Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-04
CONGRESS COMMITTEE
TO GET STUDY DATA
Long Proceedings Of Acquiring Site
Began in May, 1925, State
ment Shows.
BY CHARLES B. DEGGEs.

J
w. Ballou, superintendent of schools,
which shows chronologically the steps
taken to secure that sorely needed
| building.
| After three unsuccessful attempts to
| get before Congress in appropriation
bill estimates an item for funds with
| which to purchase the Deal School site,
facts Cleaned from Official school and
municipal government records show that
the School Board itself ordered the land
purchased out Of an unspecified appro-
priation carried in the appropriation
act for 1880.
The study shows further that it took
one year and five months to get title
to the site after purchasing negotia-
tons actually had been entered into by
the District.
Data for Subcommittee.
A tabular statement of DR.. BaIIou's
study, tracing step by step the tedious
course leading from May, 1926, to Sep
TENDER. 1881, which the acquisition of
the Alice Deal Junior High School fol-
lowed, will be presented by him to the
House subcommittee of which Repre-
sentative Robert G. Simmons of Ne
braska IS chairman during the coming
hearings on the 1882 appropriation
estimates.
-
the following facts:
In May, 1926. the Board of Educa-
ton submitted a request for $100, 900
in its estimates for the 1928 appropria-
ton act. This item was eliminated by
the District Commissioners and got
no further.
In May, 1927, the school board resub-
mitted the same request. This time the
Commissioners forwarded the item to
the Bureau of the Budget, which in
turn struck it from the list.
The school board repeated its petition
In May, 1928, and again 1t was trans
mitted by the Commissioners to the
Budget Bureau, where 1t was eliminated
by that agency for the second time.
/ In the Fall Of 1928 the school au-
thorities requested the Commissioners
to purchase the site out of an inspect
ned sum carried in the 1880 appropria-
ton act, from which the Deal site item,
as such, had been stricken.
Purchase Offers in 1928.
The initial offers of purchase were
sent to the owners Of the property
embraced in the desired site at Reno
Commissioners once. These negotia-
tons failed, however, when the owners
refused TO sell at price within 125
per cent Of their properties assessed
value and on December 81, 1928, the
Commissioners ordered condemnation
proceedings to be entered into, as a
means of acquiring the land.
The condemnation proceedings occu-
pied the next Is months for the con-
demnation jury did not return its
verdict until January 81, 1880. Title
finally was taken to the last parcel of
the property on June 5, 1880.
Meanwhile, without waiting for the
purchase of the site to be completed,
the school authorities launched their
efforts to secure funds with which to
start construction of the building. In
May 1927, the School Board submitted
an estimate of 100000 to the Com
mlSSionerS for this purpose. The Com
mtssionerS in turn forwarded an item
OF $4,000 in the supplemental estimates
for the preparation of the plans Of the
proposed Deal Junior High School. The
Bureau of the Budget, however, elimi-
mated even that amount.
In May, 1928, the school board
launched what was destined to be the
successful bid for funds for Deal
School when it submitted an estimate
OF 5000, 900 which was approved by the
Commissioners, the Bureau Of the Bud
get, and finally, by both houses Of
Congress. The sum was included in
the 1880 appropriation act
| ASdu1 Tie IOIOW1Il& year, May, 1873,
| the school board submitted an estimate
! Of 100000 for the completion of the
school. Thus, the initial 100000 car
red in the 1880 appropriation act, be-
came available on July /, 1929 and the
completing 100000 which was in
Guided in the 1881 appropriation act,
became available July /, 1880.
Work to Construction.
&! Actual work leading to the conStruc-
ton Of the building was begun by the
municipal architect five months before
title to the site was in the hands Of
the District and seven months after
the initial building fund, out of which
the plans are paid for, became avail
able. Sketches for the structure were
started February 1, 1880, and were
completed March 10 of that year. The
following day they were submitted to
the Board Of Education for its approval,
and on March Is the actual working
drawings were begun.
The School Board returned the
sketches to the municipal architect
March 10. On April II, specifications,
embracing statements of the struc-
tural requirements and material de-
scriptions of the building on which
contractors base their bids, were be-
gun. The working drawings, begun
two months earlier, were completed on
May 10. TWO days later, nnal Lrac-
ings of the plans were sent to the
District of Columbia fire chief for APP
proval and these we're returned after
two days study.
The lengthy specifications were COM
pleted May "a, 1880, slightly more than
a month after they were started. The
final tracingS were sent to the Board
of Education on May % and were re-
turned to the municipal architect the
same day. These tracings then were
sent to the District Commissioners on
June and were returned to the archi-
tect on June 20.
On June %, 1880, the plans were
! advertised for bids, and these were re-
turned and opened July is. The con-
| tract was awarded July 10 and was
| executed August 26. The school is
scheduled for completion August Is,
| 1881, and the first classes are due to
enter 1t September 81. 1931-the OPEN
| ing day Of school for the academic
year, -32-exactly five years and
| four months after the school authorities
began their efforts to secure it.
If this school could have been COM
pleted and me4ie ready for occupancy