Evening star., 1921-04-02
B|DSFOR TW0NEW
SCHOOL ADDITIONS
TOBE ASKED SOON
Sixteen Rooms Will Be Added
at Wheat|ey and Cooke, ,
Crowded Buildings.
FIGURES LIKELY TO GIVE
REDUCED BASIS OF COST
New Program of Building Projects
to Be Prepared Soon, Based on
Surplus Revenues.

Bids for the construction of addi-
tions to the Samuel G. Wheatley and
Henry u. Cooke schools will be
asked for soon, it was indicated to-
day by Engineer Commissioner Kutz
Funds for this work. which are
available now, were granted in a
special provision in the Distri-t ap-
preparation bill for the next fiscal
year beginning July 1.
Twelve rooms will be added to the
Whcatley School at a cost not to>eX-
ceed S250.000. Congress. however, al
lowed only $150,000 to begin work on
this addition.
granted for a fOur-rOom annex to
the Cooke School, which Commission
er Kutz believes will be completed
by the beginning of the new term in
September.
Portable Buildings In Use.
Both of these schools are among
the most congested in the school sys-
tenn. Four fiimsy portable buildings
are now in use at the Wheatley
and Neal street northeast. to relieve
overcrowded condition. = The Cooke
School, on 18th street between Euclid
and Fuller streets, is employing two
of the portables to accommodate it's
heavy enrolment.
Bids submitted by contractors for
the building of these additions will
be used as gauge by the Commits
sioners in determining the probable
cost of the school building program
to be submitted to Congress at the
forthcoming session.
Commissioner Kutz is of the opinion
that building costs in Washington
are approximately. 30 per cent lower
than last year. His belief is based
on general observations and i'm
promptu conferences with several of
the. city's leading builders.
that last night he talked with one Of
Washington's prominent building con-
structors. and learned that an apart.
ment which cost in the neighborhood
of $4,000 to erect last year can be
built at present for about $4,000. The
decline in cost. according to the Com
missioner's informant, is not attrib-
uted to any great decrease in building
material prices. but increased efficiency
on the part Of building tradesmen.
Therefore. in drafting the new school
building project the Commissioners
and school officials will have to base
their estimates on scale somewhat
lower than last year, when. 1t was
estimated that over $5.000,000 was
needed to carry out the program franz
GU NY the DOdTu OI cQuCdI1On, CdlIlnS
for 1S3 additional classrooms.
Going Over Old Estimates.
Assistant Engineer Commi ssioner
Maj. Carey H. Brown today is going
over the last years estimates Of the
school board to ascertain about how
much money will be necessary to
provide the additional schools re-
quested on the dover cost scale.
AS soon as Maj. Brown completes
his task steps will be taken to draft
program By that time Supt. Of
Schools Ballou and. Asst Supt.
Kramer will have returned from a
brief Easter vacation and will CO.
operate with the Commissioners in
the work, which is likely to be un-
dertaken early next week
Commissioner kutz today expressed
himself in favor of using the Dis
trict governments surplus revenues.
amounting to nearly $4.500.0O0. to
carry out the school building program.
Commissioners Oyster and Rudolph
already have indorsed the use of these
funds for such purpose. Consequent
ly. the inference drawn is that whec
the estimates for the school building
project are submitted to Congress. q
request will be made by the Commjs
sioners that legislation be enacted
permitting the use of the surplus rev
enues to finance it,
Commissioner KutZ, however be :
lieves that Congress should appro.
pirate an additional amount equal to
the surplus. because the Districts mn
used funds. now in the Treasury, were
collected under the half-and half sys-
tenn of taxation.