The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-06-07
TALKED OF REPAIRS
Board of Education At It's
Special Session.
THERE'S MUCH TO BE DONE
Suggested That More Room Be Ar
ranged For In the High
School Building.
From Saturdays Daily.

From Saturdays Daily.
The greater part of the time of the
special meeting of the school board last
evening was taken up with the consid-
Grafton of the repairs that are neces-
sary on the different buildings. The re-
port upon these was made by DIR. Hol
brook, chairman of the committee on
property and expense, although nearly
the entire board looked over the build
ings yesterday afternoon.
The more important of the improve
ments recommended were the following:
High School-Raise the decking of the
roof so as not to allow water to col
lect; repair two 'turrets over the main
entrance; repair floor in assembly room
where classes march; steel ceiling at
sides and top of entrance; six or eight
new curtains; repair floor in basement;
oil all the floors; have closets over
hauled by plumber; cut doorway to
connect hall and music room; steel
ceiling in girls closet.
Pleasant Grove-Run cutters across
the sidewalks; replace the four present
drinking fountains with one in the
lower hall and one in the upper hall; re-
pair loose sash; new window shades,
and cement under window castings in the
basement; get thirty-six new desks for
the room occupied by the sixth and sew
enth grades, to replace antiquated and
rickety desks, said to be forty years
old.
West Mankato- the wooden
sidewalk from the property line and
around the building with cement walks !;
repaint the front entrance; get six cur
tains; repair or replace front and back
steps and back platform. 81
Union-Repair hole in the cornice !;
place rubber treads on stairs to toilet
rooms; cupboard in kindergarten room.
Franklin-Repair windows in sixth
grade rooms; new hard maple floor in
fourth and sixth grade rooms.
In all the buildings the committee
recommended that the blackboards be
reslated, and that the desks in one or
more of the rooms be smothed and re-
vanished, in all l6O desks. Also to re-
place the desks in all the kindergarten
rooms with eight dozen chairs, and get
eight tables.
The recommendations were approved
and the committee authorized to have
the repairs made. A good deal of paint
ing will have to be done, including the
towers of the Franklin and Union
buildings, but this will be let later un-
der one contract.
Jolb al ha 10 of for
ty desks that are no longer used to the
new Catholic school at Madison Lake for
$40.
1t was brought out that the Union
building is badly in need of a new
roof, as it has been patched about as
much as it can be and leaks like sieve
when the wind blows, although when 1T
rains without wind it does not leak.
President Hughes said that the new
$500 metal single roof on the Pleasant
Grove building leaks in many places.
Architect Pass said that the leaks are
being stopped as the little holes are
found and soldered up.
1t was decided to have Architect Pass
examine the roof of the Union build
ing and see what ought to be done.
Superintendent Mcconnell said that
with the seats to be fixed this year they
will all have been gone over in the past
three or four years.
A discussion took place in regard to
increasing the facilities of the high
school building by utilizing the waste
space. Architect Pass estimated that to
fix up the vacant room in the basement
for the manual training department will
cost $l57.l0 without a factory maple
floor and with such a floor $50 extra.
This was recommended by the commit
tee on schools and text books, but Mr.
Coughlan cautioned the board that the
repairs authorized would run up big
bill. and that it would be better for the
board to wait and see where it is at
before authorizing this expenditure.
1t was brought out during the dis
cussion that the district is being very
economically conducted as compared
with other cities and towns in the state.
The school tax rate in Mankato this
year is So mills, as against mills the
two previous years. In other cities
the rate runs generally anywhere from
10 to 20 mills and often higher,
while scarcely place has lower
rate than Mankato.
President Hughes said that the
school board economies, while at the
city hall expenditures are made that
add to the tax rate of the city.
Mrs. Smith thought that it was too
bad to have to economize in the mat
ter of the education of the children.
Owing the absence of any manual
training for girls many have left the
public schools and entered the state
normal school. At the normal they
are taught sewing. =.
Architect Pass reported an estimate
of the cost of finishing three rooms
and a hallway in the attic. including
heat and plumbing, at $1,336.78, and
presented plans for the proposed i'm
provement. There would be large
room for laboratory, and two small
er rooms, l6 by "a, and IL by Is,
with ID foot ceiling in the rooms
and 10 foot in the hall. This would
provide for the overflow that is now
crowding the building.
Mr.. Davies did not like to see so
much money put into the attic. He
predicted that the time was coming
when there would have to be a gram
mar school erected for the seventh
and eighth grades, which would relieve