Evening star., 1953-07-08
Builders Score
Big Waste by
Sanitary Board
Group Says $500
Is Thrown Away on
Every New Home

Anyone building a new house
in the Washington Suburban
Sanitary District throws $500
down the drain, a builders group
said yesterday.
The Home Builders Associa-
ton of the Metropolitan Area said
the Washington Suburban SAM
tary Commission causes that
much useless expense for every
new house.
The group said it has some 600
members. Its builders put up 65
to 10 per cent of the houses in
Prince Georges and Montgomery
Counties, the association said.
The builders special commits
tee studying the sanitary COM
mission held a press conference
yesterday in the Dupont Plaza
Hotel.
Only 2 Go on Record.
But only two of the nine speak,
ers would go on record. The
others said they were afraid that
if they were identified in print
the sanitary commission would
prevent them from getting water
and sewer lines.
They said the $500 is wasted
by the commissions delays and
it's high charges for work private
concerns could do cheaper.
They said the utility charges
$299 for each house connection
and private plumbers could do
the job for half that much.
The sanitary commission holds
up every project and the costs
OF the delay are passed on to
the purchaser, the builders
charged.
Clarke Daniel, chairman of
the committee. said, Most Of
the charges are not necessary"
James w. Pearson, executive
director of the association, was
the other man who permitted
his name to be used.
Builders Driven Out.
Mr.. Daniel said most commit
tee members refused to attend
the session because reporters
were invited.
He said the sanitary commits
sion's high charges are prevent
ing development of the two Mary
land counties and are driving
home builders out of Maryland
into Virginia.
| Another construction man said
small operators are going out Of
business because they cannot af-
ford to build in the sanitary dis
trict.
They said the area around
Andrews Field is one example
of how the sanitary commission
is preventing development.
The utility's refusal to extend
water and sewer lines there
keeps potential construction out
of the area, the builders said.
They attacked the commits
sion's policy on obtaining rights
of way for pipe lines. The
utility takes so long to get
right of way that the builder
must get it himself and pay
more than he should, they said.
And the sanitary commission
insists on duplicating plans that
could be done cheaper by private
engineers who do most of the
planning in new housing prof.
ect, the critics said.
Shaw is Accused.
Approval of project plans are
held up three to four weeks sit
ting on Harry Shaw's desk" the
builders said. They accused him
of taking that long to get around
to signing. Mr.. Shaw is the
sanitary commissions chief en-
gineer.
Inc builders SAID MS signature
is needed before they can get on
with their work.
One man said he had $50
houses ready for the buyers but
could not let them move in for
three months, the time it took
for the sanitary commission to
get rights of way from two
property owners through whose
lands mains had to go.
Raymond w. Bellamy, the
commission chairman, today said
II don't know what the devils
wrong with these people. They
want to snipe at you all the
time"