Aberdeen’s School Board Stalls on New Building
A local newspaper feud spills over into accusations of administrative incompetence and backroom dealing in the selection of an architect.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The Bulletin attempts a defense of the school board against the Herald's charge of inefficiency by using terms like 'stupidity' and 'meanness.' The Bulletin suggests the Herald's owner criticized the board because he couldn't sell them a lot, a claim that is false; he had no financial interest in the Terrace Avenue lots. Meanwhile, the school board has made zero progress on the school house since March. Records show that on May 9th, 1891, the board unanimously rejected all architectural plans, yet in August and September, they paid architect C.B. Douglas $325. No contract was ever advertised or signed, leaving taxpayers to wonder if this was a 'star chamber' method of doing business.
“Do the tax-payers of school district five think that an efficient and proper way of conducting business? Do they think there is anything of the star chamber method about it?”
Public school infrastructure funding and procurement have remained flashpoints for civic debate in Aberdeen for over 130 years. The Herald's demand for transparency in municipal contracting reflects a perennial struggle to hold local boards accountable for taxpayer funds.
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