USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Middleborough > Town annual report of Middleborough, Massachusetts 1923 > Part 6
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to the amount of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars in excess of the present debt limit for the purpose of obtaining funds for the construction and equipment of a new High School building.
Report of the committee appointed at the last annual meeting to consider the advisability of extending the fire alarm system outside the limits of the old Fire District, have met and after considering the matter wish to report as follows :
The original object in view in bringing this matter of extending the fire alarm system before the Town was to provide better fire protection in the outside villages. Your committee concluded that any action taken should be along the line of leading to eventually affording the best protec- tion to all the villages or thickly settled parts of the Town. After due deliberation, and having Fire Protection in view, was of the opinion that all sections of the Town could be better served, not by extending the fire alarm system but by supplying an inexpensive piece of fire apparatus and forming companies to man it.
From information received during the consideration of this matter it was found that the amount necessary to in- stall an adequate Fire Alarm System would be greater than the value received as compared with this same amount invested in fire fighting apparatus.
Your committee feel that if the amount necessary to ex- tend the fire alarm to these places was applied toward the sum required to purchase that class of apparatus for the needed protection of the outlying districts, greater returns would be received than if expended in extending the fire alarm system.
Therefore, after considering the matter from all angles your committee for the reason stated does not consider it advisable to extend the fire alarm system outside the limits of the old Fire District, but would recommend that another committee be appointed to investigate and report at some
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future meeting, the best method for the town to adopt of affording additional fire protection to the thickly settled outlying districts of the Town.
Respectfully submitted,
CARLTON W. MAXIM WILLIAM G. BOYNTON JAMES F. GARDNER
Same committee reappointed.
Article 17. Voted to appoint a committee to report at a Town Meeting as to the advisability of the construction of a new Central Fire Station.
That a committee of five consisting of the Chairman of the Board of Selectmen and four other members to be ap- pointed by the moderator, be appointed to investigate and to recommend what action should be taken by the Town toward the construction of new buildings for the use of the Fire Department, either on the present location or on a new site, said committee to report at an adjournment of the meeting.
CHAIRMAN OF BOARD OF SELECTMEN C. W. MAXIM
HERBERT SYLVESTER LORENZO WOOD ERNEST S. PRATT
Article 11. Voted : to appropriate the sum of $500.00 to be paid to St. Luke's Hospital, established in said Town for the establishment and maintenance of a free bed in the hospital for the care and treatment of persons certified by the Selectmen of said Town to be residents of the Town and unable to pay for such care and treatment.
Article 20. Voted : to authorize the Selectmen to con- struct a Hydro Electric Plant at the Nemasket Dam and appropriated $31,000 for same.
Article 4. Voted: to authorize the Town Treasurer,
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with the approval of the Selectmen or a majority thereof, to borrow during the municipal year beginning January 1st, 1923, in anticipation of the revenue of said year, such sums of money as may be necessary for the current expenses of the Town but not exceeding the sum of $250,000.00 Dol- lars and to issue a note or notes therefor payable within one year from the dates thereof and any debt or debts incurred under authority of this vote to be paid from the revenue of said municipal year.
Article 12. Voted : to employ a Town Engineer and appropriated $1,500.00 for same.
ADJOURNED TOWN MEETING FEB. 19, 1923
Voted : That when this meeting adjourned it would be adjourned to March 26.
Voted : to appropriate the sum of $2,401.24 for the Ply - mouth County Tubercular Hospital.
Voted : to appropriate the sum of $20.00 for services of the moderator for the current year.
Article 22. Voted: That a committee of five be ap- pointed by the moderator, H. A. Wyman as chairman, to serve with compensation to examine, consider and report their findings at the next annual Town Meeting, upon the question of the application of the zoning system, for the regulation of the use, height and area of buildings, fire hazard, and town, village and farming taxation, to the said Town of Middleborough.
Voted :- to indefinitely postpone the above vote.
Article 20. Voted : That for the purpose of extending or enlarging the municipal light plant as provided, the Treasurer, with the approval of the selectmen be and hereby is authorized to borrow the sum of $31,000 and to issue bonds or notes of the town therefor, said bonds or notes to be payable in accordance with the provisions of Section 19, Chapter 44, of the General Laws, so that the whole loan shall be paid in not more than ten years from the date of
-
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issue of the first bond or note, or at such earlier dates as the treasurer and selectmen may determine. The first of such payments shall, however, be made in the year 1924.
