Special Meeting of the Hartford Board of Water Commissioners

06/11/1919 |

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The Hartford Board of Water Commissioners held a special meeting at 2:00 PM in order to consider an offer of property from the Hartford Fire Insurance Company that would ultimately cause the abandonment of the Garden Street Reservoir.

  1. Richard J. Kinsella presided at the meeting. All of the water board commissioners were present, including Benedict Holden, Frank E. Howard, and John L. Purcell.
  2. Also in attendance were Richard M. Bissell, John H. Buck, Roscoe N. Clark, William A. Graham, Lucius F. Robinson, and Caleb Saville, manager.
  3. The Courant’s impression was that the water commissioners, with the exception of Howard, supported the proposal to abandon the Garden Street Reservoir in order to settle the dispute over the course of the Broad Street Extension.
  4. The American School for the Deaf and the Hartford Fire Insurance Company were united in their position that the sale of the school’s land to the company, and consequently the school’s move to West Hartford, would not happen if the Broad Street Extension was executed as approved.
  5. The City’s position was that the Broad Street Extension was necessary and that the Garden Street Reservoir was not.
  6. Howard’s opposition was procedural: he believed that the extension of Broad Street and the abandonment of the reservoir were separate matters and should, therefore, be considered separately.
  7. Lucius Robinson shared that Hartford Fire would be willing to buy the reservoir property from the city.

The Courant’s article offered minutes to the meeting:

1.  John Buck presented the reasons the American School of the Deaf planned to move to West Hartford:

  • the buildings on the Hartford campus were antiquated and a fire hazard;
  • school officials had recognized the need for new buildings for some time;
  • the Broad Street Extension and Lisbon Street would ruin the Asylum Hill property for the school; and
  • even though the school had received $250,000 from the state, it could not proceed without the sale of the property.
  • Buck added that the planned new roads had caused the school to contemplate subdividing its property into building lots.

2.  Lucius Robinson explained the process of getting this matter before water board:

  • he had informed the street board that if the approved plan was altered to suit the company, then the company would claim no damages and would waive all rights it might have in the reservoir property;
  • the street board first resisted unless Robinson’s proposal had the full backing of the company, which it did;
  • then the street board resisted until the water board had considered the matter.
  • The street board would wait until the company had something tangible to offer.

3.  William Graham stated that Garden and Broad Streets should be connected and that the city’s development required this connection.
4.  Richard Kinsella stated his opinion that the water board had already expressed interest in abandoning the reservoir but did not because of certain restrictions. His position was that now would be the right time to proceed with that abandonment.
5.  Frank Howard expressed his opinion that abandonment of the reservoir was a matter that deserved consideration in its own right and not in connection to this matter, and it should only be considered in connection with this matter if it was absolutely necessary that it should be. He then asked:  who would own 137 feet of property on Garden Street if the reservoir was abandoned?
6.  Lucius Robinson responded that the water board would, but Hartford Fire was willing to buy it in order to clear up the matter, adding that the company’s board of directors would vote on anything the water board wanted it to.
7.  John Purcell asked if the Nepaug reservoir provided an adequate supply of water to the city.
8.  Kinsella responded that Caleb Saville had said that it did.
9.  Benedict Holden asked Buck if the state appropriation sufficient to build the new school.
10.  Buck answered no, the appropriation plus the proceeds from the sale would not be enough.
11.  Purcell moved to take a sense of the board as to the abandonment of the reservoir and to appoint a committee to continue negotiations.

At this point in the meeting, a demonstration against pogroms in Poland passed the Municipal Building outside, accompanied by a funeral dirge played by the Foot Guard.  Holden remarked that the dirge “sounded the death of the reservoir.”

12.  Howard opposed Purcell’s motion, saying it was out of order:

  • The meeting had been called for only to receive an explanation for the need to alter the Broad Street Extension and abandon the reservoir;
  • there’d been no opportunity for discussion:
  • there’d been no opportunity to hear from Roscoe Clark; and
  • there’d been no opportunity to hear what the City would get in exchange for abandoning the reservoir.
  • Howard added that he knew there were options for the future use of the reservoir, but he also didn’t want to go on the record as opposing the reservoir’s abandonment if doing so impeded the street board’s ability to solve the problem presented by the approved Broad Street Extension.

