Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-09-09
COMPROMISING ON PRICE
Railway Company and City Get
ting Together on Dock Question.
III proposition IL Accepted, City VIII
Have the Right 10 Extend cot
1cSc S.rect--Vnluc of Prop
crty Discussed.

c, w. Writer'S OF st. Adams. attorney
'or the central Vermont Railway COM
pany and American Trust company. was
"Saln III the city Tuesday and met the
public wharf committee in reference to
'he proposed sale of the College street
dock to the city by the Central Vermont
Railway company.
As stated elsewhere in the Free Press
the committee offered to pay $4,000 while
the railway company asked s35 600 Tuos-
day Mr.. Writer'S stated that his clients
would soil the wharf ana also give the
city the right TO extend College street.
for $4,000.
Again special wharf committee, ap-
pointed ny the wharf committee and
composed OF Attorney K. f. Brown, city
Attorney Villas, Alderman Clarke and
Mayor Rurle. met Mr.. Writer'S. Mr.
Writer'S stated that he had no discretion
ary power in the matter of price. but
that If the committee would make q
price of S27.500 he would lay the matter
before General Manager Fitzhugh of the
Central Vermont Railway company and
use his Influence I'm having the railway
people accept It. lie also asked that tn,
hearing before the special commission ir
reference to the two legal action,
brought ny the city Of burlington against
tho Central Vermont Railway company
to secure n public wharf bo continued
until to-day Mr. Writer'S sugges-
ton was adopted by the members of the
special wharf committee.
Mayor Burke called a special meeting
of the city council FOR three o'clock in
the afternoon to consider tho question OF
purchasing the wharf outright, with the
right to extend College street 4 resolu-
tion was drawn M by the city attorney
TO that effect, making tho price of tbs
wharf s2Ijoo, but as it turned out the
resolution was not laid before the coun-
Gil
At the opening of the meeting of the
city council Mayor Burke explained the
wharf situation in detail and was fol-
lowed by r.. T.. Brown, who said that the
College street dock was 2 feet wide \,
the entrance, 80 feet wide at tho west
end and 30 feet in length. Because of
tho many legal phases. etc. he thought
that it would be n good business proposi-
ton for the city to purchase the dock for
$4,000. as Il would have the right to eX-
tend College stree. and have dock al
ready constructed.
Alderman Coffey said that 81 600 was
too much to pay for the dock as the
planking and piles were In exceedingly
bad condition. He said that 1t would take
$4,000 to repair the dock so as to make
it safe. He said that tho dock repre-
scented $50 feet of planking and not much
else.
Alderman Dion thought that s275CO was
too large a price for the dock and that
the railway company would he willing
to accept a much lower price.
In defense of the proposition. Mayor
Burke stated that the people Of Burling-
ton to consider was the price. He said
that tho city had spent thousands of dol
lars in threshng out the matter and that
now It had an opportunity to purchase
the wharf and TO have the right to eX-
tend College street, something that 1t
had been fighting for all along. lie
thought that very little money would be
needed To- repair the wharf.
City Attorney Villas also spoke at
length IN summing up the proposition.
He thought that the proposition of pur-
chasing the wharf for s27,5o0 was a fairly
good one It would end a long legal
struggle, tho end of which no person was
sure o.
Aldermen Cowles stated that he
thought $25 GO the right price to pay and
TINT ne was not in favor of paying more.
on motion Of Alderman Drew the meet
ing was continued until Wednesday
morning