Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-02-23

BY the completion of the new Office
building, now in the process of cree
| ton on the south end of the State
House grounds for the use of the
health and State highway departments,
| the State expects to relieve the con-
gestion now experienced by these two
| important departments, permitting
their easier and more efficient func-
tioning.
| Likewise. the now practically COM
pletely storehouse closely adjacent to
| the new office building, is expected to
| furnish storage space for a mass of
| material now tucked away in many
| hooks and corners throughout the
| State House proper.
| The two buildings were started in
August. 1924. The office building is
expected to be finished in about six
weeks and occupied about the middle
of May or the first of June. The
storehouse. with but little cleaning up
of minor details, is now ready for use.
| Contract for the two buildings was
awarded to the George w. Lane Co.
! of Lewiston at a cost. for the Office
building, of s44,500. and for the store
! house s43.S00. and under the SUPER
vision of Senator Harry T. Lane, of
the George w. Lane Co. and Harry S.
| Libby of Boston, general superinten-
dent of erection, the work has pro-
crossed rapidly.
, The office building, with a facing
of buff brick and cast stone trimmings.
| contains three stories and base
ment. It's outside length is 30 feet
with 50-foot front running back to
80 feet on the rear. Interior walls are
90 xx-I,t lo, nr{1
throughout. The first floor will be de-
voted to the heath department and
the two upper floors to the State
highway department.
! The northeast corner Of the first
floor contains the Office for the States
I vital statistics wherein will be kept
the most valuable records of the State
A big vault, 50 feet by II feet, built of
hollow tile and as near fireproof as 1t
is possible to make 1t, will house
these records. The vault will contain
steel files and tables for the efficient
handling and filing of the statistics.
, The southeast corner of the first
floor will be devoted to the analysis
laboratory of the health department.
1t will be fully equipped with needed
apparatus. The health department
chiefs office leads off of the laborato-
ry. and also connects with the water
laboratory, another large room where
all water will be analysed. The latter
work is an important function of the
health department.. including, as it
does. the analyzing Of all water from
hotels and myriads Of summer camps.
Communicating with the water labora-
tory is the receiving room and ship
ping room where all bottles for the
water laboratory are received and
eventually returned after analysis
| The basement contains a boiler
room and large storage room. Two
large sectional boilers heat the build
ing and 800 tank furnished hot water
| for the laboratories above. The tank
is heated from the boilers in winter
and from heater during the summer.
The big basement storage room will
be used partly for the highway depart
ment equipment, but will also contain
pens in which will be kept guinea pigs
and rabbits used by the health depart
ment for water analysis work and ex-
perimental purposes.
The second floor, and well as the
third floor, will be given over entirely
to the highway department. Leading
from the large lobby. in the southeast
corner. is the Office of the chief engi-
neer. Directly opposite is situated
the highway commission hearing room,
which will be used for roads petitions
hearings, awarding of bids and other
matters. Motor vehicle hearings, az
well, will take place in this rooom.
Along the north side, the second floor
Is taken up with a string of communi-
eating offices, including the office of
the chairman of the highway commits
sion, the business office of the State
highway police, the private office of
the chief of highway police, the
counting room for motor transporta-
ton accounts. and large filing rooom
which will contain hundreds of files
On the southwest side similar offices
are placed. which include the general
Office Of the maintenance department
whose duty includes the upkeep of all
highways, the Office of the chief of
the maintenance department, the pri-
Vate office Of the State aid engineer
and the general or business office of
the same.
The entire eastern front OF the
thlrd floor. containing five double
windows, is given over to the high
way accounting department.. This
department. now functions in one
room In the State House proper not
lone-f1fth as large as its proposed To-