The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1890-09-04

The Now Court House.
At the special meeting Of the coun-
ty commissioners Tuesday, plans for
new court house were submitted by
Messrs. Baker, Dooner and Whittet, the
committee appointed at July session
of the board. The preliminary sketch
is modification of the design for the
St. Peter court house, and represents
a commodious and handsome build
ing, we'll adapted to the special uses
for which it is designed. The exterior
dimensions submitted were 7Ox92 on
the ground, with county Offices on the
first floor and fire-proof vaults Access
sible from all the principal offices.
The second floor is taken up with
court room about 5Ox6O feet in area,
and jury and officers rooms of ample
size. The commissioners considered
petitions circulated at Walnut Grove
and Lamberton, asking for postpone
ment of action on building a court
house, and Mr.. F. Schandera and
Commissioner Leavitt argued at length
for such delay. The arguments for
delay were in the main that the people
of the county should more fully con-
slider the project, and should await &C
ton of the Legislature in the hope that
the state will help bear the burden of
the recent prosecutions of Rose and
Holden. Commissioner Leavitt went
farther than this, and expressed him
self as opposed to building a court
house unless it could be more central
ly located. On the other hand, the
commissioners were confronted with
the fact that the county records are in
a deplorably unsafe condition and that
the court room facilities are notorious
~ inadequate, making necessary the
rental of extra jury rooms at each ses-
sion, and other large annual OUTLAWS
on account of our lack of suitable
county building. The law makes it
the duty of the commissioners to pro-
vide a suitable and safe depository for
county records. The present vault
leaves records, the loss of which would
be irreparable to almost every proper
ty owner in the county, to the chance
of destruction by fire at any moment.
That the county has outgrown it's
primitive frame court house is conced-
ed by all. That anything would be
gained by expanding good money in
fixing up the court house temporarily,
is not susceptible to proof, and as new
county buildings were inevitable, we
are glad that the county commission
ers finally decided to go ahead and do
their duty regardless of petitions for
delay.
It is fact that in most of the coun-
ties surrounding Redwood, enough
money has been expended in acrimon-
ious county seat fights to pay the cost
of erecting the buildings outright, to
say nothing of the bad blood and vex
alton generated. That the county
commissioners have avoided this with
out doing their constituents any in
justice, is matter for congratulation
rather than criticism, and we predict
that in the fullness of time oven those
citizens remote from the county seat
will so view it.
As to the financial view of the case,
the St. Peter building, after which
ours will be modelled, cost less than
$4,000 and Architect Bassford point
ed out several items which will tend
to make the new court house lower in
cost than the St. Peter building. AL
lowing that the final cost should be
$25, 600, fifteen thousand of this is al
ready provided for, without increasing
the tax rate over previous years. 1t is
not contemplated in any event that
the issuance of bonds will be neccs-
sary or advisable, and it was demon
strated that at the present county val
uation a levy of ten cents on each
hundred dollars valuation, for three
years, will amply provide for the cost
of completing the building according
to the plans, which were adopted by
the board, after lengthy discussion and
explanation by the architect, all voting
favorably except Commissioner Leav-
lit. The board appropriated S. 600 to
defray expense of putting in the
foundation this fall, and appointed
Commissioners Baker, johnson and
Whittet to have oversight of the work.
Architect Bassford staked out the
grounds for the new building Jester
day.
Hats at cost price at Geo. Brands