St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-31
FIRST IN THE FIELD.
The Secretary Of the Park
Commission Makes His
Report.
Work Done in 1889 to Beau
tify the City's Breathing
Places.
City Engineer Rinker's An
nual Talk About Necessa-
ry improvements.
Facts and Figures Which Will
Prove Interesting to All
Citizens.

The board of park commissioners, ac1
cording to the report of Secretary w. g..
Nye, commenced the year 1890 with a
balance Of 81, 1896 in the treasury. The
receipts during the year from the sale
of bonds were S142, 9.56: from the tax
levy, 500, 1SS.47; from temporary loans,
$1,000, and from the sale of privileges
and rentals of boats, s7,647.20. Of the
temporary loans, $4,000 left over from
1883 was paid besides an Indebtedness
of Sl1,0J0 contracted during 1889, leav-
ing an Indebtedness of $4,000. The
cost of maintaining the parks, including
the salaries of police and the amount
paid for sprinkling the drives was $685.
592.75, and the total expenses of the
commission, including the interest on
b onds, was S31, 901.SS.
During the year the site known as
Minnehaha park, consisting of 123
acres, was purchased at cost of S95, 600,
and improvements were made costing
S, OS7. SO more. The Minnehaha boule-
ward, from Lake Harriet along Mime
haha creek to Lyndale avenue. Il dis
lance of one mile, was secured, and
about fifty acres of land was acquired
for park purposes. Forty acres of this
was gift from j. NJ. Fogg and ii. C..
Butler, and the remainder was purchased
at cost of $40, 100. Improvements were
made in this vicinity which cost SS. 047. 63.
There were three SCI arate improve
ments made at Lake Harriet. The beard
drive, which is ON the hill west of the
motor track, cost ST, 952 SO; the Suth er-
land drive, along the south shore of the
lake. cost 81, 2S3.75, and the amount eX-
pended in improving the shores and
the banks was s6,6l6.32. AT Lake of the
Isles the work was chiefly confined to
dredging and filling in the low pl aces.
avenue boulevard was filled to grade
from Sixth to Eleventh avenue north at
an expenditure of S4.7l5.90. The Obser
vatory at Prospect park was completed
at cost of sl,507,75. At Kenwood and
Superior the roadway and walks
were completed, planting spaces and
lawns were laid out. shade trees were
planted and the entire vicinity greatly
improved. This work cost the commits
SiOnerS S15,644. The little triangle at
Portland avenue and Grant street.
known as Portland park, was graded
and sodded and made preSentable at a
cost of s114.S2. At Oak Lake park the
improvements consisted in cleaning the
lake of obnoxious weeds, grading and
sodding. This cost 1854 70. In Central
Park curbing was built around the
artesian well, an Office for the use of
the superintendent was constructed and
ten boats were purchased at total
outlay of Sl,720. AT Elliott park
a fountain was put in and the
lake was cleared at a cost OF Sf17.93
Barnes park in Oak Park addition. near
Sixth avenue north, was graded and
laid out for park purposes. and a num-
Der of trees and shrubs were planted.
These improvements cost $500. Be
sides the above improvements SIT shade
trees were planted along Dupont.
Queen and Sheridan avenues at a cost
of 81, 1906. The commission during
the year purchased dredge boat at a
cost of $3.50. twelve sprinkling wagons
for S2.4O0, and miscellaneous tools cost
ing $572. The boats placed at Central
park and on Lake Harriet cost the
board S2,505.99. The gross receipts
were S2,Sl6.25, and the cost of attend
ants necessary was S9S1.50. A large
portion of the expenditure made by the
board was due to the fact that the deeds
conveying lands TO the board for park
purposes required that certain improve
ments must be made. The commits
sioners feel satisfied with tine work ac-
cOmpliShed during the year and say the
citizens have been well repaid for the
outlay of money which the work has
naturally neceSSitated.