The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-01-28
SHORTR|DGE:
COST LEAPS
OVER MARK
Low Bid Total Far Exceeds
Boards Promise of Only
a Million.
SHIPP GETS BUSINESS
His VentiIatorS Only Type
Contractors Specify.

Despite the school boards promis
ten months ago that it would bulk
the new Shortridge High School TO
| 81 100000 or less, bids now beini
tabulated reveal that the school will
cost at least Sl,225,000. Ure NJ
Frazer. board business manager, an
nounced this figure today.
Bids were opened by the board
| last Friday and contracts probably
will be awarded Tuesday. Minimum
basic bids were: General construction
H. R. Blagg Company of Dayton
Ohio, $S49,900; heating, ventilating
and plumbing, Freyn Brothers, $3.50,
372; and,electrical wiring, Hatfield
Electric Company, s45, $50; total OF
$1,14S,S32.
With the addition of bells. a
switchboard, temperatur0regulators
boilers, drinking fountains and nu
merous other items not included in
the basic bids, the base figures will
be raised to s1,225.OO0. Jacoo II
Hilkene, superintendent OF buildings
and grounds, said.
$4,000 for Plans
Original plans of the old board
which lost three of it's members Jan
l, 1926, provided for a school with
maximum capacity of $500 pu
pills to cost not more than $1,000. 000
j. Edwin Kopf and Frank F. Wool,
ling. architects. were paid $42 ,O0O
for the plans, which We're approved
by the State tax board, according
to Charles r.. Yoke, board member
These plans were discarded when
the new majority faction taking If
flee asserted the building could be
built at a saving of 100000.
New plans costing approximately
S61 900, were drawn by J. Edwin
Kopf and John A. Deery, architects
and first estimates on construction
showed an approximate cost OF
$t,O50,000. an excess of $4,000 on
the promised figure.
The old plans were discarded after
the board majority faction lost its
fight, started as soon as 1t assumed
office, to change the site of the new
building. This fight waged until
April I, and DELAYED for four months
| the starting of the building. The
| drawing OF the new plans has
| caused a ten months delay.
Site Change Blocked
The move to change the site from
that purchased at Thirty Fourth and
Meridian SITS. in 1920. for $S2 900
was successfully blocked by Yoke
and Fred Bates Johnson, the minor
ity hold.over faction from the old
board. and with the indianapolis
Pubic School Welfare Association
and other civic organizatio
johnson and myself agreed with
the rest of the board in adopting tt
new plans at the S1,O5O,OO figure, b.
Yoke declared today, because we
felt that longer delay in beginning
actual construction would eventually
cost more than could be saved by
further fight"
Original plans also left open offers
FOR Ventilating systems, the best and
cheapest, to be adopted at the discre.
tion " the board. Yoke said. Pres
ent plans calling for a direct-indirect
system has resulted in bids rendered
by contractors dealing only in c. c.
Shipp's yentilators, Frazer said.
Shipp was active in unofficial
board activities at the time the ole
plans were discarded and was otter
in conference with Theodore F. Won
negut, incoming board president, and
Charles w. Kern, new board mem
Der. Mrs. Lillian Sedwick, in addi
ton to Vonnegut and Kern, com
prised the new majority faction.
Speed Necessary
1.-THE majority members also said
their new plans provided Shortridge
would be built in fifteen months
after construction started" Yoke
added. THE old plans provided q
margin of two years for the building
process.
Ten months having lapsed since
the new plans We're formulated, OBJ
servers are skeptical as to the pos
s!bility Of having the building ready
for tenancy by Jan. l. 1929, when
the old Shortridge building, Michi
gan and Pennsylvania Sts.. must be
vacated. The State Life Insurance
Company purchase contract provides
the building be vacated by that date
I'VE minority members realize ev
cry angle of the situation, YOKE
said. 1T is of major Importance
however, that the building be started
and completed-almost at any cost
''The public should be in possession
of the facts. however, although tn,
building should go on as planned.
The proposition of a new Short
ridge has been brewing since 1912
delay after delay having postponed
definite action.