The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-03-17
CITY ACCEPTS
BRIDGE 3ID
New Hampst IS, Cement
Construct . co. Gets
Job $4,000
WORK TO BE DONE
BY AUG. /, 1920
James w. Sullivan Is New
Chief Of Police-Proposed
Lease of Opera House

hour session last night, the city gov
ernment closed a contract with the
New Hampshire Cement Construction
! company of Manchester, n H., to build
stone arch bridge on South Main
street; voted to lease the opera house
TO the Barre Theatres, Inc, for pc
riod of three years dating from the
expiration of the present lease with
j. L. Hoban, and selected James w.
Sullivan to be chief of police, besides
doing great deal of other. business.
The bridge contract occupied the
greater part of the night, the New
Hampshire Cement Construction com
pany being represented by its manager,
William +. Lawes, he having been in
vited to come to Barre for a conference.
On opening the bids on the bridge the
city had found that considerably larger
sums had been named than the original
outside estimate, which was $27 400,
due in part to a change in the original
specifications and due also to the ex
pectation that higher costs would enter
into the construction. For instance,
the proposed construction of a l0-foot
retaining wall along the southeast
bank of the Jail branch had been added
| to the specifications and there had
| been a change in the lighting scheme
of the bridge.
On the additional wall the New
| Hampshire company had made an esti-
mate of 81 100 and on the lighting
scheme change $3.50, while on construc-
| tion of a temporary footbridge and LA
bility in regard to the same S525 had
been added, as we'll as S240 on possible
rise in the cost of cement and 1901 on
possible increase of freight. Theses
items, together with few other varia
tions. brought the company's bid to
| 100000, which was larger than the city
council thought itself justified in pay
! ing, in view of the vote OF the citizens
after they had been informed of the
estimates on the bridge construction.
After long discussion between the
council and Manager Lawes, the city
proposed to him that the city would
attend to the temporary footbridge
| specification and the construction OF
the wing wall, thus eliminating those
| items from the specifications and would
close a contract at $4,000. the bridge
to be completed by Aug. /. 1920, and
the bond Of the constructing company
to be provided as originally planned
Manager Lawes finally accepted the
| offer and signed n tentative contract,
as follows:
"For the purpose of building the pro-
posed bridge the undersigned hereby
declares that he has seen the bridge
site and carefully examined the form
of contract and specifications and the
plans and drawings referred to therein,
and will provide all necessary machln-
ery. tools, apparatus and other means
Of construction and do all the work
and furnish all materials called for by
said contract and specifications Except
the traffic bridge and the extension OF
the southeast wall referred to in said
specifications. which the city now
agrees to care for itself and the re-
ouirements under them for the follow
ing sum viz: twenty-eight thousand
dollars 1925 .00Oi Work to be com
pleted bv August l. 1920
After Manager Lawes had signed the
contract. Alderman Loranger moved,
and Alderman Scott seconded, that the
bid be accepted; and the mayor, the
chairman of the street committee and
the chairman of the finance committee
were instructed 10 sign the contract
after comforting with Engineer II. W.
Storrs.
The contract was formally signed at
the city hall to-day, and Manager
Lawes said he expected to begin con-
struction of the bridge early in the
snrinU
Police Appointment.
The appointment of chief of police
followed discussion of n proposal Tor
partial consolidation of the police and
fire departments. having but single
head for the two departments but al
lowing for a deputy chief of the police
department and assistant engineers Tor
the fire department. Alderman Scott
was sponsor for the proposal ana ne
presented a mass of city statistics reia-
tive to number of polls, number OF po-
lice officers. the number of arrests and
the cost of the department Tor eaeh
wear. save the first, since the city had
been Incorporated.
IL was the contention of Alderman
Scott that the combination could be
effected without impairment OF service
and With reduced HluhitiFaA tNFeHSN
Under the proposed arrangement, ire
men would do street patrol work, chief
ly. however. in relation 20 fires and fre
prevention: the two department head
quarters would he on the same tele-
phone line ard the calls would be sent
to both at the saIue time.
Mavor Langley believed there was
merit in some adaptation Of the scheme
but he considered that It would take
long time TO worf out the details OF
such an arrangement, 50 in the mean.
time he favored the selection az chief
81 poljce. Alderman LOranger was OF
the belief that the police department
needed more men than the two thus
far appointed.
The opinion Of these men regarding
the need of another man IN the police
dcuartment seemed 20 be eoincided IN
bv other members oi the council. after
which they proceeded TO the considers
iion Of the papers presented in the civil
service examination for chief of police.
The police committee reported that
there were originally four applicants
for the position but only two took the
examination The names of these two
were presented 10 Mayor langley IN
dor AZ formal arrangement provided