Evening star., 1923-10-03
D. c. Architect Tells Commits
sioners Contracts Cannot
Be Let for Buildings.
MONEY APPROPRIATED
WON'T COVER EXPENSE
Same Building $27 1000 More Ex-
pensive Today Than in May,
1922, Cited.

Eounting construction costs threaten
to interrupt Washington's school ex-
tension and Improvement program.
If present high building costs con-
tinue the District may not be able
to let contracts this year for the new
school buildings authorized in the.
current appropriation act, Albert L.
Harris, municipal architect, told thes
Commissioners in his annual report.
made public today.
After telling of the increases In.
cost that have taken place recently.
Mr.. Harris made this predictions:
IF the condition persists l fear we
will not be able to let contracts for
the buildings carried in the presenss
bill within the moneys appropriately
The following is striking illus
tration contained in the report of how
year.
In May. 1922, Mr.. Harris awarded 2
contract for the erection of the Bell
School for .s119.345, or about Ss cents
per cubic foot,
Recently he called for bids for a
new building at Rock Creek Church
road and Spring road, using the
plans drawn for the Bell School. The
lowest estimate received was S147,-
600, or an increase of more than
$4,000, making the price per cubic
foot today Al cents.
$13O,000 Appropriated.
The amount made available by
Congress for this Spring road school
Is $130.00O. 1t was, therefore, i'm
possible to let a contract, since the
plans could d. not 6no be SO revised as to
"Manifestly. as the bids were
based on exactly the same building.
the increase was due entirely to the
increase in the cost of building.
bids and advised waiting for better
market conditions" said Mr.. Harris.
I'm this connection. it is interest
reau of statistics. in which the state
ment is made that the average cost
of building in June, 1920, was Al clio
per cent higher than in December.
ast and June Of this year II vas
These disclosures by MIR. Harris are
timely, since the Commissioners are
about to go before the bureau OF the
budget to demonstrate the need for
larger appropriations for school
buildings as well as for other mu-
nuicipal operations.
The municipal architect also COM
plains of the inadeQuacy of most of
the sites that have been selected for
ScnoOi DuliQlngS.
Fairgrounds Lacking.
1T is deplorable." he said, that
most of our public schools do not
have sufficient ground for play space,
nor are the buildings provided with
proper landscape settings. In fact,
most of the schools have little more
than the public parking. which. with
| the very limited playground, space.
makes it impossible to properly con-
troll the children and prevent them
from playing in the parking spaces
| in front of the school. The result Of
this is generally very disreputable-
| looking approach to the school.
'1f adequate playground space be
furnished at the rear or sides of the
schools, and it were possible to set
| the building well back from the build
| ing line, much more attractive ap-
proaches could be designed"
Mr. Harris declared he is of the
opinion that no grade school should
| have a site less than one city block,
with even larger sites for high
schools.
The architect characterizes as un-
satisfactory the present method OF
obtaining appropriations for additions
| to existing school buildings. Most OF
| the old eight-room buildings, he says,
are heated by hot air, requiring two
furnaces in different parts of the
building. When the first addition of
| four or eight rooms is made 1t usual
| Iy is heated by another separate plant.
| If a third addition is made, the archi-
| tect continued, a fourth heating unit
may be the result.
Generally. Mr.. Harris says, the ap-
preparation for an addition is specific,
| in that it rarely provides for a GEN.
| trail heating plant. The auditor has
ruled that no part of an appropria-
! tion for an addition may be used to
| remodel the heating plant of the old
bnildinR