Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1912-10-18
MAKE TWO COUNTER
PROPOSITIONS FOR
COUNTY FAIR SITE
Euggins Repeats Offer Granting
Use of Lacey Track and
Grounds Free Five Years.
CITY PARK rs SUGGESTED
Local Business Men Propose City
Lease so Acres Of Priest
Point Property.

Local Business Men Propose City
Lease so Acres Of Priest
Point Property.
Agitation connected with the pro-
posal that the county purchase the
Carlyon tract just outside the city for
$4,000 for a county fair grounds, DEM
onstration farm and poor farm COM
bined resulted this week in the sub
mission of two counter propositions to
the voters of Thurston county.
G. K. Higgins, the Lacey hotel
keeper and racetrack promoter, reiter-
ates through THE WASHINGTON STAND
ARD the offer he made to the county
commissioners last May, that he would
grant the county the use of his track
and property, exclusive of the hotel,
for five years, free of charge.
Mr.. Higgins proposition is:
LACEY. Wash, Oct. IA, 1912.
To the County Commissioners, Thur
ton County, Wash:
Gentlemen: Now that the fair
ground demonstration farm project has
been revived l desire to repeat the
proposition l made to you May 29th
last, when l offered you my race track
and grounds at Lacey, Washington,
for period of five years, free Of
charge.
This offer includes everything that
I own in and around the race track,
save and except the hotel. 1t includes
all of my grounds, 100 stalls, the race
track and. full possession of the
grounds surrounding it., with power to
build any building that you may need
or desire to possess, connected with the
fair.
II offer you these grounds free of
charge for a period of five years and
make an offer of the exclusive posses
sion of the same for 80 days for the
holding of any county fair. If within
the five years you desire to purchase
these grounds, will sell the same to
you, including the race track. build
ings, hotel and all, for price not er-
ceeding 1000.
option at the close of this fpe-year
period aoiH gipe you $4,000 for the
poor farm property. IT aoithin the fve
years you abandon the fair prOposi-
tiOn. aoiH then buy from you any
buildings that may be erected upon mn
grounds, paying cash for the same.
Il have been assured that l can OBJ
tain the use of at least two automo-
biles, with seating capacity of 25
each, that will make the trip from
Olympia to Lacey In 16 minutes. The
owners of the machines are anxious to
avail themselves of this opportunity.
"The Northern Pacific Railroad com.
pany, through its agents, has prom
ised me that in case a county fair is
held on this property, it will be glad
to put on as many trains as necessary
in addition to its regular service of six
trains a day, at an excursion rate OF
two-thirds the regular rate"
1t developed this week also that the
county commissioners, as members OF
the county board of equalization, as
sessed the entire Carlyon tract at 81.
900 for taxation purposes, and then as
county commissioners took an option
on it for $4,000, for which the elec
tors of the county are asked to issue
bonds. This valuation is placed or
the entire Carlyon tract of GA acres, Oi
which the county is offered little
more than 54 acres. The property Ii
assessed at approximately $45.3O ar
acre, including the home and other i'm
provements, some of which are not in
cluded in the proposed sale, while the
option was taken on the basis of val
uation of $555.55 an acre, or a little
more than $50 an acre higher thar
| the tax assessment.
A third proposition was suggested
this week by local business men inter
ested in the establishment of county
fair which appeared to meet with wide
approval. That was the suggestion tha
the city lease to the county 40 or SO O.
the $50 acres comprising Priest POin
park for this purpose, the county re
| tanning possession of the presen
| county poor farm and conducting i
as demonstration farm, as it is pro
posed to do with the Carlyon tract.
! 1t was pointed out that such an ar
rangement would obviate the necessit.
of large initial investment, would
give the fair location as easily &C
cessible as the Carlyon tract in tn,
event of the construction of a stree
car or interurban line through tha
section of the city, and would max,
the park even more useful than it i
at present.
Those who suggested this plan wer
of the opinion that the transformation
of part of the park into county fai
| grounds and general recreation
| grounds by extending the present play
grounds, together with the develop
ment of that section of the city, woul,
result in the construction of stree
railway tracks down East Bay avenu
to the grounds. Attention was calle'
also to the also to the fact that an in
terurban railway company is now en-
deavoring to obtain certain portion
of the old U. P. grade from Tacoma t
Olybpia and the south, and that in tha
in that case it also would run near tn
grounds. :.
1t was pointed out, also, by thos
who suggested this plan, that the sol
on the present poor farm is superio
to that in the Carlyon tract, that it i
as easily accessible for the purpose
; of demonstration farm and that tn
amount of clearing and other improve
ments that would have to be mad
would be practically the same in eithe
case.