The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1904-10-07

DR.. Armfeld +. VanBibber. Charles
NJ. Michael, Jr., ]. Alexis Shriver, Sydney
STREET., of Baltimore. DR.. William S
Archer, Rev. William Glenn, Masters
William Webster, Jr., and Stevenson
Williams Webster
CONTRACT FOR COURT HOUSE ADDITION
AWARDED.
The Court House Commission and the
County Commissioners held a Joint SEES
SION on last Monday and fully discussed
the practicability of the different plans to
enlarge the Court House so as to furnish
the present needed room for the public
Offices, at the same time looking to the
reasonable needs of the future 1t seemcd
to be the general opinion that the plan
that had been adopted by the Commits
sion was the best and in fact the only
one to be seriously considered. 1t was
also apparent that the Improvement
could not he made for the amount allowed
in the enabling act that created the Com
mission and after consideration the
County Commissioners decided to lew
81, 900 in the year 1905 and the same
amount in 1905 thus making up the de
from the sale of the bonds and the entire
cost of the improvement including the
heating plant.
BY this arrangement the annual levy
of taxes will not be materially Increased,
the difference being that the time for the
payment Of the principal will be extended
for two years longer.
The memorandum filed with the County
Commissioners by the Commission is as
follows:
To TIE CoUHTY COMMISSIONERS
OF hartford COUNTY:
The undersigned, the Board of Com
missioners appointed by Chapter +, of
the acts of the General Assembly of larry
land of 1904, respectfully report to YOUR
Honorable Board as follows:
That after organizing we immediately
invited a number of architects To present
plans and specifications for an addition
To the Court House III Bel Air sufficiently
large to accommodate with offices all the
public officers of Hartford County, and i'll
response to the invitation we received
plans from eight or nine architects and
from these plans we selected and adopted
those presented by J. a. Dempwoli. OF
York, Pa. After the adoption of the
plans for the prup3se d improvements and
additions to the Court House we invited
Il number of reliable and experienced con.
tractors to bid for the work and materials
but only received two bids both of which
were rejected because the aggregate cost
largely exceeded the amount which we
were, under the provision of the Act OF
Assembly appointing lis, authorized to
cXpend. We then, after consultation.
advertised III the county papers for pro-
poSals Or bids upon the same plans and
specifications for all of the work except
the heating apparatus and fixtures and
received four bids as follows:
Henderson Il Co. Id. of Phila.. $50. f3T.
Daniel Harding of TowSun........ 81 $40.
{. L. Smith of acknowledgements. 2S,913.
D. !. She nahau of Fallston........ 2T,G75.
To these bids must be added So GOO,
the estimated cost of a heating plant and
fixtures, and also about So 900 for the
architect S commissions and the necessary
expenses of the Commission. Taking
the lowest bid, that of d. I. Shanahan
and adding S.. 900 for heating and other
expenses will make the total cost of the
improvement S32 .GI5, without any pro-
visions for furnishing the several offices
after completion. The amount of$32, 6T5
exceeds the sum we are authorized to eX-
pend by the Act Of Assembly to raise by
the sale of bonds by $7,GT5, and there
fore we have held the bids without taking
action on them until we had the oppor-
tunitv to report to your board the result
of our efforts and to receive from you
your views as to what under the circum-
stances had best be done.
After mature consideration, we are I'M
animously of the opinion that the plans
we lave adopted are the best suited to
perfect he Court House to provide the
accommodations absolutely required and
necessary for the proper preservation and
care of the public records, with reason
able regard for the requirements of the
future: and therefore we are of the opinion
that it will be for the best interest of the
people of the county, if no provision can
be made for providing the extra money
| required, to postpone further action on
our part until the next session ot the
General Assembly i'll order to see if they
will authorize the issue of bonds for the
amount necessary to complete the work
Your Board, can. if i'll your Judgment
YOU deem it wise and proper make pro-
vision for the amount required and II you
so determine the contract can be at once
closed and work commenced at the early
spring and completed during the summer
! of next year.
The need of additional room in the
office OF the Clerk OF the Circuit Court is
very urgent and unless tie situation is
promptly relieved many books and papers
affecting land titles in the county will
have to be stored in the room the Count V
already rents where there is no protection
whatever from their loss by fire.
GEO. l.. NANBIBBEI.
S. A. WILLIAMS.
VIM S. FoRwooD, JR.
y. Ii. STRASHAUGH.
liUGII \. JONES.
The following resolution WAS adopted
by the County Commissioners:
The County Commissioners have re.
ceivcd and read the atoregoing report OF
the Commission appointed to build the
proposed addition to the Court House
have in view thereof
RESOLVED, That it is cxpedient to pro,
coed with and complete the addition to
the Court House upon the plans adopted
by the Commission without rther delay
and for that pun pose further
RESOLVED, That the Board of County
Commissioners hereby appropriates
So 900, one half to he levied in tie levy
of 1905, and the the other half to be
levied in the levy of 1906 and that sun
in addition to the above specified amount
to he hereafter determined be levied
sufficient to provide the interest.
RESOLVED. That copy of tins minute
he sent to said Commission.
immediately after the adoptio II of thi.
order the Commission awarded the con
tract to Mr.. Shanahan at his bid.