Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-04-18
COMMITTEE REPORT

W tnC unuCf5iS LIEU Oiuulttkcto
appointed by Tuscarora Lodge /.
O. O. F. and Equality Lodge A.
f. Il A. NJ, to devise some plan
in conjunction with committee
appointed by the corporation of
Martinsburg to improve the corner
of Queen and Burke streets, beg
leave respectfully to report.
Your committees first made an
examination of the title or rights
which their respective orders
held in said property, and believe
the same may be stated as follows:
The county court authorizes the
two orders and the corporation to
erect building on the following
plan: the corporation to erect the
first story and the orders the sec
ond; the corporation to be at the
expense of roofing the same, and
the orders to keep 1t in repair; in
fact making them joint owners In
the entire building.
About two years ago the county
authorities, with view to a fur
Their improvement Of said property
conveyed their title in the ground
to the cooperation.
This being the respective rights
in said property of the three par
ties, the next question was to
agree upon a plan that would ena-
BILE some important improvement
to be built on said property.
The first proposition was to
form a stock coInnany, composed
Of tnembers of the two orders, and
the corporation. This was found
impracticable lorrthe. following
reasons:
First, The law does not author
ize or permit a municipal corpora
ton to engage in such undertake
ings,or impose any taxes upon the
citizens of a corporation to erect
buildings not necessary for corpo-
rate use. 9N
Second, THE present con titu-
tion of the State prohibits corpo-
ration to create. any indebted
ness to greater amount than five
per cent. Of the assessed value of
the real and personal property
within its limits, as ascertained
by the last assessment for county
and State taxation. The limit au-
thorized has already been exceed
Ell by the cooperation
Finding it impossible therefore
to obtain any aid from the corpo-
ration, and feeling that the prop
erty, as now held by the corpora
tim, yields them a mere nominal
sum, about $95 year, and being
anxious to improve our town and
and furnish to the orders accepta-
BILE halls, your committee, after
mature consideration and earnest
discussion appointed sub-com-
mittee to make the following
proposition to the common coun.
ell:
That in consideration of con-
veyance of all right or title of the
corporation in said property, to
the two orders, your committee
would recommend their orders
respectively to pay the corpora
ton 1900 dollars in cash, and fur
nish in the west end Of the bnild-
ing to be erected a Mayors Office,
council room, two lockups and an
engine house, STIMULATING in said
deed to put up a building 90 feet
front and 103 feet deep, three sto-
ries high, built of brick. with
large public hall, occupying the
entire second story, the cost of the
building to be about $25, 900. Va
Your committee believed this to
be full and fair price for the in
terest of the corporation, as it was
equivalent to the payment of about
S., 900, and in, addition to this con-
sideration the yearly tax to the
corporation on such a piece Of
property would have amounted to
at least 1925 The hall would have
induced large exhibitions to have
stopped at our town, and conse--
quently would have justified a
larger license and yielded a larger
revenue. The superior accommo-
datiOns would have been an in
ducement also for Stats conven-
tiOns to hold their sessions here.
viii ch besides bringing our grow
ing town into notice, would have
been great pecuniary benefit.
The above proposition, and the
reasons which induced the orders
representing the committees to
make the same, was fully and
earnestly discussed two evenings
before the common council. A
vote was taken first upon the
above proposition, when on call
for division it stood four for and
four against the proposition, where
upon the Mayor gave the casting
vote in the negative. The next
vote was uDOn nrop0sifion in all