by Laurel | April 8th, 2013
08 April 1908
Annexation Comes Up Again — Move to Postpone Action — An order was adopted asking that they senator and representatives of the city make an effort to postpone the annexation bill until the next term of the General Court. In speaking, regarding the order, Alderman Barnett said there three years ago he became interested in an order annexing Smiths Ferry, but owing to a mistake the bill was not acted upon at the last year’s term of the court. This year, after hard work on the part of the mayor and committee, a bill was drawn up an unanimously recommended. this bill has already passed the House of Representatives. Unfortunately, opposition has arisen over the bill in its present form. The alderman said that on his own part he would have included the district later recommended, but he had found that Northampton had no disposition to listen or consider any attempt to annex a part of her territory by Holyoke. The alderman said that he took the position that the city of Holyoke should stand aloof from any further attempts to obtain the ground. Let those interested push the matter from now on, and the alderman also said he would oppose any move to pay Northampton for any territory to be annexed to Holyoke.
Conference Over New School — A number of the residents of Oakdale were entertained at the mayor’s office last evening by the mayor and the board of public works and the plans submitted by the architects for the new school building to be erected in their district were on exhibition. After viewing the plans a discussion followed over the style of the building wished, and a majority of those present seemed averse to a flat-roofed structure, wishing a hip roof with a slate covering, the structure to be of light colored brick. Considerable discussion centered on the necessity for a fireproof building and on speaking of the matter the mayor thought that the basement and first floor were made fireproof, that by making the partitions in the upper rooms of brick and care taken to wrap the ends of the joists with asbestos or fireproofed wrappings, that there would be no more danger than if the whole building was made strictly fireproof, and that the cost instead of being about $4,500 more as for fireproofing would be only about $1,800 more. He called attention to the Morgan school as an example of what he meant. It was estimated that the total cost of an eight room building with the basement and first floor strictly fireproof, together with the land, would amount to somewhere about $45,000.
Park Keepers Named — Commissioners Vote to Open the Parks the 13th — The board of park commissioners met last evening and approved the monthly bulls. It was voted to open the parks Monday, the 13th, and the following park keepers were appointed: Prospect Park, A. J. McGuire, P.J. Fitzgerald; Hampden Park, Martin Fitzgerald and Thomas Deem; Elmwood Park, Franz E. Klopfer and William McNaught; Riverside Park, Frank J. Sullivan and Felix J. McCarthy; Canonchet Park, Michael Foley and Frank McQillan; Hamilton Park, G. LaChapelle; Hamilton Park and Germania Park, A. La Fontaine; Germania Park, C. F. Geiffler and Gustave Miller; Matron of the sanitaries, Mrs. Frank Boyer; extra men, Bruno Uhlman, Timothy Falvey, Francois Morin, Ovila Tontie; temporary men, Denis Connors, Patrick J. Lyons, Robert Smith and Timoty Murphy.
Adapted from The Springfield Republican.
