Milford chronicle., 1931-03-13
P.S. DU POINT MAY
DISCON TINUE
FOUNDATION
IContinned irom Firn Paael

| shall be glad to nave %our com
ments on this matter"
The State school building program
the Foundation was committed to
has been practically carried out a
this time and the city program tina
the Foundation is engaged i'll now
is the construction of the Mary c
y /. Williams School and the new
school to be erected on the site oI
No. 25 School, Third and Bayard
avenue, Wilmington.
Mr.. du Points letter to the State
Board of Education. dated February
Z, reads:
gentlemen:
Some time ago | offered to pro-
vide the services of a competent
architect, supervision and account
ing for construction work on the
school buildings to he built in Della
ware under the State program.
Some $4,000, GOO has been expended
under this arrangement. | have con-
tributed $672 900. | hope that the re-
suits have been satisfactory to all
concerned. At least, there has been
an ample demonstration of the abil-
ity of the men whose services have
been offered to the State Board of
Education. Now that new bien-
mum is about to start, it seems ap-
propriate to withdraw from the SER
vice offered by me. The school fund
has sufficient funds on hand and in
immediate prospect to complete the
building program, and undoubtedly
the experience of ten years is sufli-
cient to guide the State Board of
Education as to the carrying out of
the program in a practica' way. My
sedvices therefore do not seem to be
needed further.
1T is not my intention to with
draw from the commitments already
made to you for buildings planned
and under way. Moreover, | shall
he glad to maintain a tentative ar
raHeement with you and will con-
slider taking on additional schools
as they are presented from time to
time.
IN proposing to withdraw from a
work in which | have taken much
interest for a number of years, may
! place before you two or three
thoughts that | believe fundamental
in carrying out further work on a
satisfactory basis.
First, the architect secured to do
the work should be well trained in
school construction. /, of course, re-
commend the continuation of the ar
rangement with MIR. James O. Be
t,no lint ,.hopIJ cp,. INV pApeOu ctrb
arrangement prove impossible, any
architect substituted should be one
who has to his credit school build
ings of the character desired by the
State Board of Education. The de-
tails of school work are too impor-
tant to cntrust to even an architect |
competent in house construction.
Second, great care should be
taken in the selection of men to !
supervise and check up the work Of |
the contractors. The latter have OPP |
portunity and frequently, through /.
making extremely low bids, have |
great urge to cut corners They !
cannot be too carefully watched in /
the interest of the State. 1t would |
be far better if the law did not
oblige awarding of contracts to the |
lowest bidder. ! know of your bitter
experiences in this regard.
Third, the State Board of Educa-
ton should turn a deaf ear to eco
Monies in construction recommend
ed from a first cost point of view
without giving weight to the true
economy that comes about only
through building well to avoid
heavy depreciation and repair
charges in the future. The dollar and
cents outlay involved does not rep
resent the total loss. A building
badly constructed can never be
made right. 1t remains an eyesore
and bad example throughout its
lifetime.
In closing this connection with
The State Board of Education, it is a
great pleasure to refer to the good
work accomplished by the members
of your Board and the spirit in
which it has been undertaken. No
finer monument can be erected 10
your memory than this series of
schools scattered throughout the
State, well designed and well exc
,uted under your guidance"
Mr.. du Points letter to Dr.. Hollo-
way dated February u, follows:
1T would be a great pleasure to
ak with you and Mr.. Williams ON
he subject of school construction. !
am quite willing to take up with
'Ou the question of any particular
school at any time. | am already
committed on quite a program,
which will, of course, be carried out
IS agreed upon.
'"To be quite frank, the situation !
ppears to me as follows: !
Delaware has a complete eXper- h
ence in school building, brought
bout by ten years campaign con-
tructing all kinds of schools under
arying circumstances The need of
ood design, good engineering and
ood supervision certainly should be y
thoroughly established at this time. >
cannot see how the State Board OF :,
,ducation could be led into Il dan II
erous and inadvisable procedure at !,
his late date. =
THE school fund has funds far
eyond the authorized program for
chool construction which is still
ecessary. The excuse for not ask
Is for further appropriations was fa
lat the amount actually asked for M
as all that can be spent properly IL
| the next two years, but the State M