Norwich bulletin., 1909-01-12
EAST SIDE SCHOOL HOUSE
Reports of Special Committee Heard and Discussed at
Length-Many Propositions SubmttedNew Com
mittee Named and Given Power to Act.

largely attended special meeting OF
the Bridge school district was held
Monday evening in the senior room at
the schoolhouse, lasting from 1870 till
10 o'clock. to consider and take action
upon the report of a committee ap-
pointed Dec. 2Sth in the matter OF
providing increased accommodations at
the schoolhouse. The special commit
tee to be heard from comprised Henry
Gebrath. James A. Hiscox and James c.
Blackburn.
District Committeeman Henry &C.
brath called the meeting to order and
James M. Young was nominated and
elected chairman. He spoke Of the
value of cooperation by good citizens
and asked that remarks made might be
held close to the subject at hand. Wal
ter Fl. Spaulding was elected clerk pro
TEN. after some objection on his part.
The clerk read the call for the meeting,
signed by Henry Gebrath, school COM
mittee.
Special Committee Report.
On invitation of Chairman Young,
Mr.. Gebrath presented the majority re-
port of the special committee, in
which Mr.. Blackburn concurred, and
there was a minority report later pre-
sented by Mr.. HiscoX. Giving the ma
Jority report verbally, Mr.. Gebrath
said that as a result of meeting six
members of the town board at the
senior room and a meeting of the spe-
cial committee, plans for a room on
the front of the building, II feet 6x16
feet, had been prepared and sent TO the
town board. This room was to take
six feet off the senior room and ex-
tend as far as the edge of the present
platform at the front Of the building,
the stairs being turned so as to come
CT forlaf ,,,I > 70 ha sun
ported on posts. There would also be
little room for a teachers room and
library extending out from the front
of the building. Mr. Gebrath read a
letter from the town board in wn4cn
they said they could not approve this
alteration unless the front of the build
ing were carried out flush with the Ii
brary, and this could only be consid-
cred a temporary expedient and con-
domination Of the school property would
follow. In view of this, Mr.. Gebrath
said the majority of the committee
thought the only thing to do was to GO
outside the building, and he had found
that the old Preston town hall could
be fitted UP at a cost inside of 5000
and was in fine sanitary condition and
could be hired at IS per month. They
thought this might do for two or three
years and the town board wouldn't
crowd the district If it made things
satisfactory now. He reviewed the
dealings of the district with the board
and said he thought the board had
dealt very fairly with them.
Opposed to condemninq Building.
Mr.. Hiscox had his minority report
in writing and said he didn't feel that
the town board had dealt at all fairy
with the Bridge district. Stating that
in 1887 and 1888 there were 70 pupils
and two teachers in the senior room.
he conten6ed that there was room
enough in the building, and he attacked
Acting School Visitor Frank T. Naples
for inconsistency for a printed report
in which he stated that extra room
provided at the school would remcuy
the overcrowding there for all time"
and now, whatever the district does,
the building is to be condemned. Mr..
Hiscox said he did not believe the
present building could be shown by tine
town board as subject to be condemn
ed, and he did not consider the special
committee of which he was a member
had any business to consider a barn"
outside the school building. He closed
with a recommendation to add six
more names to form a special commit
tee of nine, and a number of resolu-
tons which were later presented and
discussed In detail.
A warm discussion OF school matters
followed, participated in by Henry e.
Davis, James c. Blackburn, Mr.. Hiscox,