The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-03-27
News of Fairfield County Towns
FAIRFIELD IMPORTANT SCHOOL
 MATTERS TO BE DISCUSSED
Especial to The Farmer.)

Fairfield, March 27-The attention
 of the voters of the town is once more called to the matter of an addition to
 the Sherman school by the special
 town meeting which is to be held on
 Monday next at 2 D. m. The school question is one that is of vital inn
 portance to all the voters who have children, and is the subject to be most discussed at the coming meeting. The last town meeting appointed a com mittee composed of the regular school board, with the addition of Samuel
 Wheeler, s. c. Bradley and John H. Perry. This special committee met last Friday afternoon, and conferred with a Bridgeport architect about the matter. They are to report at the special town meeting that they are in favor of building a brick addition to the present building. in such man. ner that the brick structure would form the central part of a large school house to be erected later. Or they could erect similar building of frame construction for some $4.000 less than the brick, which the architect estimat- ed would cost in the neighbOrhood of $17, GOO. The committee further decid- ed to recommend to the town the ap- propriation of $1O.Oo0 for the purpose of the addition, relying upon receiving private donations for the balance of the cost, or in the event of none being forthcoming, the town IulSHt SiNo bonds for the balance.
 It has been suggested that a new building be erected in new location. just as convenient as the present one, and in many ways preferable to It.. The new location is a vacant lot on Marine avenue, directly south of the residence of Postmaster George H. smith, on the west side of the street. The present location, at the corner Of Spring street and Marine avenue, has a frontage Of 130 feet on Spring street and 315 feet on the east side of Marine avenue. The new location Is not over 4UO feet from the present one and has a frontage of about a00 feet on Marine avenue, with a depth of about 300 feet, making the lot approximately three times the size of the present one.
 Bacon Wakeman, in discussing the matter yesterday, said that while the proposed location is much larger than the present lot, he is of the opinion that an exchange could be effected with the present owner, with no ex- pense to the town, because of the fact that the present site is much more valuable as a business location. At present there is no available land in the center for business expansion. This expansion Is bound to come, and with it is bound to come an increase in the number of pupils in the school,
  again be needing additional school room If the town waits until then before getting property upon which 10 build, 1t will have to pay much more than it would now, and probably there would be no. site so handy and well The present school house is very close to the trolley line, which is a constant menace to the life and limb of the younger scholars, who are always lodging cars and automobiles while at their play. and the fact that up to date there have been no serious acci- dents because of it, is no reason for new location would do away with that danger, and the added quiet due to the distance from the main street would be conducive to the better order anu welfare of the scholars and teachers.
 Another fact which makes a new location desirable Is the unsanftary conditions prevailing in the yard of the present school. In periods of wet weather it is almost impossible, be- cause of the pond of water Whlcn stands in front of the building. In talking of the new addition. an ex- pert engineer in sanitary matters was called into consultation, and the War ing system of caring for the sewerage was proposed, but the engineer was doubtful if it would work on the grounds of the present building, be- cause of the subsoil being of a clay ma ture.
 Tn the proposed location the ground is much higher and is never puddle of water, and the suhsoil of gravel IS admirably suited for the Waring sys- tenn of drainage. Still another reason for the new location is the fact that the children will have the play roon' they need and which they are now obliged to do without. In the event Of an addition being erected on the present property, either in front of. or at the rear of the present building, the children will be still further deprived Of their recreation ground. It mas been %hought that the addition could he erected in the vacation period, put it is very likely that instead of taking three months to build It VIII take SIX and the building operations would f1in- der the school work during the time they were in progress. The proposed a addition is to contain four rooms, where as at the present rate of growth of tte town eight rooms would De none too many.
 Mir Wakeman, in concord with other leading citizens, feels that the town should not try to place an addition on a building that is already past usefulness, and that instead the town should erect a modern school bulfofny aud discard the present one. school t,1ilding is permanent addition to the towns p,lflic buildings and should be an ornament and not building to be ashamed of. A building that would fill the needs Of the town can be erected for about $T5,000. and this in the minds of many is the thing to do. The present building can be sold for a small amount for other purposes. As to paying for the building, the town could give bonds for the amount, in term of years. Even now, in paving rent for two rooms m the Pickett block. the town Is paying a gym equivalent to the interest on $S,- 900.