The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1923-02-14
Grade Building
Found Unfit
STATE DEPARTMENT CONDEMNS
SCHOOL BUILDING UNDER
STATUTES OF 1918.
MR.. CHALLMAN REPORTS.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR UNSAFE
AND UNSANITARY CONDITIONS
RESTS UPON LOCAL BOARD.

Mention was made in the Gazette of
asst week of the recent inspection of
the school buildings of Redwood Falls
by S. A. chatham, Inspector of Build
ings of the State Education Depart
ment. Upon his return to Saint Paul,
Mr.. Challman reported officially to the
Department and after consideration
of the report James r. Mcconnell,
State Commissioner of Education an
nounceS that the grade school build
ing is condemned as unfit for use.
Mr.. McConnell's letter. to the local
Board of Education follows.
February 7, 1923.
Mr.. F. G. Hubbard,
/ Clerk School Board,
Redwood Falls, Minnesota.
Dear SIR
mr.. Challman, Inspector of Build
ings and Sanitation for the Depart
ment of Education, has submitted to
me report on the physical condition
of your Grade Building, following an
inspection made by him of this build
ing on the 9Th inst. at the request of
your board.
"In view of the serious conditions
which he reports, have concluded that
the best interests of the children in
this building as well as of the school
board and of the parents require that
this report be given you in full and
that you be advised to proceed i'm
mediately to take such action as will
avert any possible disaster
'The gravity of the. situation is to
my mind sufficient to justify the re-
commentator made in the report as to
condemnation of this building. In
view, therefore, of the authority con-
ferred by Section 1874 General Statu-
ties of 1918, this building is hereby con-
demned as unfit and unsafe for use as
a school building
Very truly yours,
James M. Mcconnell,
Commissioner of Education.
The complete report of Mr.. Chall-
man as submitted to the Department
and in turn sent to the local Board
follows.
This inspection of the Grade Build
ing was made on February 5, 1923 at
he request of the school board at Red
wood Falls.
'The building has been erected at
two different times. AS near as /
could ascertain, the rear part of the
building, which is an addition, was
built some thirty years ago, and the
original building was built several
years before that time.
''The building is occupied at the pre-
sent time by about three hundred pu-
pills distributed in nine rooms. One.
room in the building is occupied by the
teacher training department.
Cali of the rooms are unusually
large, being approximately q feet
by 35 feet, and are very poorly light
ed. As matter of fact, rooms of
such width can not be properly lighted
by windows from one side, unless the
ceiling is made excessively high.
Such height would be both unwise
and uneconomical. The modern stan
dard for the highest of school rooms
providing seating capacity for not
more than forty pupils, recognized by
our rules, is not to exceed twelve feet,
and room of proper dimensions can
be satisfactorily lighted by windows
on one side. These rooms are lighted
by windows on two sides, but even
With this amount of glass area the
looms are very inadequately lighted.
For this reason many pupils in each
room are doing their school work
under conditions which are almost
certain to produce eye strain.
The system of ventilation, although
with mpdern equipment, is inadequate
for the humber of pupils in each of the
rooms, and is poorly designed for eff
ficient service.
s'The sanitary conditions are far
from satisfactory, owing to outworn
equipment and poor location of toilet
rooms.
''The interior construction of the
building and the exposure of the floor
joists in the basement makes this
building dangerous fire hazard. The
rapidity with which fire would
spread, if once started, would cause
serious apprehension as to the posi-
bility of saving the lives of all the
upils. The construction of the stair
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