Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-06-24
THE CITY HALL.
The Chief Glory Of The Gen.
tennial Celebration.
The Detailed Story Of Five Years
Struggle.
An Interesting Chapter in the History
of WatcrvilIe.

| Nateryille'S new City building which
is dedicated at this time probably has
q more unique history than any similar
public building in Maine. Usually
when a city building is to be built the
plans are made, contracts let and then
the taxpayers do the rest, but in this case
there was a great deal more than this.
Scores of mass meetings, petitions from
taxpayers for and against, a special
act of the State legislature, Il long and
learned opinion from the law court, all
have share in the history of this
building.
The nrst move towards constructing
q new City building was made five
| years ago when the late Hon. L. f.
Webb was mayor. The city was then
possessed of an old building that had
been used as City hall for many, many
years. 1t was out of repair and alto
\ gether inadequate for the needs of
growing municipality. Every one be-
| lieved that before long the city would
have a new hall, hence little attention
| was paid to the old one. 1t was al
| loWod to get along as best it could with
| scanty attention. II was not a pleas
ant place to go but still it was used and
neglected in the hope that it would soon
be replaced by a better structure.
There had been more or less agta-
ton among the people in regard to the
matter and finally a move was COM
menced towards a new building. AS
soon as a start was actually made the
storm burst. There was large, strong
faction in favor of building the hail at
once and another faction about as large
and about as strong bitterly opposed to
the project.
! The fight was a bitter one for time
and little quarter was given by either
side. But those in favor of building
gained a temporary victory and the
! actual work of construction was finally
under way At this time the old hall
was located on land owned by the city
and faced Common street. The first
I thing to be done was to clear this lot,
| it Being selected as the site of the new
bulnling,: and to buy additional land for
| the old hall andSfor larger lot for the
| new.
The first building committee con-
sisted of the mayor-then L. F. Webb
w. NJ. Lincoln, then an alderman. II.
| II. Durham, then councilman, DR.. +.
| G. Thayer and Hon. Charles +. John
son. This committee was appointed in
| a meeting of the city government, June
8, 1926. This put things in running or
| der and the work was soon under way.
Additional land in the vicinity of the
| old hall was purchased by the city
and the old hall itself swung around
| and moved to the rear of the lot so
| that it faced Front street An at
| tempt to sell the building about this
time failed and it is well it did for if
| it had succeeded the city would have
been without a city hall of its own up
to the present time.
| On July 20, 1896, the building commit
| tee was authorized by the city council
to receive bids for the new city build
ing and also to hire George A. Adams
! to prepare plans ana specifications for
the proposed building. At"the meeting
of August : Of the same year the com
mttee Was authorized to advertise for
bids for the new city building at cost
not to exceed S75.Goo, provided no con-
| tract shall Dc made calling for the OK
penditure Of more than $4,000 that
year. The committee was also author
lied to dispose of the old building as II
saw fit.
| Those who are familiar with tho sit
uation will doubtless readily recog-
nize the little tote of discord in this
order. 1t will be noticed that the com
| mittee was to spend but $4,000 that
year. But more about that later.
| BY December II, 1896, the work was
well under way The mayor and treas
urer were authorized at meeting held
on that date to hire $4,000 at rate az
interest not exceeding per cent. to pay
bills contracted by the city hall com
nnittee.
| The faction opposed to the construc-
ton of the new city building had not
been idle all this time. They had dis
covered that there wasaa constitutional
debt limit for cities and We're using 1t
| to good advantage. The city was at
that time in debt over the 5 per cent. cf
its valuation, the limit fixed by the com
situation, and it was claimed that the
construction of the new building would
place it much farther beyond the lin
lit. This made pretty tough nut for
the friends of the building to crack. A
beginning on the work bad been made
and debts had been incurred They
were up against it hard i'm. the debt
limit proposition advanced by their OPP
ponents.
The work on the building was now
well along and considerable money had
been expended in moving the old build
, ing, buying the additional land need
ed and starting the foundation for the
new building. 1t seemed rather hard to
give up the matter ct this point, but
those opposed were ohdurate. The con-
Institutional debt limit had already been
passed and the construction of the
building according to the plans would
place it much farther beyond the limit.
Things We're pretty warm in the city
about that time. The tax payers had
visions of taxes going up like a runa-
way balloon, and while some said Let
her go. Let's have the city building