Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1922-08-03
FRAME SCHOOLS
UP TO council
Board Will Ask Solons TO
Sanction Erection of
Portables
POINT OUT NEED
OF BUILDINGS

Robert G.. Bruce. business man.
ager OF the Board of Education, will
present to City Council, at its regu-
lar session tonight. a formal appeal
from the ruling Of Building Inspector
Preston against construction Of por-
table school buildings.
At a meeting OF Council, in COM
mittee OF the whole last night. Mr..
Bruce told of the difficulties con-
fronting the board in providing suf-
fcient facilities TO house the increas-
ing number of pupils, and Of the
boards desire TO erect two portable
buildings alongside School No. "a.
Fourteenth and Washington streets.
II developed that under the law
City Councils building committee
can only sit as a board OF appeals
from refusals Of the building inspec-
tor to grant permits. and that, ac-
cording to an opinion handed down
by the city solicitor. the building
committee then is empowered only
to grant permits within the limita-
tons set forth in the building law.
In view OF the fact that a number
of such buildings are already in use
by the board, erected under permits
granted by City Council during the
war emergency, 1t was the general
opinion last night that the spirit az
the law viii not be violated II the
boards request is granted.
Mr.. Bruce said, that bids had
already been asked for two port
able buildings. which will be opened
at the next meeting OF the board;
that the building inspector, when be
learned the board was advertising
for bids, suggested that the matter
be taken up with the building COM
mittee of Council. and that he
(Bruce) had applied to the building |
Inspector for a permit yesterday |
morning and been refused This, |
Mr. Bruce explained he had done as
a formality so as to bring the matter
properly before the building commit
tee.
He explained that the seating ca
pacity OF No. "a school is coo in
Guiding the auditorium. Last year,
he said. by utilizing every available
inch OF space the board had been
able to accommodate 666 children in
the school. The plan suggested as
a result of the recent survey, he add
ed, would nrovde seating capacity
for a maximum of $50 at the school.
Under the platoon system there
would be twenty divisions of 40 chill
dren each, susceptible to an increase
to As TO a division or 100 children
Since No. S school, he explained.
has been turned over to colored
children, No. "a school will be called
upon to accomm odate 20 additional
children from Nos. 2s and 20, from
No. s, and room for between seven
and eight hundred children win be
needed at No. "a next term. Eighty
children, he said, can be accommo-
lated In each OF the portable build
ngs.
While the boards plan OF con- {
erting 4 rooms at No. School into '
offices. he said. will d
urn 100 children out OF No. n
ichool. they would be accommodated
I Nos. "a and Q under the platoon a
ystem. and this would make avail p
BILE 1--WE rooms in the High School b
low used for administrative offices. p
Councilman James B. McManus' c
uggestion that Mr.. Bruce ask the h
Public Building Commission permits g
,ion to partition of the auditorium c
n the Public Building now used by b
he board for meetings was looked
lpon fayorably by Mr.. Bruce, who
aid the board had temporarily post
,oned its plan OF centralizing the ad- S
illustrative offices in School No. ?. v
lie promised TO take the matter up A
rsfr the Commission.