Omaha daily bee., 1898-08-21
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! SOUTH OMAHA news. I


City Clerk Carpenter has advertised for
proposals for city off,ces and a jail. the bid.
ding to be open until noon on Thursday,
september /. Detailed drawings must &C.
company all bids, II being the intention OF
tne council to accept the most desirable
When the matter came up In the council It
was thought that the city engineer would
be Instructed to draft plans which would
form basis for the bids, but this formality
was laid aside and each bidder will be ex-
pected to send in plan Of the building he
proposes to erect.
Just here Is where difference of opinion
may come In. Mayor Ensor wants the city
ofices arranged similar to a bank, with the
different Offices partitioned off with wire
netting and with one long counter at which
all business shall be transacted. The mayor
holds that by this plan a visitor can see at
glance whether the person he wants to
see 10 In or not.
Those conversant with city affairs assert
that while this arrangement might work in
bank, 1t will not do In publics ofices. 1t
Is alleged that separate rooms are needed
and further than this a private room is
needed for the principal ofhcers. For in
stance resident calls at the clerks office
for a record, and should the bank plan be
adopted there will be no place for the plac-
Ing Of heavy books except on the general
counter. While out the books might be
mutilated or pages destroyed, but in order
to prevent this the clerk would be COM
PEELED to stand guard over the property he
is responsible for.
1t is the same with the treasurer. Many
people call daily at the treasurer's Office to
look up records, and II is not deemed ad-
visable to turn the books over to the gen.
eral counter. The same thing applies to the
engineers office and on down the line
Records which must be kept intact would be
subject to Disagreement were they left with
| out being constantly watched. With a
! private room for each Of the officials men,
toned all persons could examine the rec
ords at their convenience and all anxiety
| would be relieved.
The mayor wants the Jail to be con-
structed separate from the Office building,
| and II built according to his idea it will be
| a model structure. 1t was stated by his
honor yesterday that he would like to see a
Jail with solid brick walls, concreted in
side, and with sloping concrete floors, so
that all parts could be flushed without
trouble. He would also have stout steel
| cages. The only entrance or exit would be
| directly into the police court room.
According to the resolution under which
the advertisement was placed the proposal
is to be for a lease Of from one to FIVE years
| This Is considered by some to be entirely
| too short for the amount Of money which
will have to be expended and an extension
Of from eight to ten years has been sug-
| gested.
Something will surely come OF this agita-
! tion, for every member Of the city gov
ernment is disgusted with the condition Of
| the present quarters Several we'll known
| real estate men are now figuring on the
| deal and 1t is thought at least six PROPOSE
| tions will be received. Two or three prop
erty owners on Twenty-fourth street have
been trying to hnd out Just what is wanted,
besides a number Of others who own land
| within block or two Of Twenty fourth and
| N streets.
The building to be erected must be
| lighted by electricity and piped for gas and
| the owner must agree to keep the same in
! repair for the term OF the lease. Steam
| heat must also be provided along with
modern plumbing.