The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-08
AFRAID TO BEGIN PARKS
CITY ADMINISTRATION FINDING
MORE ALLEGED OBSTACLES.
Proposed Now to Begin at Capitol
Avenue and Fall Creek-Confer-
ence at Mayors House.

A conference concerning parks was held
at Mayor Taggart's residence yesterday
afternoon. Beside the mayor, City Attor-
ney Kern Superintendent of Parks Power
and the Board of Public Works were pres
ent After the meeting it was said that the
Park Bureau simply talked over the situa-
ton. The talk" however was of the ut
most Importance. City Attorney Kern ex-
planned some of the things that the board
can and cannot do. Incidentally, he said
that he had informed Controller Johnson
that the $3.50 900 appropriated should be held
intact and not transferred to the general
fund. as has always been done with APP
propriated money remaining unexpended at
the first of each year. There many diff
ficult questions to be solved before any
thing can be done toward providing Indian
apolis with parks. They were all discussed
yesterday.
In the first place, there is plentiful lack
of money. If the proposed boulevard ex-
tending from Washington street to Central
avenue or Twenty-second street were con-
structed that would take one-third of the
money now available without purchasing
any material tracts of land. If the entire
fund now available is taken to purchase
land nothing will be left for making i'm
provements. Improvements already advo-
Gated, including the building of levees to
protect the river parks, at a cost of $500 900;
the boulevard, at cost of 100000; lake
of one hundred acres above Indiana avenue,
the dam and excavation for which would
cost $685. 600, would bring the total for the
preliminary rough work up to 1868 COO The
power of the city to borrow, even if it goes
to the full limit of Indebtedness, would be
but little more than that, so that after
new issue of bonds for improvements was
made and the money now in sight were
used to purchase the lands the city would
have mere skeleton of a park system,
with no money in sight until the taxable
property of the city would make another
bond issue possible. Even if this plan were
pursued, and the money now on hand were
used to buy land, there is much doubt as to
whether it would come anyways near buy
ing all the land that was originally con-
templated Conceding that it might be
bought with the money now available, and
the Council would authorize another bond
issue for making improvements after all the
money now in the treasury and the $S50,OO0
or 100000 more that the city has the power
to borrow were expended, indianapolis
would still be long ways from realizing
the dreams of the park enthusiasts.
Members of the Park Bureau stated at
the conference yesterday that they were
repeatedly urged to go ahead and buy parks
by people but little acquainted with the
financial situation and the serious impede
ments that the Park Bureau sees before it.
The officials say that if the public is with
them, If the Commercial Club, Board of
Trade, the press and the public generally
ADVISE. they spend
money they now have in purchasing lands
then apply to the Council for bond issue
up to the limit of Indebtedness that may be
incurred for improving the lands that may
be purchased If public sentiment favOrs
this plan, and will back an appeal to the
Legislature for law authorizing the city
to levy special tax or set apart a portion
of its income from year to year for park
maintenance and the identifying of the
lands bought with the bond money, the
Park Bureau will feel more like going
ahead Reference is frequently made by
those who advocate an immense system of
parks for Indianapolis TO what has been
done in this direction in other cities In
such cities. however the Park Bureau says,
there is no such constitutional provision as
that in Indiana, which prevents corpora
tion from creating debt greater than per
cent. of its taxable property. Syracuse. Il
place of perhaps $4,000 population has
debt of nearly $4,000 900; Louisville's debt is
$4,000. 600. Indianapolis cannot contract a
debt. under the present constitutional limit,
much in excess of 81 000.0l0
Before going further it is the desire of the
Park Bureau TO ascertain just how far it
will be backed by the commercial organiza-
tons, the press and the public. From the
present tone of what is said there is pos
sibilty that there may be a delay until the
Legislature meets
BEGIN AT CAPITOL AVENUE.
At least one member of the bureau thinks
that if the idea of creating the vast park
system that was first contemplated were
abandoned and plans were narrowed some
what making a boulevard driveway of
Capitol avenue to connect with a system of
parks beginning at the intersection of that
thoroughfare and Fall creek and extending
thence east and northeast the money now
in sight and that could be borrowed would
so long way toward giving the city all the
parks that will be needed. His plan would
take in the Pogue s-run system, which, he
is convinced, can be much beautitled with
$25 000 With SO little money available he
doubts the wisdom of trying to make a
boulevard along White river from Washing
ton street as so many hundreds of thou
sands Of dollars would have to be expended
in building levees to protect the ground
Capitol avenue and Fall creek there would
be no such expense in laying foundation
stones of the park system, as it might be
termed as the original plan contemplated.
When the plans were drawn by the Park
Board that body operated under law that
authorized it to assess benefits From this
source a very large sunl-the exact amount
has never been stated but 1t was estimated
to run from 81 900 900 to $1,000 O00-was am
ticipated for improvements. There is scarce
ly any question of the right of the Board of
Public Works to- assess benefits, but the adj
ministration is committed against that
policy and the only money available will be
from the sale of bonds, If the nonassesSment
policy is carried out.
There has been raised a question as to the
right of the Council to authorize the is
suance of bonds for park purposes. No part
Of the city charter makes any provisions for
parks While the Council authorized the
borrowing of the $350,000 a year ago that
was under the park law, which has since
been declared invalid.
The Park Bureau realizes that something
must be done soon toward outlining n policy.
Until that is done it can be said definitely
that no determination will be reached with
regard to land to be purchased. other than
that the Pogue s-run parks are now favored
BY all parties. 1t is not likely that the
park system will be topped off east of Cen
trail avenue and north of Twenty-Second
street 1t is realized that the best land in
the original proposed system was i'm that
direction Yesterday afternoon Controller
Johnson questioned reports that the system
might end at Central avenue or Twenty
second street. He seemed to think that il
any part of it were cut off ii ought to be at
the other end-down toward Washington
street
TWEEDLE-DUM AND TWEEDLE-DEE