Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1959-04-02
Housing Row
Ends
First Tenants
Are Expected
In 10 Days

housing project was broken
this week with the announce
ment that the first tenants
may move into Lincoln Ter
race in about 10 days.
Several pot boiling de-
velopments occurred this
week, in the wake of a Sem
tinel story that disclosed the
long-simmering hassle be-
tween the Rockville Housing
Authority and the projects.
prime contractor. - 4
Their prolonged duel over
contract specifications erupted
into public glare after tragic
fire in city-condemned shanty
claimed the lives of two young
girls on March %.
Developments this week In.
cluded these:
. The Authority delivered an
ultimatum ordering the contrac-
tor, Sydney Fishman, to com.
plete certain alterations by April
10 or quit the job.
. The Authority announced
1t was beginning to process APP
plication in the hope Of moving
the first tenants into Building
No. 6 by April 10.
. Several public and private
agencies, including the County
Health and Welfare depart
ments, met Tuesday night to
discuss ways of helping eligible
Negro families amass enough
furniture to outfit their Terraces
units.
The dead girls mother, rs.
year-Old Lillian williams, and
her three surviving daughters
will be among the first Terrace
tenants, officials there said yea.
terday.
In all, the Terrace comprises
IS low-rent apartments In IL
red-brick buildings in the heart
Of Rockville's Negro district.
Many Of its would.be tenants
now are living in condemned
novels pending completion Of
the project.
The 1857, s45 construction con,
tract specifics a completion
date Of August IS, 1858, for
half Of the units, and October
IS for the remainder.
According to Fishman, the
units have been '1lvabIe" for
several months.
The builder, served with the
Authority's ultimatum Tuesday,
said his first move would be to
find out what 1t means" He
said:
$50 far, I have been unable
to determine precisely what
their demands are. But In any
event, 1t would seem to be i'm
possible to meet the demands
within 10 days"
Harold F. Clark, project archi.
tect, told the Authority Monday
night that 10 days would give
Fishman ample time In which
to make the necessary repairs.
If Fishman decides not to fin
ish the Job, he said, the Author.
ity could hire tits own workmen
and complete the work In q
short time at a maximum ex.
pense of about $4,000.
Any additional costs would be
deducted from the total amount
paid Fishman, the Authority
said. RIA has withheld about
$4,000 of the total contract
amount.
Clark said Fishman has had
only "piddling crews" on the
job recently. This was denied
by Fishman.
Leslie Cole, Authority com.
missioner, declared at Mondays
RIA meeting that we've never
gotten the things we've asked
(from Fishman)."
I'VE have tried to be decent
about this and have been criti-
cized," said Authority Chairman
Joseph Tarallo.
Fishnan yesterday denied the
allegations, declaring:
'They 1.-THE Authority prom
Used TO sit down with us and 90
over all the items In dispute.
This letter seems to be COM
pletely different from what they
told me the last time we met"
In dispute are such items az
the painting Of some walls,
patching OF plaster cracks,
blocking of roof sheathing,
spaces beneath shoe moulding
and floors, warped doors, and
others.