Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1956-08-30
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by Monty"

Sl dStAOll AOI lilC fIeIS MILL oCHOO
addition the School Board is ex
hibiting a great disdain for logic
The board is sticking to a conclu
sion after abandoning all the
premises upon which the conclu
sion was based.
The board first considered the
prefab project because they be
lieved: l. a prefab school could
be built cheaper than a steel and
masonry structure; 2. a prefah
school could be built faster than
standard school and in the case
of Viers Mill, could be built in
time for September classes; and
3. the experiment would present
data from which could be deter
mined future direction of school
construction in the county.
Premise No. / was shot three
weeks ago when the low bid on
the Viers Mill addition-plywood
partitions and all-was S183,619.
That's $1.38 a cubic foot or $13.15
a square foot, much higher than
recent steel and masonry school
costs.
Number 2 was shattered some
time ago when architect Robert
c. Smith refused to assure the
School Board that the 10-room ad.
dition would be completed in time
for school opening this semester.
Winning bidder Hill and Kimmel
Co. is aiming for a December Is
completion. If a standard build
ing had been started when the
prefab hassle began, would it be
completed now? A moot ques-
ton.
The least tangible of the prem
ises upon which the prefab deci-
sion was based, Number 3, is dead
too, whether the board admits it
or not. The Viers Mill project is
not going to indicate the mainten-
ance problems, durability, cost,
construction time, etc. of a pack
aged school, because it's not
packaged school. The prefab
manufacturers refused to supply
a package. Hill and Kinmel is
simply going to build a wooden
school.
Board member Lathrop Smith
says he's Thorough disguised
with the whole fiasco.y Board
president Helen Scharf says she,
Mr.. Smith, Willard McGraw, and
Wayne Birdsell, who originally
voted to go ahead with the pre-
fab project, must accept the
guilt" for the mixup. Yet Harrl-
son King alone voted mo" last
week when Hill and Kimmel was
given the go-ahead. Rose Kramer
was not present.
Cheer up, taxpayers. It's only
money.
Gravely of Washington is To-
Gated in Wheaton. They're pow
er equipment dealers.
The reason popular Mike Birm-
ingham dropped out of the race
for Willard Tydings' vacated Dem
ocratic Senate nomination when
he apparently had 1t in the bag
came in the mail recently.
In a letter dated August 10
before Mr.. Tydings publicly an
nounced his withdrawal for
health reasons but after party
leaders were informed of his de-
cision-came two orange and
black pins reading Birmingham
for Governor"
George Mahoney's ex-friend has
his eye on 1858 and more useful
and more attainable seat in the
Democrats game of political mu-
steal chairs.
Mike probably feels like Balti-
more Mayor D'Alesandro about a
Senate seat. In Chicago a dele
gate allegedly asked the mayor if
he wanted the Tydings vacancy.
According to Time Magazine,
D'Alesandro replied, Hell, no.
My boys want jobs. What can 1
give 'em from the Senate? Just
some lousy elevator operators"
Why doesn't the Montgomery
County government hire Negro
policemen and office help?
Lila Thomson, Rockville Shop
per publisher, ate two soda Straws
Smothered in mustard Monday
morning at Rockville Drug Mart.
Lila lost her bet that the Republi-
cans would not renominate Vice
President Nixon.
Attorney General It..
(Nontip,,ad fro,,, Daoa ~