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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.
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:
2. Lucius Robinson explained the process of getting this matter before water board:
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:
13. General discussion on the merits of the reservoir followed:
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:
Unattributed. “Reservoir may go to Hartford Fire.” Hartford Courant, June 12, 1919, page 20.
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