Article 21. Voted: To authorize the Selectmen to ap- point a committee of five men, to serve without pay, and report at the next annual meeting the situation of establish- ing a Town Forest.
SPECIAL TOWN MEETING, FEB. 26, 1923.
Article 1. To see if the Town will vote to build, equip and furnish a new High School Building in the Town, appropriate money therefor, to be raised by loan or other- wise, and act thereon.
Moved : That the Town build, equip and furnish upon the North Main St. lot a High School Building, at an expense not to exceed $250,000 in substantial accordance with the plans submitted by the architect, Edward I. Wil- son, and reported at the annual meeting by the committee, and that the Town raise and appropriate the sum of $250,000 therefor.
And that for the purpose of building and equipping a High School Building as provided in this motion, under Article 1 of this warrant, the treasurer with the approval of the Selectmen be, and he hereby is authorized to borrow the sum of $250,000, and to issue bonds or notes of the town therefor, said bonds or notes to be payable in accordance with the provisions of Section 19 of Chapter 44, of the Gen- eral Laws, so that the whole loan shall be paid in not more than twenty years from the date of the issue of the first bond or note, or at such earlier dates as the treasurer and selectmen may determine.
The first of such payments shall be made not later than one year from the date of the first bond or note issued therefor.
Voted to use check lists. No 294, Yes 264.
Moved: That the moderator appoint a committee of fifteen, three at least . of whom shall be members of the
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former High School Committee, and three of whom shall be women, who shall report to the town at a meeting, not later than May 1, 1923, what in their opinion are the three best methods of relieving the congestion in our schools and the probable cost of each method.
Committee :
Lyman P. Thomas, Chairman
Mrs. William G. Boynton
James H. Burkhead
Luke F. Callan Mrs. William R. Farrington
Mrs. George A. Richards
Frederick G. Maddigan
Elmer E. Phinney Joseph H. Shaw
George W. Stetson
Dennis D. Sullivan Granville E. Tillson
Frederick S. Weston
Roger Wood
Theodore N. Wood
ADJOURNMENT TOWN MEETING, MARCH 26, 1923
Article 1. Voted to accept Article 143, Section 3.
Article 2. Voted not to accept Article 143, Sections 6-7-8-9-10-11-12.
Article 3. Moved to appropriate the sum of $2,520 to pay for the services of Architect for plans of new High School building.
Report of the Committee on the Central Fire Station.
The Committee appointed to consider the advisability of the construction of a new central fire station begs leave to report as follows :
We believe the time is at hand when the town should undertake to build a new central fire station upon a new site, and to this end we would recommend that the town
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proceed at once to take by right of eminent domain, the land or a portion thereof owned by the American Lithu- anian Co-operative Association at the southwest corner of Station and High St., for this purpose, and that a committee be appointed to investigate the needs of the department in the matter of a new building and report with plans and esti- mates at the next annual meeting.
LYMAN P. THOMAS CARLTON W. MAXIM HERBERT S. SYLVESTER.
Report accepted as report of progressive.
ADJOURNED TOWN MEETING, March 26, 1923.
Article 5. By-Laws. Moved : That by-laws be taken up separately and acted upon.
The committee's report be accepted as progress and at such time that a special meeting be called to act on same.
Moved : That 500 copies of proposed by-laws be printed and left with the Town Clerk for those interested.
Article 18. Voted: That action on Article 18 be in- definitely postponed.
Article 3. Voted : That the sum of $224,304.48, less the estimated Corporation and Bank tax and less the amount to be received from the State Income Tax and plus the State and County tax, be raised on the estates and Polls of the Town, and that it be assessed, committed and collected in accordance with the Statutes and the By-Laws of the Town.
SPECIAL TOWN MEETING APRIL 23, 1923
Article 7. Moved to appoint the Selectmen a commit- mittee to authorize Selectmen as a committee to petition the County Commissioners to relocate Plymouth Street near the Purchade School House in accordance with the plans of the Massachusetts State Highway Commission.
Voted that the report of the Committee of 15 be re- ceived and be accepted as follows :
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To the voters of the Town of Middleboro :
The Committee of fifteen appointed by the Town to report on three plans to relieve the congestion in the schools, present the following :
Plan No. 1. Plan No. 1, so-called, proposes the con- struction of a new school building that will accommodate the needs of the High School for many years to come, with provisions for future additions when needed, as the solution of the present congestion in both the High and Grade Schools. This will leave the present High School build- ing for the grades and thus postpone the construction of a new grade school beyond the time limit required to retire the bonds of the proposed new school building if the full twenty years are taken for their payment.
