The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-07-07
LNGENFELTER
S|NGES MAYOR
ON SEWER BID
Ascrihes Custer to DuvaII
Wrath at His Action on
Pleasant Run Job.
CITES ECONOMY MOVES
Reopening of Asphalt Plant,
Halt to Costly Repair
Projects Mentioned.
CITES ECONOMY MOVES

BIZ Times SDecidI
DENVER, July 7.-Opening Of the
city asphalt plant and stopping OF
the expensive contract system OF
street repairing may have had
something to do with the demand
for his resignation as Indianapolis
city civil engineer, Frank G. Lingen-
felter, here for the Optimists Club
international convention, said to-
day.
Lingenfelter continued his discus
sion of his dismissal by Mayor Du-
vail in which Wednesday he fired
a few broadsides at Duvall and city
council.
He declared he believed his rec
ommendation that the Pleasant
Run main interceptor sewer go to
the lowest bidder (sone 100000
lower than the next lowest) had a
lot to do with the mayors demand
that he resign.
Contract Price Higher
Lingenfelter today recalled that
one of the first things he did as en-
gineer was to recommend that the
city asphalt plant be reopened.
Streets had lapsed into deplorable
state.
They were so deplorable, Lingen-
felter said, that before he could get
the asphalt plant running, $4,000
of the $4,000 street repair fund had
been used, repairing streets by con-
tract.
The contract price ran around
$21.75 ton, whereas, with the city
asphalt plant running, asphalt was
laid for an average of $11 ton,
Lingenfelter declared. In some cases
the cost was as low as $3.50 ton.
81 investigated the reliability of
the low bidder, and was convinced
the city should let the contract to
that firm" Lingenfelter said. But
Mayor Duvall apparently was wor-
ried about what people would say
about the discrepancy between the
low big and the engineers estimate.
"He asked me TO recommend that
all bids be rejected and that
lower the estimate. 1 conferred with
the mayor three times" he con-
tinued, land told him that could
not conscientiously lower the bid
more than $4,000. That was the
amount my original estimate had
been hiked by Schmidt. The cost
of the job is approximately $580,000.
Risk Was Cited
Lingenfelter said he told Duvall
that 1.-The Chicago firms bid is only
sufficient to give them profit of
about 10 per cent, which is so small
as to be risky on a job of that size" +"
In the face of Duvall's demand
for lowering the estimate, Lingen-
felter said he submitted recon-
mendation to the board Of works
last Wednesday morning, urging the
low bid be accepted.
Mayor Duvall seemed rather
peeved that had not acted in &C
cordance with his suggestion" Ling
enfelter said. "But the same after
noon the board accepted the bid. 1t
did not have to follow my recon-
mendation. In fact, it had not done
so on occasions. 1t seemed strange
to me that the board should do so,
and the only inference I can draw
is that the administration wanted
me to take responsibility for that
discrepancy between the bid and the
estimate"
Cost Is Hiked
Lingenfelter pointed out that sew
eral years ago when he was city
engineer he estimated the cost Of
the sewer at 100000.
This was linked" $4,000 by
George Schmidt, his successor, one
of the four men who have been city
engineers in the Duvall administra-
ton.
>"Duvall gave Lingenfelter no hint
that the administration was dis
satisfied, he said. Friday morning
Mayor Duvall asked the engineer
when he planned to leave for Den
yer. Saturday noon," Lingenfelter
replied.
Met by BuSer
''When I went to the Office Satur-
day morning the mayors secretary
told me he wanted to see me at
o'clock that afternoon" Lingenfelter
said. "He tried to get her to ad-
vance the time of the appointment,
he said, but she told him the mayor
was to be tied up all morning.
"When I finally got into Duvall's
Office he wasn't there" Lingenfelter
stated. Instead, his brother-in-
law, w. G. Buser, city controller, was
sitting there. The mayor left this
for you,' Lingenfelter quoted Buser.
The latter handed him blank res
ignation.
Lingenfelter said he refused to
sign the resignation without seeing
Mayor Duvall He waited until 2:30
o. m. Saturday without succeeding
in locating him. Then learned he
had gone to Manitou Lake. So Lin
genfelter left for the Optinist con-
vention, mailing his resignation that
night.
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