The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-08-05
BID BAN ADDS
$4,000 COST
TO SCHOOLS
Specifications Formed for
Ships VentiIating
Equipment.
HARD HIT
State Board of Health Is
Responsible for Add
ing to Burden.
BY BEN STERN

Swinging the iron club Of venti-
lating regulations the state board OF
health has forced an additional
$4,000 cost for school construction
upon the Wayne township tax
payers.
The small school at Bridgeport,
and additions to two other small
schools in the township, which were
to~f1ave cost $4,000, instead will re-
quire $131 900 for construction.
Despite the approval of the state
board of accounts, Charles Byfeld,
architect for the schools was forced
to include the ventilating require
ments. declared unnecessary, in the
specifications, because of the man
date of the board of health, whose
secretary, DR., William F. King, told
Emsley johnson, attorney for the
Wayne township school trustee, that
although l don't like G. G. Ship,
his ventilating equipment is ex-
cellent." and insisted that auto
matte controls be installed in the
building.
Similar remarks we're made to
johnson and Byfield by H. H. Con-
drev. accountant for the health
board, who declared time after time
that automatic thermostatic regu-
lation must be used.
Specifications Turned Down
Members of the township advis-
ory committee, DR.. Edward Pedlow,
Charles Davidson and Joseph Har-
bison also insisted that the vertl-
lating specifications be included.
According to johnson, on one &C.
casion HARRISON asked.
Have the specifications got those
things in them?"
what things2" johnson asked.
"Those things the board Of health
wants" was the rejoinder.
What are those tlings?" John
son again asked.
ooh, those heating and ventilat-
ing things"
The original specifications pro-,
-vided for ventilating equipment,
but the specifications, although
having the full approval of the
state board of health, we're so
Worded that neither johnson nor
Vestal Davis, school trustee, would
accept them.
This wording, which pleased the
hoard of health. however violated
the state rule regarding conpeti-
tive bidding in sense if not in actual
words, johnson contends.
The specifications provided for
wall boxes to be equipped with I'm
dividual fresh air damper controls.
This piece of equipment, at the time
OF the writing of the specifications.
Ship alone manufactured. The
original specifications ended with
the following
Pretense of Open Competition
"All as manufactured by G. c.
Shipp and Company, patentees OF
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, prices for which
are on file in the office Of the
architect, together with contracts OF
C. c. Shipp 81 Co., for the benefit
of all bidders and contractors, a
duplicate of which is filed with the
Indiana state board of accounts and
the Indiana state board Of health"
And to keep up pretense OF
open competition the paragraph
ends with the saving words: "Or
their equal in quality, function
and efficiency"
It was this paragraph that de-
cided johnson and Davis against
the ventilating systenl-for this
spelled additional cost.
But when the health board In
sisted the equipment must be used
or the schools not be built, Davis
and johnson gave in and instructed
the engineer J. M. Rotz, to include
ventilating specifications, but so
worded, that open and competitive
bidding would be assured.
During the writing Of the new
heating and ventilating Speciflca-
tons an advisory board member,
DR.. Pedlow. brought typewriter
specification sheets to both Rotz and
Byf1eld which would have given
Ship again the edge, Johnson de-
ciares.
The new specifications do not con-
fine to any one type Of ventilation
but they mean additional cost TO