Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1922-12-06
STATEMENT BY
SCHOOL BOARD
To the Voters of yiroqua Joint School


District:
Believing that you would appreciate
knowing the reasons which have i'm
PEELED our selection of the Eastern
site in preference to the West or Park
site, we, the undersigned members of
the school board elected by you to
serve you 70 the best of our ability,
give below the reasons which have
guided us in our judgment:
The east site is more slightly. Ii
will always be free from unsightly
surroundings, while the park site, due
to its being part of the business dis
trict and always will be, is fronted
with a machine shop, ard surrounded
by warehouses, barns, etc.
Rock Street will always be a bust
ness street, lined from one end to the
other for several blocks with machin
shops, garages, lumber yards and
other business places of like charac-
ter. These places form a necessary
part of the city and need suitable To-
cations, but not adjoining the school
buildings. What one of you would
think of selecting this West site for a
beautiful residence?
All cities avoid placing their schools
in the business district. The playing
of children on business streets is both
dangerous and undesirable, and al
most without exception you will find
| schools in every town placed in the
purely residence district for this rea-
son. Your children are precious and
! should not be exposed to avoidable
! dangers.
The West site is one of the most
unpleasant winter locations in the city
VIGOROUSLY cold and bleak. It's ex-
posture to cold winds and storms, and
even the storms and winds of summer,
renders it undesirable for the location
of school. The health and comfort
of your children is surely an import
ant consideration.
The West site will necessitate doing
away with the present hitching
grounds and leave farmers without
any place to hitch their teams when
they come to town with teams, espe-
cially during the winter months when
they are delivering tobacco and other
farm products. There is no other
suitable place in the city left that can
be had adjacent to the business places.
Because of this, the sentiment ia the
country around Viroqua is solidly
against moving the hitching ground
from its present location, and this city
cannot afford to incur the i'll will of
those who make our existence possible
Far more slightly and important
streets run in from the country near
the East sight. The only street run
ming from the country close to the
West site is the one from Side Hol-
low, which is impossible most of the
year The West site would only be
seen by those going that way purpose
ly.
Schools should always be located as
centrally as possible for the conven-
fence of the whole district. Not only
is the tendency of g. with in the city
of Viroqua steadily to the eastward
but the larger part of the rural por.
ton of the district lies to the east
ward. The present school location is
far more central than the proposed
west. site, and will become more sc
with each passing year.
Sewerage facilities are available OF
three sides of the East site, so thai
drainage is perfect. The West site
has sewage only on one side, and due
to the lay of the land it is very doubt
full whether this could be used at all
The shower bath drainage in the base
ment and the sewage connections OF
this floor would probably be below tn,
sewer pipe level.
The East site is closer to the de
pots and railroad yards, which is &
convenience to passengers, and for tn,
| hauling of fuel and building mater
| ials.
The playground at the East site il
Immediately available, while the steer
| hill would separate the school and ths
playground at the West. site.
The difficulty of getting a gooC
engineering problem. Much of tn,
land there is made land, filled in will
every manner of rubbish. Other part.
of it is composed of solid virgin rocl
which must be blasted out. One com
petent contractor has made the state
ment that it would cost $4,000 more
to excavate the basement and prepare
the grounds at the West site than il
would on the East.
This extra cost alone would provid,
practically level land for one of ths
finest athletic fields in the state a
the eastern site. The basement prob
lem on the East site is perfectly sim
pie, and the surrounding land needs
no expense to fit it for playground
and athletic use. Just how utterly
unsuitable the park valley would be
for athletic purposes is proven by the
fact that neither the high school nor
the city ball teams viii use it, but 90
to the fair grounds. They do not even
use the park valley for practice.
Much is being said about the GYM
NASIUM, and this will be a large
feature in this proposed new building.
and why should not all the hundreds
of children in the grades have the adj
vantage of this instead of limiting it
to the few in the high school? If
there is ever a time in the child's life
when he needs this physical training
it is while he is growing. Put the
buildings near and all this advantage
will enure to the benefits of all the
children instead Of the few.
Have you child in the lower
grades? Don't deny him the privil-
eye of a real physical training. And
remember that physical education in
cludes much more than mere play.
The gymnasium win be used in reg
ular way all during the day, this
training being a regular part of the
school work by every grade. Glasses
cannot very well be marched back
and forth between buildings several
blocks apart. Walking is good exer-
cise-but school time is precious.
The advantages of physical educa-