13.  General discussion on the merits of the reservoir followed:

  • Howard: the water board should not imply it wanted to dispose of the reservoir
  • Kinsella: favored disposing of the reservoir.
  • Holden: favored disposing of the reservoir

14.  Holden offered an amendment to Purcell’s motion to appoint a committee of three to carry on negotiations and report to the board on June 16
15.  Howard opposed the amendment
16.  The other members of the board attempted to explain that there was no reason not to appoint the committee and that the committee would represent a step forward, “especially in getting a price the insurance company would be willing to pay for the property if it bought it.”
17.  Holden added that the water board could act on the committee’s report however it wished.
18.  Purcell’s motion as amended passed with only Howard voting against.
19.  Kinsella appointed Howard as chair of committee and Holden and Purcell as members
20.  Holden asked Bissell what the value of the company’s new office building would be on the grand list.
21.  Bissell answered that the company planned to spend at least $1,500,000 on the project and that the company would require an engineer to inspect the reservoir property before the company could decide what it would offer the city for the property.
22.  Caleb Saville promised Bissell that the company would have access to the plans.

This meeting fills in some of the details about the sale of the campus of the American School for the Deaf to the Hartford Fire Insurance Company as well as Hartford Fire’s plans for the property and the defunct Garden Street Reservoir.  Most notably:

  • ASD had held discussions about selling the property with only Hartford Fire
  • ASD could not proceed with its move without selling the property
  • Hartford Fire planned a substantial investment in its new building
  • Hartford Fire was interested in acquiring the reservoir property as well

  1. The only commissioners listed in the article were Benedict Holden, Frank Howard, and John Purcell. I believe that there were six commissioners in all, and Richard Kinsella was not one of the them.  Caleb Saville may have been one of them:  the article refers to him as “Commissioner Saville,” but it’s unclear if he would have (or could have) been a commissioner because of his role as the manager of the city’s water department.
  2. Frank Howard’s question about the ownership of “137 feet of Garden Street” appears to be a typo.  On August 4, 1919, the property was described as “737 feet on Garden Street,” which would seem to settle the matter; however, Richard Bissell described the property as having several sections, and it’s possible that one of them was 137 feet along Garden Street.  Doubtful, but still possible!
  3. When Caleb Saville promised Hartford Fire “access to the plans,” it is unclear what plans he referred to. Presumably they were plans for the reservoir, as those were the plans he was most likely to have access to and, therefore, to be able to commit to sharing.

  1. The water board and the reservoir were first mentioned in connection with this transaction on May 13, 1919.
  2. The offer from Hartford Fire that prompted this special meeting was reported on June 10, 1919.

  1. The American School for the Deaf and the Hartford Fire Insurance Company closed on the sale of the school’s Hartford campus on July 17, 1919.
  2. The Hartford Fire Insurance Company offered to by the Garden Street Reservoir property on August 4, 1919.

  1. “Although it was apparent from the discussion at the special meeting of the board of water commissioners yesterday that there would be little opposition, if the abandonment of the Garden street reservoir for water purposes would help the street board solve the problem confronting it in cutting through a new highway from Broad to Garden street, no definite action was taken, other than the appointing of a committee to receive definite proposals from the American School for the Deaf and the Hartford Fire Insurance Company.”
  2. “Mr. Holden likened the reservoir to a pair of old shoes which were kept in the attic for the sole purpose of hoping to use the shoestrings on a fishing trip.”

  1. Richard Kinsella was mayor.
  2. Frank Howard was president of the Board of Water Commissioners.
  3. John Buck represented the American School for the Deaf.
  4. Richard Bissell was president of Hartford Fire.
  5. Roscoe Clark was a city engineer.
  6. William Graham was a member of the city plan commission.
  7. Lucius Robinson was counsel at Hartford Fire.
  8. Caleb Saville was the manager of the Hartford water department.

 

Unattributed.  “Reservoir may go to Hartford Fire.”  Hartford Courant, June 12, 1919, page 20.

Garden Street Reservoir
The Hartford

History


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