The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1921-06-24
Election Tomorrow Night to
Decide Location of New
High School Here
RECORD VOTE URGED;
ENTHUSIASM IS HIGH
Two New Sites and Old Site
Will Be on Ballots for
Special Election

Tomorrow evening, from o'clock
until 8 o'clock, the citizens of Be-
midi will vote in the Central school
building on the question of the loca-
tion of the new Bemidji high school
building.
The propositions to be voted upon
as set forth in the notice of election
are as follows: z 49,.
Proposition Number l.
Shall the new high school building
BIZ located on the Bixby avenue site,
between Bixby avenue prolonged and
Doud avenue prolonged, north from
Fifteenth street $50 feet.
Propositions Number z
Shall the new high school building
be located on the Irvine avenue site
between Irvine avenue. and Mime
sofa avenue prolonged north from
Fifteenth street $50 feet.
Proposition Number ;
Shall the new high school building
be located on the site now owned by
the district between Irvine avenue
and America avenue from Sixth to
Seventh streets.
The new building is to cost up
wards of 100000 and will be ITS
feet by 240 feet. according to the
original plans. The size of the site
on Irvine and America avenues be-
between Sixth and Seventh streets,
now owed by the school district and
on which the old building was To-
Gated, is 220 feet by 800 feet. This
would leave about 80 feet between
the building on each end and the
street, and 20 feet between the front
or back of the new school and the
street. "-'> -...:.-t>.;t ,,,..-
This has been the main objection
raised to building the new school on
the old site as it is felt building SO
large should have more grounds sur
rounding it, not only for the proper
setting off of, the building, but fol
playground purposes as well. An.
other objection made has been the
fact that the site is too close to the
downtown portion of the city.
In order to get. disinterested and
unbiased expression of opinion as to
the relative merits of the sites, The
Pioneer wrote to E. F. Broomhall,
architect designing the building, fol-
his opinion on each SITE. A reply
was received this morning and is
printed in full in this issue.
With reference to the two new
sites proposed, the Irvine avenue site
contains approximately five acres
and, it is understood, may be pur.
chased for $3,24O. The Bixby ave.
nue. site,. it is understood, may be
purchased in a block Of anywhere
from five to eighteen acres. The
price has not been definitely stated
but it is understood that it will moi
exceed $500 per acre. The latter
site is owned by A. A. White of St.
Paul. Mr.. White was also the own
er of the present Diamond Point
park site and portion Of the pres:
ent Etate Teachers college site---and
in the disposal of his property fol
public purposes he has always beer
generous, making the price, for al
such property very low. This was
the case in the recent sale of II acres
to the fair association, the land be-
ing sold by him for that purpose al
1926 per acre.
According to Mr.. BroomhalPs let
ter, both of the new. proposed site:
would make good school sites, but
the delay in the case Of the Irvine
avenue site would, it is felt, be 8
serious handicap in getting started
on the construction and the increased
cost would be an item of importance
to be considered