Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-08
HARRIS COUNTERS
SIMMONS CHARGES
Architect Declares Only One
School Project Has Been
UnduIy Delayed.

projects cited by Representative SIM
mons in his speech in the House late
yesterday on the Washington school
4. situation might justly be listed as a pcs
y S.b'e example of serious administrative
E delay" in public school construction
here.
Eleven buildings named by Mr. Sim
mons as slow in construction. Mr.. Har-
ris said. actually have progressed at
reasonable normal or even "excep-
tional" rates Of speed. Two projects, he
said. may trace their APPARENT delay" 20
the slow acquisition of sites, involving
prolonged transactions with property
owners or difficulties occasioned by the
125 per cent price limitation. One prof.
ect has been held up by an insufficient
appropriation allowed by the Bureau of
the Budget to start construction.
Another could not be started until a
District-owned residence was transferred
intact from the school site to an ad-
joining tract while one was tied up be-
cause of financial difficulties by the con-
tractor over which District officials had
no control.
Harris Explains Procedure.
Representative Simmons listed the II
building projects and the structural
status of each so that, he said, Con
gress and the people of Washington
may judge" When the charges were
called to Mr.. Harris attention he gave
his version of conditions surrounding
each of the projects and explained the
procedure followed by his Office in ham
ding school work
Pointing out that appropriations for
school buildings generally become avail
able on July l of each year, Harris ex-
planned that in preparing drawings
preference is given elementary schools
and the work is so planned as to have
the schools completed year from the
following September.
That procedure necessarily forces
separation of plans for the junior high
schools into the latter part of the ifs
cal year and effort is made to place
them on the market so as to make the
completed building available not later
than the beginning of the second term,
or 10 months after the appropriation is
available" he explained. 1.-The usual
contract time for a graded school is
nine months and from IL to Is months
for junior high school.
This shows" he pointed out. that
under ideal and economical conditions IA
months elapSe between the date that
appropriations become available and
the completion of an elementary school
building, and 10 months elapse before
junior high school is completed. These
periods include time for the preparation
of drawings and specifications. advertis-
ing for bids and preparation of con-
tracts"
Must First Acquire Site.
''In some instances, however appro-
priations are made for buildings before
the site is acquired" his statement con-
tinues. This accounts for delay on
some projects, as contract cannot be
made for building until the site is
in the possession of the District. This
was the situation in connection with
the A. j. Bowen School, Paul Junior
High School and the Langdon School
The site for the Alice Deal Junior High
School has not been acquired to date,
so that it is impossible to let the con-
tract for this project"
Plans for the new Roosevelt High
School, Harris said, are only partially
completed. because the Bureau of the
Budget cut his original request for
Sl000000 as an initial appropriation to
100000.
Allowed by law only 3 per cent of
the appropriation for the plans, Harris
said, he was unable to complete the
work with the $4,000 thus provided.
The plans can be completed only at
cost of S45, 900, he said, and explained
that in the budget now before Con-
gress he is asking special authority to
use more than per cent of the already
appropriated $500, 900 so that the plans
may. be completed prior to the next
fiscal year.
Court Verdict is Awaited.
A verdict from the Condemnation
Court, expected January 10, 1880, it is
hoped, will speed action on the Alice
Deal School.
Harris explained that delay in begin
ming of construction of the Deal School
will be avoided through recent action
of Congress in authorizing that a GER
+. tain sum Of money from the unex-
pended balance of previous school ap-
preparations be used without limitation
to pay the condemnation jury'S price.
Work on the Powell School, at Four
tenth and Upshur streets, was delayed
a few months, Mr.. Harris said, because
a residence had to be transferred from
the school site to a new position.
The John Eaton School assembly
gymnasium, plans for which Mr.. Sim
mons said will not be ready until next
July, will be completed, according to
Mr.. Harris, next September Is, instead
of January l, 1881, as the Representa-
tive stated.
The Buchanan School addition, which
Simmons pointed out will not be ready
until IA months after the money was
available, is being completed at "re-
asonable and proper rate" Mr.. Harris
said
Progress on the Park View School adj
dition was held to be AL right" by Mr..
Harris.
Title Acquisition Delayed.
The Anthony j. Bowen School, de-
iayed because the District was unable
to get title to the property until Janu-
airy, 1929, will be completed June IL,
1880.
Completion of the Takoma School
assembly Is months after
the money was available was charac-
terized as normal by Mr.. Harris, while
additions to the Francis Junior High
and the S. ]. Bowen Schools IA months
after appropriations were available also
were said to be normal.
The fact that the John Quincy Adams
School was "a per cent complete Is
months after the money was available,
Mr.. Harris declared, represents "a dog
gone good record"
The Langdon School project was de-
layed by financial difficulties of the con-
tractor
Mr.. Simmons listing of the Raymond
School as 90 per cent complete, the
Burrville School as "a per cent COM
plete, the Paul Junior High School as
SO per cent complete and the Murch
School 54 per cent complete Is months
after the money was available was
characterized by Mr. Harris as correct
and reasona BILE"
These buildings all were provided for
in the same appropriation bill and,
naturally. he said, the order in which
they were taken up by his staff brought
about variance in their progress.
The Morgan School, which the
Representative said was only AZ per
cent complete Is months after the ap-