Evening star., 1952-06-09
Builder b|ames
Sanitation Board
InProjectDeIay
House Committee
Probes Complaints
At East RiverduIe
By Colt HendIey, Jr.

caused all the trouble in delayed
construction Of the Templeton
Knolls housing development in
East Riverdale, Md.
Marcel Weiss, vice president Of
the Spiller Construction Co., made
the charge as he launched a vigor-
GUS defense of construction meth
ods at the project.
A House committee is hold
ing hearings on the veterans
housing program in the Washing
ton area. Templeton Knolls came
into the picture last week when
purchasers there testified about
shoddy construction. a-
Completion Due Last Year.
Mr.. Weiss said the dwelling
project originally was scheduled
for completion by July, 1851. He
declared:
The first serious problem that
arose was the failure Of the
Washington Suburban Sanitary
Commission to provide sewers and
water within the time agreed"
He told the committee that the
commission did not install sewer
and waterlines for the first 60
houses until late spring Of 1851.
The remaining sewers and water
connections were not completed
until September, 1851, he added.
Mr.. Weiss said the cost of the
houses was figured on the basis Of
a sewer and water connection fee
Of $48 per unit. He said this was
jumped by the Sanitary Commis-
sion to $183 before the first 60
houses were finished and then to
1902.
"An agreement with the Sani-
tary Commission means nothing" p"
he declared.
Urges Probe of Commission.
He said the Sanitary Commits
sion should be investigated and
added:
Most local builders avoid deal
ing with the Sanitary Commission.
Their promises mean nothing.
They just don't perform"
The Sanitary Commission had
no comment Immediately on the
charges.
AS a result of the delays in get
ting the utilities, Mr. Weiss said.
completion Of the houses was
stymied for a long time and the
company was caught by rising
prices and shortages caused by
the Korean situation. Mr.. Weiss
said part Of his troubles arose be-
cause he was not familiar with
local building conditions and
problems.
He is from Purchase, N. Y.
He explained that he came into
the Spiller Construction Co. on
the financing end and finally had
to come to Washington to take
over the actual operation to bail
himself out. He said the president
of the firm was William Spiller,
who is no longer around.
Mr.. Weiss said that of the first
10 deposits made by veterans for
houses, only so or 60 had actually
received firm contracts signed by
the company. He said his attor-
ney advised him to refund all de-
posits on contracts not signed by
the company or face bankruptcy.
But we accepted all 10 of
them" he said. "And we lost
money on each Of them"
. Against Legal Advice.
He said he made the decision
In spite of the legal advice be-
cause he felt the veterans were in
nocent victims in a situation over
which neither he nor they had
any control.
These first contracts called for
delivery Of the houses at slightly
over $4,000. Since then the
Veterans Administration has ap-
proved substantial increases in
the prices. running up to $4,000.
Insisting that he was keeping
faith with the veterans who made
deposits, Mr.. Weiss declared:
There were so ways I could
have deprived them of their houses
legally If had wanted to-"
Before the morning session con-
cluded, Mr.. Weiss also:
Stated that he intended to cor
rect all of the conditions which
the veteran purchasers Of homes
at Templeton KnollS had COM
planned about to the committee.
These included wet Easements,
bad flooring and other structural
defects.
Recommended vigorously that
the committee develop a standard
contract which could be used over
Vic 4Ndt1Ou Wy 0O14OC1o oCAAAA1S
houses to veterans as well as other
purchasers. =
Hits Publicity as Unfair.
He said that since the COM
mittee hearings had begun, many
purchasers had been calling him
and asking for their money back.
He said the hearing and the ac-
companying publicity had unfairly
put him in an embarrassing situa-
tion.
Mr.. Weiss said he was telling
those who wanted their money
back now to come out and look ct
their house with him.
Mr.. Weiss suggestion that q
standard contract was needed
came up when Mr.. league told
him:
1--WE are trying to write a bill
So help me, it should be writer
SO the veteran could know by heci
what he bought"
Mr.. Weiss agreed completely
adding that the builder als(
should knou u,here he stands II.