The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1920-04-29
SCHOOL PRICE
JUMPS 100000
Board Of Education Divid.
ed on What Agreement
May Be Made.
CALL CITY ATTORNEY

| Members of the board of education
met in informal session at the admin
istration building on Sunday with a
view of reaching some agreement in
/ regard to the continuation of the work
on the Mckinley school. The board is
facing cost OF more than 100000 in
connection with the erection of the
Mckinley school and there is con-
siderable difference of opinion among
the board members as to whether the
work should proceed under the present
contract. No final decision was reach
ed at the meeting on Sunday but the
board will meet this evening and City
Attorney John G. Slater has been in
vlted to be present and instruct the
board as to its legal position in con-
nection with the contract made with
Madsen & Peterson. The contractors
were not present at the meeting on
Sunday but it is intimated that the
work on the school will not proceed
unless the school board is willing to
pledge itself to pay the company a
price which will make it possible for
it to meet the rising costs of materials
and labor.
Price Jumps 100000.
While the members of the board
sought to soft pedal" the conditions
| today, one of them admitted that the
total increase in the cost Of the build
ing, if the demands Of the contractors
are met, will exceed 100000 more than
w da1
tract. This does not include added
costs which may be demanded in con-
nection with some of the sub-contracts
and this will be matter for the board
to meet later. When the bids for the
Washington and Mckinley schools
were opened on January IL, 1919 the
Madsen & Peterson company offered
to build the Mckinley school for a
general contract price of $166,400. T.
was understood that with the sub-con-
tracts of heating and plumbing and
other additional contracts that the
price of the building would be in the
neighborhood of $225,000. Under the
new suggestion, it is expected that the
building will cost somewhere in excess
of 100000 before it is equipped and
ready for occupancy.
Ready to Meet Labor Increase.
The sentiment of the members of the
board at the meeting on Sunday indi-
Gated that they would be ready to meet
an increase in price made necessary by
a very large increase in the wages of
all kinds of labor but they have raised
objections to paying additional cost
on account of materials. 1t was said
that the difference in the labor cost
from the time the contract was made
to the present time would be in the
neighborhood of $4,000 The remain
ing increase is said TO be demanded for
materials which have scared in price
since the time the original bid was
made. Under the terms of the bid the
matter was to be held open until such
time as the people voted on the
issuance of the bonds at the 1919 pri-
mary and it was understood that the
contractors would be allowed to add
such costs as might be made necessary
by increases in the cost Of material in
that time. The members of the board
assert that there was only very small
increase in these costs during the
period the matter was held open.
Sewer Delays Building.
The condition of the ground on
which the building was to be erected
made necessary the construction of
sewers to drain the site. These sew
ers were long delayed and at the pres
ent time some of the members of the
board are inclined to believe that it
will be necessary to drive piling in
order to provide the proper founda-
ton for 50 large building. It is .ex-
ipected that the whole matter will be
threshed out at the meeting this even
ing.