The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-06-06

this afternoon, the following report Of the
Park commissioners relative TO the purchase
of buildings land and Of the Union Railroad
Company was presented:
Office OF the Park Commissioners.
City Hall. June Is. 1895.
To the Honorable the City Council:
Gentlemen The park commissioners 70
whom was referred tho resolution Of the City
Council, authorizing the purchase OF certain
buildings adjoining Roger Williams Park, Win
instructions to confer with the officials OF tho
Union Land Company TO secure, IL possible
reduction in the price demanded by that com
pany for the said property, herewith respect
fully submit.their report.
The commissioners have consulted with tho
| officials of the Union Land Company, in COM
| pliance with the request OF your hohoraoio
| body, with the following result:
| The officials adhere to the price they origin
| ally asked for the buildings and land, sso,Oo'
| and steadfastly decline to entertain any oner
| for less than that sum-
| In view OF the fact that the park commis'
| sioners have been called upon for an OPINION
| i'm this matter, we desire at the outset To make
| the following statement to your honorable
| body that our position may be clearly denneo'
When 1t was first proposed to purchase the
land and buildings included in the RESOLUTION
| now referred to Va, and belonging to the
Union Land Company, provided that they
! could be- secured at a reasonable price, we be-
| leyed, from the best information obtainabie
at that time, that the property In queston
would be cheap at S4O,OUo. That pehei,
| founded upon the estimates OF disinteresteo
persons. and furnished gratuitously by them.
| SOLELY for the purpose of assisting the commis-
sioners to determine the real value OF the
fha ity
the Joint committee on parks, which hao
| courteously invited the commission to attend
n meetinr for the consideration Of the propo-
sition to purchase.
This was prior to the official appraisal maoe
b, | by the experts appointed by the commis.
$ sionors at the request OF the City Council anu
i: the report of the committee on parks, whioh Is
}. | annexed to this report also anteuates 'ne
+, aforesaid, official appraisal to procure whicn
the commissioners had neither funds nor au-
thority until the City Council PROVIDED ooth.
: From the figures obtained from unoihciai
10 experts we formed the opinion that the prop
J. erty would be worth $4,000 to the city, ana
that opinion remained unchanged until the
T. official experts had reported on the question
ID of repairs needed for putting the buildings III
=, a condition best fitted for park purposes
The instructions of your honorable body to
y ,be mark commissioners did not include
10 directing the official experts to estimate the
cost of these repairs, but. seeing the import
OF ance of such estimates, they were added py
OF us TO the duties of thelexperts
" In their report however, tho experts, while
giving in detail the cost OF needed repairs te
h, | the barn omitted reporting as to the repair
., needed for What Cheer COTTAGE ana IN oroe
that the estimate Of costs, which the cit!
hu vould have to incur, should be complete w
ais have obtained from various firms estimate
tic shaving that about 5000 will be necessary 10
the repairs.
by This sum, added to tho Si320 as estimate
m by the experts for repairing the barn. wouio
so. with tho appraised value of the buildings an
:, land, bring the total TO nearly So"VV'
VI omount which we consider too high and OF
'eu of nroportion to the value Of the property
nd AN addition to Roger Williams Park. II the'
,on bpildings and land could bo secured for a sui
the that would enable tho park commissioners
on. make all tho necessary repairs and the VINO
an | cost not exceed $4,000, we should mo
= heartily recommend that the purchase
! affected but as according to the uneqsuvoo
'hu s+ate,nents of the officials Of tho Union Lar
'ho Company, there is not the remotest possiDii
'ost of obtaining the property for suoh "a sum-
think It unadvisable TO make the purchase.
D to That the property Is worth $4,000 we
ueve AS fully now when the question nj
,ter arose. IL il borne out by the estimates pr
tho cured by the park commissioners IN 'ne M
place and by tho estimates OF the equally q
interested persons appointed ov the comm
sion at the instance OF the CITY Couhcii'
,ho additional expense of $4,000 for repair
IL, ,yhich was not known to the oonmissions
nor 20 the committee on parks, until after :
,in, recommendation referred to US had been 81
nrco ,,,itted 20 tho City Council, would. In o
Inct on,n,on. make tho purchase too costly for
dar- interests OF the cl'y' s,.,.,
arc All OF which Is respeos,uy 'A,.,,y,, |rs.,~,
nm. (signed) r. IL DEMlN6. Chairman
t. H. b. wINSHIP.
FRANK +. oLNEY.