The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-11-06
Ell. G. Barber Says He Has
No Objection to Town
Taking Land
HAS BEEN READY
TO NAME A PRICE
First Insists on Knowing Just What Is
Wanted - Text of Letters Between
Selectmen and Owner of Ray and
Judge Properties


You may quote me as saying that if
could have dealt with Selectmen Stellman
and Merrill alone, before Selectman Will
kins got his influence In, we could have
adjusted the Flat street land question sat
lsiactorlly to all concerned" said H. G.
Barber to a representative of The Reform
er IN conversation this morning relative
to his property at the corner of Main and
Flat streets, and the same situation exists
relative to the land which the town wants
TO take on Main street The town has the
right to take land to straighten Main
street, and ] would take it il | were in
the towns place, but Mr.. Wilkins seems
TO desire TO force fight rather than adj
just the matter amicabiy''
A-Reformer man had access to the CORE
spondence between Mr.. Barber and the
selectmen, relative to strengthening Main
street and widening Flat street 1t was
shown him both by the selectmen and Mr.
Barber, and on noting the offer of the
selectmen to negotiate with Mr. Barber
relative to widening Flat street and on
noting also that Mr. Barber made no ref
erence to the offer in his reply he asked
Mr.. Barber il any verbal reply had been
made to the selectmen. Thereupon Mr.
/ Barber made the above statement.
/ Mr.. Barber added that both before the
correspondence and since then he had of
I Tered to talk the matter over with the Sc
u lectmen. 4 do not regard their letter as
sufficient under the statute, he said. If
they will stake out just what they
want l am ready and have been all the
time to tell them what | viii take for it. :
The selectmen's letter to Mr. Barber,
dated Nov. /, is as follows:
i Hon II G. Parher.
/, Dear Sir: Pursuant to the direction of
/, town meeting held Dec 80, 1914, we deem
> it our duty to notify you and do notify
you that We plan and expect to take for
the widening of Main Street a strip of land
/ off the easterly side of property owned by
r you at the corner of Main and Flat Streets
, to wit, such of your land as lies easterly oI
, a straight line drawn from the southeast
corner of the Cox Block, so-called to the
, northeast corner of land of L. H Richard
son situated on the south side of Flat
Street and the west side of Main Street
We shall commence proceedings to tax,
such land, at once.
We also desire to take some of YOU
land on the northerly side of Flat Stree
, from the Main Street corner westerly. w,
should like to negotiate with you for tht
amount to be taken on the Flat Street side
and shall be pleased to meet you at you
- earliest convenience to discuss 1t.
Yours very truly,
SELECTMEN OF BRATTLEBORO
Following is MIR Barber's reply, date
g Nov. 4
} Gentlemen:
. Your letter of the 1st inst notifying IN
: that you plan and expect to take certai
! portion of my property abutting upoi
; Main Street for highway purposes an
u also stating that You desire to take som
of my land abutting upon Flat street o
Z the north side, is received.
IS It is needless for me to say that you
+ letter comes far short of complying wit
o. the provisions of Chapter 110 p. s. INT
q the town takes the land in accordance wit
i the provisions Of the public statutes | sha
IS regard this property in the same manne
~ as any other property owned by myself an
make my plans and arrangements accort
Is ingly for the development of the same.
le The buildings upon this property wei
Id destroyed by fire October , and | feel thf
ps if the town desires to take my land or an
er part of it it has had ample and sufficieI
lg time in which to act
This matter is of too great important
for you to ask me to rely upon your plal
and expectations, for if you should chang
the same | might then be left in a positic
greatly to my disadvantage What W
n, plan and expect is no more bindiI
L upon you than upon me.
An architect will be here this afternot
or tomorrow for the purpose of taking i
of final data for the completion of plans al
specifications for a building upon this Ian
Very truly yours,
HERBERT G. BARBER.
M