The plans are a modification of those presented by the former committee, revised by the architect without addi- tional expense, to correspond with the ideas of the new committee by the elimination of the gymnasium and as- sembly hall wing and the more elaborate features of the old plans, with the idea in view of ultimately utilizing all avail- able space for class and recitation room purposes, includ- ing until needed, the space designed for corridors for the two proposed future wings.
The new arrangement gives a symmetrical building with an ultimate capacity of 645 seats in 18 class rooms, having a floor space of 11,396 square feet, including the library or study, commercial and stenography rooms and 253 seats in nine recitation rooms, having a floor area of 3,686 square feet; including the typewriting, physical lab- oratory, chemical laboratory and lecture rooms. Also, by varying the size of the class and recitation rooms a greater flexibility is given in the use of the building, so that until needed by the High School, three class rooms on the ground floor and two class rooms on the first floor which open directly on the two side exits, could be used for grade pur- poses.
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On the ground floor of the building are the heating and ventilating equipment, toilets, assembly hall with a seating capacity, including balcony of 490, three rooms that, when needed, can be used for class rooms and two that can be used for recitation rooms. On the first floor are five full size class rooms, 22x30 feet, and four smaller class rooms, 22x26 feet, two of which are made by leaving out the partitions shown on the plans between the two adjacent recitation rooms on either side of the two central class rooms directly in front of the main entrance, principal's room, two teacher's rooms, and one recitation room. On the second floor are three full size class rooms, library and study or class room if desired, commercial, stenography and typewriting rooms, physical and chemical laboratories, lec- ture room and two small recitation rooms.
The proposed building would be constructed of Bridge- water brick with terra cotta trimmings, hard pine floor stringers, hard wood floors, metal lath and plaster ceilings on the ground floor and wood, lath and plaster ceilings on first and second floors.
At a slight additional cost, as a matter of fire preven- tion, the interior partitions would be of brick and the boiler room of concrete throughout, being cut off from the rest of the building and entered from the outside of the building.
The boilers are also planned for burning either coal or oil by changing from grates to burners, or vice versa, as the building could be maintained more economically by burning oil.
As now designed, the building contains 439,000 cubic feet, which it is estimated would cost 40 cents per cubic foot, including the blower system of forced heating and ventilating.
A saving of about $6,000 or $7,000 could be made by use of the gravity system of heating and ventilating. On the above figure of 40 cents per cubic foot, the estimated cost of the building would be
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439,000 cu. ft. at 40c.
$175,600
Architect fees 8,016
Septic tank and distribution system for sewerage 1,000
Land on North Main St. 7,500
$192,116
to which should be added cost of grading, seeding and walks, making the cost approximately $195,000.
The cost of equipping the class and recitation rooms is not estimated as some of the old High school equipment could be used and it is proposed to equip the rooms only as needed. The estimated cost of equipping the assembly hall to full seating capacity is $1,800. Of the $7,500 esti- mated cost of land, the interest on this item would through the Pierce Trustees, be available for the use and benefit of the inhabitants of the Town.
Plan No. 2. The second plan offered to relieve the present congestion in our schools is an addition to the pres- ent building of twelve class rooms and an assembly hall.
This plan will give a High school of twenty class rooms, which will accommodate 630 pupils in a very desir- able way, and if used to its utmost capacity, would take care of 160 more or a total of 790.
The class rooms in the addition are 32x22 feet, in which will be 35 seats.
This gives an opportunity to add five more seats when needed. There are three rooms planned for science work, size 32×26 feet, a physical and chemical laboratory and a lecture hall.
The Assembly hall which will seat 542, includes a stage and two ante rooms.
There will be no basement under the hall, but it is advisable to put a basement under the class rooms for toilet purposes. This will leave a portion of unassigned space, probably lighted and heated, for two more class rooms, or could be used for physical training exercises, domestic sci-
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ence, manuel training, or any of the practical art courses, whenever the Town decides to introduce these studies into its schools. The addition provides for 315 pupils, allowing 35 seats in each class room.
In the present building there are eight small rooms, 9x10 feet, now used for teacher's rooms, these would care for all added teachers for the entire building.
The present office of the principal would be retained for that purpose, as the main entrance would continue to be on South Main St. The third floor in this building which is very undesirable for class rooms, would be available for other purposes, as it is unassigned. The only change con- templated in the present building is a partition in the as- sembly hall, making it into two class rooms.
