The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-20
COMMISSION BUYS OVER $13O,OOO WORTH OF PARKS Judge Lane Objects to the Ensley and Idlewild
 Purchases IN. B. STACK IN FAVOR OF SMALLER TRACTS Park Commissioner Thought It Bet ter to Have Many Small
 Parks Than Few Large
 Areas

| ne COiuillSSlOn ytotCiooy pS tive votes of President Culpepper Exun
 and James Weatherly purchased s1So,21SS5
 worth of park property. Those Who Ia ovred the purchase believe that in five years the land will be of vastly greater value Judge Lane voted in the mega tive on two of the propositions, voting
 favorably on the North Birmingham acre age only when it was affirmed that not | to buy it would cause deterioration of the present park values there.
 1 The vote of the commissioners was on
 the Ensley park, additions to the Idlewild
 park and less than two acres at North
 Birmingham. The latter property cost
 about s1O,OOO
 1 The commissioners were asked by Com
 missioner N. B. Stack of the park board I to pass over the matter until John l.. Kaul chairman of the park commission,
 returned and passed upon the land. The
 commission majority, however. said they respected MT. Raul all right, but that
 vote was to be taken then. The land pur-
 chased follows:
 What Property Embraces Ensley Land Company-Ni acres
 at s2236.S4 per acre; total price, SAP, 800.
 Terms, $25O0 cash, balance one, two, three,
 four and five years. with per cent in- l terest.
 | Investment Real Estate Company of Alabama a-Twenty-four and eighty-seven
 one-hundredths acres, at 5000 per acre;
 total price, s49,740 Terms, s5OO0 cash, bal | ance as agreed upon.
 l Dr. W. c. Gewin-For approximately | one and one-half acres in North Birming- | ham park, $1000O. Terms, $500 cash, bal l ance 5000 per year with 6 per cent in I terest
 | Highland Land Company-Ten and | thirty-four one-hunredths acres at $26OS 69 per acre. Total price, $26, 973.S5. Terms to | be agreed upon
 Tho city secures at Ensley 43 acres, at | a total cost of s92, 600 in round figures. At North Birmingham. 11s acres brought s1o,00O, while 10.S4 acres adjoining the Idle wild park brought 27,9S7sS5.
 | The consideration of the park purchases | was held over until yesterday by the l commissioners at the request of Com | missioner Lane, who deprecated the haste
 that was being shown in buying the park pro perty. He investigated the trades passed over until yesterday morning, and was in favor of giving Ensley 19 acres I of the Ensley Land company, but not 1 buying the entire 43 acreage at Ens1ey. He told the commission his views on the
 proposition, and thereupon moved that tho 19 acres be purchased. Commission Xxrna ,nxI,r 1
 to table the motion of MT. Lane, and
 moved that the whole 43 acres be pur-
 chased. After some deliberation and dis
 cussion the motion was adopted. Stack States Objection Commissioner N. B. Stack of the park board, who was requested to state his views, said that he was in favor of small
 parks scattered over the city Hes said that people would not walk a mile to a park, and that neighborhood breathing spots were the proper things. He said to give Ensley 4S acres was not right. and that 19 acres was great park for that
 small territory. He pointed out that the people of Wylam would want a park, as we'll as the residents of F'airview, Rising and other neighborhoods of the city. As to the North Birmingham park, it was represented to the commission that the property was within the present park
 surrounded completely by the city Iand;
 that threats had been made to erect a hospital upon the land, and for the city
 to get 1t at $l0,oo0 was cheap, although onely 11h acres were involved. Judge Lane, on that theory, did not oppose the North Birmingham deal. How ever, he did oppose the Idlewild and Ems ley propositions. With the Idlewld land
 the city gets private waterworks, which is self-supporting, and which cost about | S,OOO. It is said that the waterworks cannot be duplicated for $l2000. The commissioners, after affirming the park purchases, transacted lot of rou- | tine business, among which was the ap- prova of department pay rolls for the employees desiring a little Christmas fund.