The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1909-01-02
HOSPITAL WORK ALL
A TANGLE
EXPERT CHARGES INcONPETENcY
AND MIS-. MANAGEMENT
HAS COST S2O,OO-TOO MUCH
ALLECE THAT CERTAIN CON
TRACTORS WERE FAVORED
BY THE ARCHITECTS

thdnHoh Nttg JOufhAig june 90 AoVo.l
Through improper and insufficient
specifications. incomplete and imprac-
ticai drawings, inadequate advertising,
lack OF proper competition, misman-
agement, unwarranted changes and un.
fair practices, the new hospital build
ing with its equipment has cost ap-
proximately $4,000 more than It is
worth"
This is the language used by Rich.
and Fourchy, the federal expert. dele.
gated by the board of public works un.
der the crittenden administration to
inspect matters In relation to the con.
struction Of the new general hospital,
the finishing OF which has been turned
over by two former administrations
those of Neff and Beardsley, to the
present city officials
The board Of public works met last
night at the home OF r. II. Williams,
member. to go over the report Of the
expert He reports that the total cost
Of the building to date is s417 ,25O,2l,
exclusive OF the furnishings. and that
minor work amounting to $500 will
have to be done before the furnishings
are installed This win bring the to-
tai construction cost up to S423, ,770.21,
and the item Of furnishings is yet to
be considered. This is variously esti-
mated at all the way from $4,000 to
$4,000. and the indications are that
hospital for which the city voted
funds in the sum of $225,0OO. viii cost
double that amount before a patient
is admitted.
It is nearly four years since the first
contract for the foundations on which
the hospital stands was let, and since
that time the work of completion has
dragged along. Two things to account
for the delay are apparent; the origi-
nal amount voted in bonds having been
used before the buildings were half
completed, and through the architects
changing original plans by making the
hospital larger than first contemplated
This naturally called for more money,
and this has been furnished from time
to time from the revenues of the city.
Mr.. Fourchy supplies in his report a
list of the innumerabIe changes made
by the architects involving expense
and issued without competition and
without proper authority. He classes
such practice as grossly unprofes-
sional, and says it resulted In giving
of unfair advantage to certain con-
tractors. Lewis e. Kitchen are espe-
cially cited, and this is what Mr.. Four
chy has to say as to the relations of
this firm with the architects:
"The firm of Lewis & Kitchen was
employed by the architects. but paid
with the city's money, in the capacity
of designing engineers on the heat
ing and ventilating apparatus; they de-
signed this plant and drew up the
specification The architects permit
ted this firm to compete, as contrac-
tors, on the heating and ventllating
plant which they designed, and this
firm got the contract.
Bids for heating were advertised
to be opened on March 29, and the
first ad appeared on March 9, which
allowed only twenty days for bidders
70 secure the plans and specifications
and prepare their bids; that period
Is deemed to have been too short; It
gave an advantage to Lewis e. Kitchen
over all competitors on this contract,
because of Lewis & Kitchens connec-
tion with the preSa 3taon Of the plans
and specifications in the capacity OF
designing engineers. The intimate
knowledge they acquired, through this
connection, long before their compet-
itors were allowed to have the draw
ing and specifications, was an advan.
tage which can scarcely be oyeresti-
mated