Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-08-08
site FOR RAILROAD STATION
Committee Would Locate It near
the Foot of Main Street.
Public Service Commission ut Last
Gets n Hint ns to what Burling-
ton wants-PInns Considered
md Old Residents Examined.

State public service commission succeed
ed Tuesday in obtaining fro mthc city
of burlington. as represented by the COM
mittec of fifteen, some hint as to what
is wanted IN the way of a now union sta
ton. At the morning session OF the hearing
upon the union station problem ne fol-
lowed his criticism OF the Committee Of
fifteen, made at the last previous hear
ing, with another piece Of his mind. and
he aroused the members OF tho commit
tee to such an extent that they held an
emergency session during the noon hour.
and at the opening of the afternoon $685.
sion of the hearing they presented.
through Mayor Roberts. the following
statement Of their ideas with regard to
the location Of the proposed building:
Resolved, that the proposed new union
station be ocated at or near the foot Of
Main street; and be It further resolved
that the station should not be located
in Main street so az to block Main street
II It is possible to prevent this.
Resolved. that in the consideration OF
any plan for n new union station the
conservation of our lake front etween
College and King streets should he given
careful consideration"
IF the commission please said c.. Y.
Cowles of the Committee of fifteen at
the morning session, I'VE agree unani-
mously on the alignment Of tracks and
the arrangement of streets. but don't
agree on the location of the station.'
The alignment of tracks, exclaimed
Mr.. Redmond. THAT Is q matter that the
railroads should run. The thing that YOU
want to know about Is where you are
going to have your station.
I'VE say" ne repeated decisively. "the
important thing for the city of Burling-
ton is where you are going to have your
station. and where those tracks shall be
Is none of your Observation-Disclosures 1t Is in
connection with where your station is.
and the kind of n station YOU are going
10 have. You tell us you haven't any no.
ton where you want your station
"We feel" put in Mr.. Cowles, that
it is of considerable Importance for the
city Of Burlington to know where those
tracks are going to he pl,ced.''
Were here" returned Mr.. Redmond,
under the statutes to determine whether
you are going to nave the station n
where you are going to have 1t. and we
shan't NEEDLE Will those tracks. Tho
' W. ''''ti 10
we shan't NEEDLE with unless 1t Is neces-
sary. as an incident to the construction
of a station here. 1t is something that
isn't related to the proposition.
This Committee of Fifteen" he con-
tinued later, (which has brought us here
for the purpose of locating the station
are not agreed where they want that sta
ton. but are agreed or one point, name
l. tho 1nx,ntNppn nVt 90 tho gt,1 r.--.
The thing they have lost sight of is whero
The station should he. >ard they don't
know what they want"
II cam chang the minds of the Com
%inittee Of fifteen" lnterposed Mr.. Cowles.
We're here" Mr.. Redmond went on.
ito determine where YOU snail have a
station. che kind of a station and the
a~pportlonment of expense in obtaining
that station.
ut seems absurd that after your cons!d-
GRAFTON you are utterly unagreed as to
where You shall have your station. The
result Of this whole operation is that We
are going to build you "A station"
THE SINCLAIR PLAN.
AT the morning session Engineer Frank
O. Sinclair started by explaining the
latest plan drawn by him. which is a
slight modification Of the first one. all the
tracks being moved to the eastward and
the station being located west OF the
track. In the plan presented this morn
ing Mr.. Sinclair showed there were some
changes in location of tracks north of
College street, and that of Lake street Is
diverted westward. Generally speaking,
entrance Is made to the station by swing
irU KING and Col1pqre Strpnts around intc
Main street, where an elaborate bridge OF
Overpass crosses the track to the station.
Overpasses on College street and King
street below Battery are also provided.
Mr.. Sinclair said. in reply to a question
of the commission. that he estimated the
cost of carrying out his plan would BIZ
$3.50, TAG, exclusive of land damage.
At his point Attorney C.. w. Writers
Of the Central Vermont placed before the
commission Engineer Safford's objec'
tions to Mr.. sinciair's plan. They were tt
the effect that the Sinclair plan would cal
for placing one or more tracks below the
level of the lake so as to provide land &c
be occupied by the railroads clearance
room. Extensive cuttings into the Bat
terry street bank would be necessary. re-
curing retaining walls. There would
practically be only one entrance to tht
area occupied by Industries, which would
be damaged materially as we'll as isolated
More land would be occupied by railroads
than is now called for by any plan. Peo'
pie would nave to climb down 3 feet t6
a station on the west side of the track
and the lake front would not be as acces
sible by the Central Vermont's elevated
track scheme.
The remarkable thing. however. in con
~nection with Mr.. Safrord's figures was the
great difference between what he esti
mated the Sinclair plan would cost an(
what Mr.. Sinclair figured it. Mr.. Stafford!
figures, barring certain legal and engi
neering expenses and interest, were Sass,
7S5 against Mr.. Sincair's $2s9. 746.
Chairman Redmond couldn't see VIII,
two men figuring on the same job should
show such disparity. 1t appeared that Mr.
lSinclairs estimate of the ramps. walls
, piers, bridges, etc, by which Main stree
was approached and crossed was but $67.
TBS, while the Central Vermont's ligure
, were 1ls9, 425. 1t appeared from the dis
lcussion that followed. that the engineer
had evidently not figured on the sam
kind of material,
It was at this point that MIR. Cowle
of the committee OF fifteen was asked |
the Sinclair plan as proposed was the on
desired BY the committee of fifteen. II
> replied that the committee were decide,
. that the adjustment of track was wha
3 they wanted. but they had not com
loo n decision as to the location OF tn