Dissenting Voices Heard

{"Ottawa Herald," 03 June 1927, page 1, column 8]

Many dissenting voices were heard recently when workmen began to raze the old Washington school building, formerly Senior high school, erected 30 years ago on the corner of Fifth and Main streets. Several persons went so far as to engage attorneys and prepare for court proceedings to restrain the board of education from destroying the edifice.

Two attorneys, F. A Waddle and H. M. Funston, went to Topeka yesterday afternoon to confer with the attorney general, state of Kansas, to determine if the name of the state might be used in obtaining an injunction to prohibit the removing of Washington school building. In the interests of the board of education, Attorneys F. M. Harris and B. F. Bowers also visited the state attorney yesterday.

After due consideration, the attorney general expressed his belief that everything was being done in regular order, the board acting in good faith, and that in as much as the citizens had voted bonds for the construction of a new Junior high school building on the Washington grounds, that the state had no authority in the matter of preventing the razing of the old building.

Persons taking an active part in the move to check the razing of the Washington edifice are John Guy, Warren White, P. Engwall, John Nelson, J. D. Ross, et al. No further action will be taken on their part, however, according to one of their attorneys, since the attorney general denies that the state cannot act in the matter.

The old Washington building is not in keeping with Ottawa's spirit of progress, believes members of the board of education. Besides being insufficient to provide for the number of pupils, they describe the building to be a fire hazard, as being improperly lighted and generally unfit for Ottawa's school needs.

All plumbing, heating and electric equipment already has been removed, including the toilet facilities, until it would take $15,000 to replace what has been done.

No objections are being raised to the construction of the proposed building, but the opposition would preserve the present one. The proposed Junior High school could be erected south of Senior high school, they maintain, insisting this location also is included as the "Washington grounds" for which they proposed building was designed and planned.