Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-01
Scarcely More Than Third of
Construction Seen Up to
Contract Time.
THREE OF SEVEN SITES
/ AUTHORIZED ARE BOUGHT
Only Eight Of 81 Buildings Are
Expected to Be Completed in
Specified Period.

Scarcely more than a third Of the
echool buildings now in the hands of
tne municipal architect will be COM
pleted on contract time. This was re-
Eealed yesterday by the Office Of the
municipal architect when S. B. Walsh,
assistant municipal architect, made
public report he had presented to DR..
Frank w Ballou. superintendent of
schools.
Out Of 81 building projects. for which
Funds have been appropriated. six are
set to be started. two will not be COM
pleted until after the date specified in
the contract, four more are doubtful
OF punctual completion and eight will
be completed on time. OF the last
group, three actually are ahead Of con-
tract schedule. One building. the addi-
Zion to the b. w. Murch School, was
completed 10 days ago, lust one month
ahead of its contract schedule.
OF the seven school sites appropri-
hted for in the 1882 act, only three
have been bought, three more are in
process OF purchase and will be in the
hands of the District of Columbia
within 80 days. and one-the proposed
senior high school in the Reno district
of Chevy Chase-stin remains tied up
10 o maze of controversy. This was
made known in the Office of Maj. H. l..
Robb. u. S. A., assistant engineer COM
missioner.
Double Shifts Urged.
According to the information sup
piled DR.. Ballou by Mr. Walsh, the de-
lays in completing buildings according
80 contract schedule are due largely to
difficulties in which contractors find
themselves after they have begun work.
I'm order to overcome this, in some in
stances, the municipal architects office
has required the contractor to put
/. double shifts of workmen on the job in
order to complete the school as soon as
possible.
Included in the buildings which def
nitely viii be delayed is the Alexander
Shepherd School In Shepherd Park,
Fourteenth street and Kalmia road.
This building, the contract for which
was signed last May 26. is now approx
mately 70 per cent completed Due to
be finished by November is, Mr.. Walsh
believes that another month will be re-
Quired to make the school ready for oc-
cupancy.
The Stuart Junior High School addi-
ton is the second building on which
the delay is definite The class room
section of the addition was completed
in time for the opening of school, and
The contractor now is endeavoring to
finish the gymnasium by November Is,
two weeks after the contract date. The
contract for this phase of the building
was signed last February.
Progress Reported Slow.
The Phoebe Hearst School In Chevy
Chase, now IL per cent completed, is
on the doubtful list. According to Mr..
Walsh, the progress is very SLOW" but
his office, he explained, has called upon
the contractor TO work double shift.
While not yet certain that the building
Will be delayed. the assistant municipal
architect has advised DR.. Ballou that
he will notify the school officer as soon
as 1t becomes apparent the structure
cannot be completed by February 81.
the contract date. The contract for
this building was signed August 25.
Another uncertain school" is the Orr
jhodition in southeast Washington, Ac-
Eording to Mr.. Walsh. this contract
as been proceeding slowly, and indica-
Aions are that the contract date may
hot be met" He added, however. that
1t is too early to make any definite
statement on the completion of the
Building, which is scheduled for Feb
;Auary IL. The contract was signed
august 81, Likewise. the gymnasium
addition TO the Randall Junior High
School SIS proceeding slowly" but the
assistant municipal architect is not yet
-konvinced that the contract date OF
February % cannot be met.
The Benjamin Stoddert School in
Chevy Chase, the fourth school on the
&doubtful list" is only &c per cent COM
plete, Mr.. Walsh reports, but he adds
sowing to pressure brought TO bear by
This office. the contractor is working q
kiouble shift and 1t is hoped to be COM
plcted within the contract time" The
IL .,,Nr, 49,. -
Rry 90. The contract was signed
1uly "a.
Schools Awaiting Contract.
The schools for which contracts have
hot vet been let are the DouglaS-Sim-
mons addition. the Giddings School, Tho
TAFT Junior High School in the Brook
Woodbridge district, the Harrison
School addition, the Hlne Junior High
School addition and the new Jefferson
1unior High School
Delay in the cases OF the Harrison
and the DouglaS-SimmonS Schools j,
due to the fact that the land for then
slas not vet been purchased. The Taf
Junior High plans are not quite com
pleted. but are being rushed by TIT
municipal architects draughtSmen, Tn
Jefferson Junior High School Buildin!
has been laid aside temporarily "owini
TO the pressure of more important items
and no date for completion has beer
set" The GiddingS School will be ready
for occupancy next September. whilt
the Taft Junior High is not schedules
4 for completion until February /. 1888
There is no reason 10 believe that theS
buildings will not be completed by tn
estimated time, the architects Office eX
planned.
The schools which the municipa
architect believes will be complete,
Rhead of schedule are the Powell JUNO
High School addition. at Lamont an
Hiatt streets, i'll Mount Pleasant, whicl
Is scheduled for completion on Deem
bsr 81; the Key School addition il
Potomac Heights, which Is schedule
her completion December so, and tn
Sfurch which already is finished.
Progressing on Time.
The remaining six schools which wi
be ready on contract time are, Wit
| the scheduled dates Of completion. tn
.Jannev addition. January s; Macfar
land Junior High School addition
February "a; the Paul Junior Higl
School addition, March 20. WoodTidg
school addition. January Is, Brown
Junior High School. January Is. an
the Roosevelt Senior High Schoo
August 1. 1882.
The three school sites carried
Che 1892 appropriation bill which, al
ready have been purchased are the Fox
hsll Village Manor Park and the Doug
lzs-SimmonS addition. The first G
these. comprising 24l.T5s square fee
lies veSt Of Fexhall road cost s4s.25
1continued on Pare 3. Column Al