Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1911-01-27

BELLOWS FALLS NEWS
o'erIen President for Fourth Time.

o'Brlen President for Fourth Time.
The village meeting Monday was one
| of much interest, principally centred
| around the election of officers and the
| movement for n public park and play
| ground. The first business was the cleo
ton of officers, which was by the Aus
| tralian ballot, and the polls remained
open until . o'clock Early in the day
| George A. Weston moved that the other
| business should not be taken up until
! 80 p. m, which was agreed to- The
! ballot was heavy, about 700 votes being
cast. The counting was not completed
| until about 6 o'clock and the result of
| the three contested votes was follows:
For president, Thomas e. O'Brien won
| over Charles H. Gibson by "A margin of
| 20 votes; for trustee, DR.. O. NJ. George
won over Edward O. Young by five votes,
and for trustee, James Il. Byrne won over
! Daniel II. Cray by 90 votes This was
| Mr.. O'Brien's fourth election to the office,
! and for DR.. George ii was the second.
| The place which Mr.. Byrne won was that
| declined by a former trustee, Edward
| Tawler. because his business now takes
him from Bellows Falls most of the time.
| The full board of village officers elected,
most of whom were e-eected, is as fol-
| lows: Moderator a. H. Allbee: president,
| r. f. O'Bren; clerk. f. c. Boles, treas
urer, c. +. Capron; trustees. o. NJ.
| George, j. T.. Byrne, ]. c. Dennison and
| w. Il. Mandigo
In the evening the various articles of
| the warrant were taken up. Streets are
! to be sprinkled as in the past few years
| and a tax of five cents on the grand list
is to be laid. The details of sprinklng
are to be left with the trustees and the
water commissioner. Bridge street Is to
| be paved from the corner OF the Gray
block to the stone arch bridge. Any work
upon sewers is limited to the completion
of that begun running under the Rutland
| railroad. The band is to have $500 for
| the usual open air concerts in the sum-
mer The tax the coming year is to be
| 30 cents, the same as last year. The
| trustees and treasurer are authorized to
| borrow money until taxes are paid and
the taxes are to be collected by the treas
| urer, the same as for many years.
| When the article regarding the pur-
| chase of land for a playground was taken
up a spirited discussion ensued. 1t was
shown that the project of having such
| land and the need therefor had been
under discussion for three years and
| originated with the board of trade,
For several years that body annually
! appropriated $50 to pay rent for
the brisbane ground just south of the
! Westminster bridge, it being used as an
athletic field. Three years ago the board
| of trade chose committee to investigate
| sites for permenent athletic ground
! and reported to the village meeting with
! a view of securing it. This was done
and two years ago the village meeting,
upon report of this committee, chose
committee of their own, which reported
| ut the last annual meeting, stating that
| all available places they could learn of had
| been investigated and they recommended
| the purchase of what was known as the
! Williams Orchard tract of over 10 acres
! lying in the west part of the village, they
! have secured an advantageous option at
| $1,000.
1t was then argued that the village
charter did not allow the purchase of
! land for this purpose and committee
| was instructed to see that the present
legislature granted that right and that has
| been done by special act At the meeting
Monday night those opposed to the pro-
ieCt said that a new available site, the
! Basin farm, had been found and although
there would he many objections to that
| its distance from the village and in an
other town. its lack of shade trees and
| any water, yet the voters authorized the
! moderator to appoint new committee of
five to investigate and report at future
| meeting
This action delaying the securing OF the
| Williams Orchard land may result In It's
sale for building lots. as the land is OF
| value for this purpose, probably exceeding
| the price asked for ii besides the 40 acres
for park purposes. On the tract of land
discussed is standing timber to a value
of $4,000 which is ripe and should be cut
in the best interest of the future park
project, also a valuable cold spring Tor
which the present owners have refused an
offer of $500. In order to secure that
which the village needs, and in order tc
have choice of the tract which shall be
thought best for the purpose, actor
should be taken at an early day, no
, waiting until another annual village
meeting, as possibly both tracts may
then be out of the market.