The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-08-15

After much discussion, during which
the question was thoroughly threshed
out, the city council last night voted
to adopt the recommendation of the
board of bond trustees, changing the
plan of paving through Georgia square
and instead Of running the street
through the square pave around the
square, and at the proper time, an
ordinance drafted by the board of
bond trustees, authorizing the change,
was introduced and read for the first
time.
Before voting on the recommenda-
ton of the bond trustees, petitions
signed by citizens for and against the
proposed change were read. The first
petition, asking that the plans be not
changed, but that the paving be laid
through the square, was signed by cit
liens, all of whom owned property
bordering on the square, the petition
showing the amount of property abut-
ting on the square owned by each of
the signers. The petition to change
the plans and lay the paving around
the square was signed by about a
hundred and fifty citizens OF Pensa-
cola, but not residents Of the vicinity
of Georgia square.
The board Of bond trustees reported
that these petitions had been consid-
cred by that body, but for the enlight-
e1 4ent Of the council, the petitions
were again read.
J. n. sHERRILL PROTESTS.
Alderman Renshaw made a motion,
which was adopted, that the privilege
of the floor be extended to any persons
present who wished to address the
council on the subject, and ]. H. Sher-
rill. secretary of the Y. M. G. A,
who had been asked to represent the
property owners who opposed the
change in the plans, was the first to
speak.
Mr.. Sheriff. began by comparing the
two petitions, which he said should
be considered according to their re-
spective values. While he admitted
that any citizen of Pensacola had a
right to express an opinion and the
opinion should have some weight, he
said, the petition of the property own
ers, who In his opinion were the most
interested, should receive more con-
sideration than the other. He said
some of the statements in the other
petition were inaccurate and that peo-
pie had signed IL without thoroughly
investigating the matter and fully un-
derstanding the proposition.
In the original Belmont tract, Mr..
Sheriff. said, there was no Georgia
square and that the street had been
laid out as 1t is at present.
The next argument advanced by Mr.
Sheriff. was that by going around the
square, the safety of the traffic Of both
teams and pedestrians would be les
sened and the danger increased. This
was due he said to necessity Of curves
and grades.
He called attention to the fact that
a new school building had recently
been erected near the square and that
this square was the orly playground
for the pupils, a hundred or more in
number. If the paving went around
the square, he contended, 1t would be
dangerous for the children to cross
the street between the school building
and the square in order to play in the
square,
He also argued that 1t would cost
about $1,000 or $1,000 more to lay the
paving around the square, estimating
$500 extra for curbing, $500 worth of
sidewalks to be destroyed and several
other items Of public property to be
destroyed in making the change.
Mr.. Sheriff. also said that the change
would necessitate the removal Of tel
ephone and telegraph poles and pos
sibly of the sewerage system.
PROF. ARMSTRONG.
Prof. H. Clay Armstrong, principal
of the Pensacola Classical School, fol-