The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1913-07-17
BOARD LETS CONTRACT
Buckler & Robertson will Build New
School House for 0,37l.O0.

An first bids on the new school
building to be erected in the Fourth
ward were too high, going beyond the
amount of money available even with
out the plumbing considered. The
plans and specifications were finally
revised and cut, here and there, TO
hermit the building coming within
the means at the hand OF the school
board.
Two sessions of the board We're
held Tuesday afternoon ana evening
for the consideration of the plans ana
the bids offered, The first meeting
was called to order at 4 O'Clock p. M
in the police court room OF the CITY
hall as the oflcs OF the secretary, l.
T Shangle, was not large enough 10
accommodate the many parties inter
ested. and as the city hall basement
was much cooler. Unable 10 deter
mine the bidder at the first session,
the meeting adjourned to 500 o'clock
when the final arrangements were
concluded.
Buckler & Robertson were awarded
the contract for the building with all
extras eliminated and the building
viii not be as complete nor as elabor-
ate as designated in the original plans
but the directors had to stay within
the money authorized by the voters.
No less than ten contractors offered
bids on the building on plans and spe-
cifcations offered by the board and
there were seven bids offered on
heating and plumbing and ventilation
systems. The basement room of the
city hall was we'll filled, over fifty
being present when president of the
Board, J. H. Shoemake, called for or
der. The intense heat of the after
noon, the thermometer marking in
the neighborhood of one hundred de-
srees, made the work most uncom-
Portable and the task was anything
but agreeable and inviting. The
Board wrestled with the work almost
two hours and then adjourned to COM
plete the work after supper.
Bids offered on the original plans
and specifications in the order taken
I'D were as follows. The bids men
toned below do not include the bid
for reinforced concrete floors which
ran all the way from S1lS7.00 to $4,-
OS7.00. Bidders were also asked to
make a price on the old building, ma
terial 70 be used in the new structure
or otherwise. One contractor re-
fused absolutely to consider taking
the old building, stating that the cost
of wrecking would be more than the
old material was worth. Another Of
fered only $4,000 for the junk heap.
The highest bid of the building was
S1,5GV0O John D. Mickey, in addi-
ton, extended the district the right
to occupy the old building while the
new one was under construction.
Bids on building, material and labor
in the order opened were:
P. w Sparks, Oskaloosa, $34 ,945.0 90.
]. H Huisinger, Iowa City, $3S, $50.
John Z. Mickey, Oskaloosa, s36,S00.
Guarantee Construction Company
of Cedar Rapids, 33,793.O0.
Buekler & Robertson, Oskaloosa,
$35,022OO
F. X. White. Eldora, $37,623.OO.
E. L. Strstton, Mason City, S36,S50
Kucharo &, Lewis. Des Moines, $780,
$3.50.
A. H. Dwack & Co., Dubuque, SAT-
1880.
Alex. Stewart, Charlton, $34,474.0O
Heating, Plumbing, Ventilatine.
Mason City Plumbing & Heating
Company, S7,50OO0.
Wells Stump, Oskalooss. ST.
4s64s
Lewis pitcher, Chicago, $B,7S9OO.
Homer Phelps, Oskaloosa, $6,572 co.
L. A. Suffer, Oskaloosa, $6,491O0.
j. j. Quinn, Oskaloosa, plumbing
only, $4,000.
Thomas Holmes, Oskaloosa, So
1880
Members of the school board, the
supervising architect and the bidders
worked until well along toward mid
night before the questions at issue
had final determination in the award
ing of the contract to Buckler & Rob-
ertson of Oskaloosa Their final bid
was s30,371.00, which was somewhat
above the figures made by the Chair
ton bidder, but standing upon the
right to reject any or all bids, the
board awarded the contract TO the
lowest Of the bidders from Oskaloosa.
F. W. Sparks was second and John
D. Mickey third in preference.
AS to plumbing work, original spe-
cifications and much OF the plans are
to have thorough revision and the new
plan will be submitted to the same
bidders who gave original figures.
This will be done at the earliest pos,
sible time.
In the meanwhile, details Of the
contract will be looked after, mater.
ial ordered and work on the new
building started in due season.