This plan will also help to greatly reduce the conges- tion in the grades for some time to come, by using the four rooms on the first floor in the addition for the upper grades, in fact, any of the unoccupied rooms in this wing could be used by the grades until they are required for the High School. The present building is already equipped and the other rooms would be furnished as needed. This addition contains 415,000 cubic feet. Estimating the cost at 37 cents per cubic foot, which is considered a very fair price, it will cost $153,550 plus the architect fees. This amount includes every expense of the addition.
Plan No. 3. This plan is the same as Plan No. 2 except that the addition is only one-half as long.
It would be divided into eight rooms and built along
No basement is contemplated and the westerly end wall the lines of the present building and of similar material. would be built of wood, on the presumption that within ten years the needs of the schools would require a further addition when the entire provisions of Plan No. 2 would be carried into effect except that the assembly room would be placed in the second addition.
In the meantime the school would use the present as-
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sembly room, or the Town hall for this purpose.
Plan No. 2 provides for the needs of the High School for probably twenty years or more.
Plan No. 3 provides that only one-half of it would be built at this time ..
It is expected that it would provide rooms for the ninth grade and the High School for a period of eight or ten years and its cost would be practically one-half the cost of Plan No. 2.
The cost of equipment and renewing the heater in the present building is not included in either plan.
A two-room portable building could be built in the rear of the present building for perhaps $6,500, which would give some relief for two or three years.
Respectfully submitted,
LYMAN P. THOMAS, Chairman.
ANNIE W. FARRINGTON AGNES M. BOYNTON
GEORGE W. STETSON
FREDERICK S. WESTON
GRANVILLE E. TILLSON
FREDERICK G. MADDIGAN
JOSEPH N. SHAW
LUKE F. CALLAN ROGER WOOD ELMER E. PHINNEY
D. D. SULLIVAN THEODORE N. WOOD
J. H. BURKHEAD ADELIA C. RICHARDS
Moved: That the report of the committee of fifteen be received and accepted and the meeting resolve itself as a whole and proceed to ballot.
Moved to ballot on three plans as prescribed, check list and printed ballots to be used.
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Vote on Plan No. 3 26
Vote on Plan No. 2 71
Vote on Plan No. 1
214
Moved that the committee as a whole arise and re- sume the Town Meeting.
Moved to appoint the Selectmen as a committee to authorize the Selectmen to petition the County Commis- sioners to relocate Plymouth Street near the Purchade School house in accordance with the plans of the Massa- chusetts Highway Commission.
Moved that the Town build upon the North Main Street lot, a High School Building at an expense not to ex- ceed $190,000 in substantial accordance with the plans sub- mitted by the architect, Edward I. Wilson, and reported at this meeting by the committee and that the Town raise and appropriate the sum of $190,000 therefor. And that for the purpose of building a High School Building as pro- vided in this motion, under Article No. 1 of this Warrant, the treasurer, with the approval of the Selectmen, be, and he hereby is, authorized and empowered to borrow the sum of $190,000 and to issue bonds or notes of the Town there- for, said bonds or notes to be payable in accordance with the provisions of Section 19 of Chapter 44, of the General Laws of the Commonwealth, so that the whole loan shall be paid in not more than twenty years from the date of the issue of the first bond or note, or at such earlier date as the treasurer and selectmen may determine.
The first of such payments shall be made not later than one year from the date of the first bond or note issued therefor.
Moved to vote by check list.
No 81
Yes
167
Building Committee :
J. H. Burkhead
F. S. Weston
D. D. Sullivan
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ADJOURNED TOWN MEETING, APRIL 30, 1923.
Article 6. Voted : That the Town authorize its Board of Selectmen to take by eminent domain in fee under Chap- ter 79 of the General Laws for certain municipal purposes to wit: to build thereon an engine house, etc., a certain lot of land situated in the Town of Middleborough and bounded and described as follows, viz: Beginning at a point in the southwesterly side line of said High Street, said point being the northerly corner of land recently con- veyed to Middleborough Lodge No. 1274 B. P. O. E. and about 344 1-2 feet northwesterly from the intersection of said southwesterly side line of High Street with the north- westerly side line of Oak Street, thence south 41 degrees 30 minutes west in line of said land of said Lodge 429 feet to land now or formerly of one Leonard; thence north 49 degrees 15 minutes west in line of said Leonard land, land now or formerly of one Thomas, land now or formerly of one Washburn and land now or formerly of one Harlow, about 242 1-2 feet to land of the Old Colony Railroad Com- pany ; thence north 43 1-2 degrees west in line of said Rail- road land, and land now or formerly of one Bailey, some- times called "The Blacksmith Lot" about 279 feet to south- erly side line of Station Street; thence south 75 1-4 degrees east in said southerly side line of Station Street, about 197.2 feet to said southwesterly side line of High Street; thence south 48 degrees east in said southwesterly side line of High Street, about 141 feet to point of beginning, and that the town appropriate therefor the sum of $7,500.00.
