The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-04-17

~ unless that term could he applied
t" two small trianglcs. with a total
area of less than half An acre. tho ono
on south Sixth street. and tho other on
Belmont av"nue. Thcrc were several
tracts of land i'm and adinrcnt to the
city which wor" suitable for this pur-
pose. and every possible effort was
made by tn" board to prevent the
breaking up of thcS" tracts and tn"
destruction "f timber thereon until
funds could ID" raised To acquire them.
III" first purchas" made was of the
Central park property. In the sum
MGR Of 1905 a contract was made for
the pur"haS" "f the six acres of that
tract known as tho Gates property AT
IN" price of $4,000. ON january 81.
'9h1. IN" remaining nine acres of the
tract. kno" as tn" b"hmcir property
Was bought for S3.600.
ON May 10. 1909. the University
park site. c"nsistin. of 90 acres. was
bought for $4,000.
ON ort. 13.1ao?. the Riverside park
property. a~gercgating about 80 acres.
WAS bought for $4,000.
During tho am" summer. July 3.
1909. the board paid $3.50 for Block
''f", Alexander Il Ives addition to the
city.
Tho Lincoln park property was
bought in three separate lots. The
old Freeman homestead. consisting of
about los acres. WAS bought OF May
j. 1903. for $4,000. ON April IS.
]91". six lots al tn" orner of Belmont
and Boulevard avenues. wcre hought
for $1,000. ON July &. 1911. tho park
WAS rounded ont 10y tho purchase of
tn" remaining area. about L. acres.
for S6.240.
Their" has boon some disposition to
criticize the board for this last pur-
chas" on tn" ground that tho price
paid WAS excessive. You gentlemen
ar" fully r"nv"rSin, with tho facts.
and W"l" parties ia tn" transaction,
hence, no explanation is nccded by
YOU. For the information. however.
of amy who may later search these
records, I think a brief statement may
N" proper. TIL" property in question
includes all tho high ground at the
north end of what is now Lincoln
park. as we'll as tho tennis courts.
which had boon built before this
board was created. Tho property was
indispensable" to the completion of tho
park. The members of the board
and tho owners We're unable to agree
ON n price to be paid. and it was
appraised by two men, n to he chos-
on by the owncr and the other by
the board. each nf such appraisers to
he satisfactory to the other party. The
appraiser selected by the board was
a.. \. Webster, and Frank Gilby was
named by the wncrs Roth of these
men were acceptable to hoth parties.
After viewing the premises and talk
ing such other steps as they thought
necessary. they fixed the value of the
property at $3.50. which sum was
maid hN III InlrJ ma, ,o,,l
as YOU scntlomcnt wcrc, that the price
was fair and Just. The mistake has
h"en made by some who are not FAM
lliar with tho property of computing
the price on an acreage basis. These
persons forget that city lots are sold.
not by the acre. but by the lot. All
of his property is now and was at
the time of purchase within the city
limits. h north tier of lots have
a frontage of about 500 feet on Boule-
yard avenue. and are as high and
slightly as any in the city. Immediate-
lN across tho street from them lots
arc sold at from s14 to SIS per front
foot. At this price the Boulevard
frontage alone. "f some three acres
would exceed in value by so per cent
the price paid for the entire tract of
about IL acres. I am convinced that
no fair-minded man will criticize the
price paid for the property when he
understands the facts.
The first work of Improvement un-
dertakcn by the board was naturally
at Central park. The ground was
rough and broken. and in many places
the trees We're killing each other be-
cause of their crowded condition.
hundred trees wer" cut down,
and light and air were let in where
IN" shade had been too dense for grass
t" grow. knolls were srraped down,
were filled up, tho debris from
tho old brewery was buried i'm the
basement. the ahruptness of the high
river bank was Smoothed down. i'm or.
der THAI grass might he made to grow.
and the entire surface of the park
WAS we'll cultivated and seeded. Good