
THE HEARING HELD AT MONTPELIER THIS WEEK
Whole Subject Thoroughly Discussed Before the Joint Committee
on Municipal Corporations Everybody in Good IempeMany
Helpful Suggestions Made by the Committee

The hearing before the joint committee
on municipal corporations ON the pro-
posed amendments to the village charter
| to enable the village OF Brattleboro 10
| own and operate its water system pc
| gan Tuesday in the supreme court room
| M MONTPELIER OF this committee Sen
| ntor Van Patten Of Burlington is the
| chairman on the part of the Senate and
Representative 70. y. Finn of Springfield
is the chairman of the House committee.
| The hearing opened at $50 Mr.. GIBSON
| of Brattleboro first made short state
| ment saving that in presenting the bill for
these charter amendments he represented
| the wishes Of the people Of the village,
| as EXPRESSED at a village meeting He
said he recognized that the bill was Inn
perfect in some of its minor provisions
and that he expected necessary correc-
tions to be made. II the section legaliz-
| ing the action of the original meeting OF
January, 1906, and continuing the water
board in existence, was found to en-
cuunber the charter he was willing II
should be dropped.
w. B. c. Stickney OF Bethel then opened
the case in Mr.. Crowell's behalf, saying
that no issue was raised by him as to
the propriety Of the village having due
relief from the present situation, and an
adequate charter for that purpose. 1t
was due Mr. Crowel however. to remem-
Der that he has gone on with the de-
velopment of his system with the under
standing that 1t was in effect n public
system, and that the village would turn to
his system when the time for public
ownership arrived. He would be salts
fed with any amendments which put the
village on a basis OF carrying out its
| agreements made with him to take over
his system by arbitration or otherwise.
c. c. Fits, also representing Mr..
Crowel then presented the history Of
system
the connection OF the village with
| II, beginning with the passage OF
the charter amendment OF 1876. which
gave the village authority to construct
and own and operate its own water sys-
TEN. This the village voted down. About
the year 1880 Mr.. Crowel began to intro
duce a water supply. at first for the use
OF his own houses and to supply needs
connected with his own business inter-
ests The gradual development OF this
into a public supply was traced.
| Mr.. Crowells first charter-for the
Chestnut Hin Reservoir company-was
secured in 1883. In this charter the pub
lie character Of the service was recog-
nized by the Incorporation OF n provls
ion that the county court might fix the
water rates, II, at any time. they were
| deemed excessive.
The need for water service increased
but again in 1892 the village voted not to
| acquire the pubic supply dINeT Iuli IN
vestigation by committee and compe-
| tent engineers. The enlargement which
/ Mr.. Crowell then planned had to be
| abandoned because the panic of 1898
made 1t impossible to finance the project
| For the last four or five years the Crowell
| system has been crowded beyond its ca
| pacity and IL was to supply this lack and
| provide for future needs that the Sunset
| Lake auxiliary system was introduced
| In closing Mr.. Fits briefly reviewed the
various proceedings developments agree
ments and disagreements Of the past year
| j. X. Batchelder OF Bennington. repre-
senting the water board. said there was
no wish to do Mr.. Crowell any injustice.
| What was objected to was the payment
to MIR. Crowel OF an exorbitant sum, and
| being put under compulsion to take his
system by arbitration.
II. C. Barber then presented the case
| for Brattleboro citizens and interests
which he represented. Mr.. Barber said.
| in substance, that these citizens and in
terests we're not opposed TO municipal
| ownership, but they were opposed to
having the village burdened with a second
| competing system. They wished TO de-
wise some basis OF agreement which
would do away with a second system, and
they asked for only the usual safeguards
to this effect. Mr.. Barber presented GER
tain amendments which he asked to have
substituted for certain provisions in Mr..
Gibson's bill.
Proposed Amendments.
These proposed amendments make the
water board consist of not more than
five members or less than three, instead
| OF ~, place the issue OF bonds in the
hands of the village instead Of the water
board, and cut out the provision perpetu-
ating the present water board in power.
In place Of section 16 Of Mr.. Gibsons
bill, which provides that all action on
matters pertaining to the water system
shall be by majority vote OF the voters
present at any meeting duly warned and
held, these amendments are proposed:
THE village OF Brattleboro shall
have no right to construct a new
water system until IL shall have
offered to purchase the water sy1s-
TENS Of the Sunset Lake Water
company and the Chestnut Hill
Reservoir company under the fol-
lowing terms:
LIST. The said village may at
any time before Feb. 1, 1907, offer
to purchase the said water sys-
TENS at the price named and
under the conditions named in the
proposition therefor submitted to
and voted upon by said viii
lage at meeting thereof
held on Nov. 10. 1906 If
such offer is refused by the par
ties owning or controlling said
water systems, then the village
shall have full right TO proceed to
construct new system.
''2d. At any time after Feb. /,
1907, the village may offer to pur-
chase, and may purchase, II ac-
cepted, the said water systems,
the price therefor to be fixed
as provided in the agreement
therefor ratified by informal vote
Of said village at the meeting held
June 29, 1906. If the parties own
ing or controlling said water sys-
TENS shall refuse to accept such
offer then the village shall have
the right to proceed to construct a
new water system.
mo indebtedness shall be in
CURED by the village of Brattle-
boro under the provisions of this
act until the vote authorizing
the same shall have been approved
in wrieng by a majority of the
grand list of said village"
With regard to the perpetuation of the
water board, and several other provisions
In the bill, Mr.. Finn said that in no
case would such provisions be retained,
because the committee had been over
the whole ground in other charters and
had adopted certsin uniform provisions
to which all charters must conform as