Yes 63
No 42
Moved that the Town appropriate the sum of $7,500 and that it be assessed and collected. Voted.
SPECIAL TOWN MEETING Aug. 1, 1923.
Under Article 1, it was voted that: The Town appro- priate the sum of Five Thousand Dollars to be included in
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the tax levy for the current year, the same to be spent under the direction of the Selectmen for the purpose of rebuild- ing "Woodward" bridge, so-called over the Taunton River between the Towns of Middleborough and Bridgewater. This sum so appropriated to be used on the condition that the State and the Town of Bridgewater appropriate such additional sums as will be sufficient to complete the cost of rebuilding said Bridge.
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MARRIAGES RECORDED IN THE TOWN OF MIDDLEBOROUGH DURING THE YEAR 1923
Date Jan.
1
Name of Bride and Groom Allen C. Braley Mary L. Pittsley
6 William Leon Bernier Belva Tinkham Holmes
8 George Littlefield Burnham Mary (Abercrombie) Gardner
16 Thomas Warren Pierce Mary Silvia
25 Gilbert Philips Bradford Margaret McAuley
26 Charles Allerton Bourne Almira Newel Pierce
29 Harold Lincoln Dunham Sarah Olive Reed
Feb. 3
30 Francis Leroy Taft Mary A. Bradley Miles Henry Standish Addie May Weld
Middleborough Middleborough Middleborough Bridgewater
Taunton
Middleborough Middleborough Middleborough W. Wareham
Mar. 11
24 Robert Sharp Jones Louise May Powers Manuel Pina Marks Mary Jane Sears Walter Louis Pittsley Elizabeth Agnes Rogers 20 Anthony Azevedo Gladys Rathbone 23 Robert Thomas Shurtleff Priscilla Lee Churbuck
Middleborough Middleborough ' Middleborough Taunton
April
2 Roger Francis Ryder Ida May Merrihew
2 Richard Peter Byrnes, Jr. Mary Anna Silva
15
9 Howard Gordon Wright Bertha Lorette Wright William Henry Arey Emma Ruth Cushing
16 John Martin, Jr. Mary Soares
19 Abram Louis Sanford Agnes Vivian Boehme
22 Emery Franklyn Griswold Emily Shannahan
22 John Nicholas Zervas Panagiota Paul Bousios
Residence Freetown Freetown Middleborough Middleborough Middleborough Middleborough Bridgewater Middleborough Kingston
Middleborough Middleborough Middleborough Middleborough
Lakeville Middleborough Marion
11 Walter Holland Grant Leah Mary Cormier
14 Henry Albert Dickerman Edith Whitman
24
24 Harvey Bigelow Goodale Charlotte May Selley
Middleborough Middleborough Middleborough Middleborough New Bedford Middleborough Middleborough Middleborough Middleborough Middleborough Middleborough Middleborough Brockton
Middleborough Fall River
Middleborough Middleborough Middleborough Roxbury Middleborough Somerville
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28 Francis Rose Anna Cecelia Lawson
29 Frank Pfister, Jr.
Helen Rita Byrnes
30 Charles Patrick Devlin Elizabeth Creedon
May
5 Charles Belmont Luicie Santos
5 Joseph M. Enos, Jr. Mary Costa
9 William Soloninka Gladys Winifred West
21 Herbert James Brooks Ann Agnes Benson
29 John Burgess, Jr. Margaret Caswell
June 2 Manuel Silva Antonia Santa
2 Ernest Walter Fuller Doris Bradford Manley
2 Lincoln Francis Miller Eva Blanche Raymond
9 Andrew Francis Tatro Alice Josephine Joyce William Francis Holden Georgeanna St. Ouge
17
15 Russell Everard Carver Jesse Alice White
17 Charles Austin Allen Esther Maude Corliss
18 Frederick C. Davis Mabel Lilian (Mills) Clark
23 Edwin Baylies Meade Madeline Merle Read
23 Stanley Francis Alger Priscilla Stetson
23 Leslie Grant Maranville Helen Elizabeth Perkins
30 Edwin Clark Bennett Elizabeth Weld
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