The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-05-01
NECESSARY
FOR HEALTH
AND GROWTH
Kansas CITY Park Expert Ad-
Vlses Development Of GulhrIe
Park System

Expressing the conviction that
Guthrie had made splendid start
IN the development Of a park system
and should by all means perserye,
4 NJ H. Dunn superintendent OF parks
al Kansas City, yesterday told q
large crowd a Highland park OF the
/ system under which successful play
grounds are built and of the immense
/ value Of improved open places to the
people generally and the glowing ad
yertising there secured Mr. Dunn has
! for fifteen years been the builder and
/ Keeper Of Kansas City's 2,400 acres
i of parks, noted ais among the best
4 in the world and Is frequently called
into consultation III other cities.
fIe was long associated with n RI
Kesser, who laid out Highland park
i Mr. Dunn spoke here under the aus
pices OF the park commission and the
/ young mems civic federation. He
viewed the entire park system and
4 the city generally and gave It as his
4 opinion that the peop.e should perse
we're and vote the 100000 bonds pro
posed In opening his speech he said
he was not an orator or park arch
itect but park builder
With the small amount Of money
yonr park commissioners have had
7 they have done remarkably we'll
said Mr. Dunn, But this is only
starter You have the makings here
OF a great and beautiful city. Start
right
For cliff Boulevard.
II looked over the cliffs at the
west side OF your city. and saw
great possibilities, BY alt means you
. should acquire that property now 50
that when you are able you may
, build a boulevard Such scenery as
this can not be built and it should
be seized before quarrying destroys
it, Every bit of nature in sight
should be secured while 1t is possi-
Bile to be secured You have not the
same need here that we have for a
boulevard system through the city,
because there are wide shady streets
here But the cliff boulevard, over.
looking the city should be built
With promontories for pedestrians
I With the wonderful mineral water
and your beautiful parks You should
be able TO make a system here that
viii bring visitors from over the
world and cause people to urge an
. traveyers TO see the Guthrie parks. Z
Parks Necessity for
Health and Growth.
Parks are a necessity for the
health OF the people and the growth
Of the city and no city can afford to
neglect this yitally important phase
of city building ] have within the
last few years visited many of the
larger American cities for the pur-
pose OF studying their park systems,
and a city that Is going to keep In the
procession must not neglect park
bnldng
Enhancement in Value.
~ IS a fact that the enhancement
in value OF property abuttng the
bouelyards and parks IN Kansas City
Is more than 100 per cent: that the
Increase in value in the business
district alone due to the impetus Civ
en- to business growing out Of the
establishment OF the park and boul-
evard system exceeds the entire cost
oi the park and boulevard system;
THAT the enhancement OF taxable val
ues due alone to the establishment
OF boulevards is more than the entire
cost Of the park and boulevard sys-
TEN and that the total increase in
values OF real estate, both business
and residential, creatd by the park
and boulevard improvements exceeds
several times the cost OF those inn
proyements Now this may seen a
strong assertion. yet no one who s
familiar with the conditions In Kan
sas City questions the statement In
fact, ! am compiling now for the next
report Of our board statistics taken
sessed value OF properties prior to
the beginning OF the park work In
Kansas City and the assessed value
Of the same properties after those
park improvements We're completed
and | have gone far enough into this
compilation Of statistics to prove by
the record on the assessors books
that the enhancement HI values far
exceeds the cost of acquiring those
b0uleyards and the Improvement oil
the Same. Il Is by applying the sell.
ing pfice Of those properties prior to
the park improvements and the pres
en- selling price that we arrive at
the fact that the enhancement I'M
value Is Ia times the cost of the
entire system
Park Building
Commercial Proposition
Il viii present the question to YOU
tln a strictly business way
In the matter Of park improve.
ments and In the manner OF accom-
piishing them Kansas City now occn-
lples an enviahle position among Am.
erican cities III little more than
l5 years, and without the Issuance of
bonds with single exception or one
issne cf S500,9N0, Kansas City has
created d park and boulevard system
costing IN round numbers $1,000, 600
leYery cent Of Which has been paid
for by assessments ON land and not
including the Improvements on that
land and that cost has proven Of the
greatest value as m Investment Wa
tin Kansas City fully appreciate that
Ipark improvements are rot 4 tax but
All investment
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