The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-05-30
UNABLE TO AGREE
On Union Depot Location, Meeting
Between Councilmen and Railroad
Men was Without Result

Il
Men was Without Result
/ In the meeting of the city council
and railroad officials held yesterday
afternoon for the purpose of consid-
ering the change of the union station
to the Masters property, the cut
standing feature was that neither the
members of council nor the railroad
men seemed to be able to offer any
plan for having the work stopped on
the station as now building, in order
that negotiations for the proposed
change might be undertaken, and no
one seemed to know the history of the
union station movement. j. G. Muir
Gibson, superintendent of the third
division of the Atlantic Coast Line,
asked whether it was not true that
the Carmichael property site had been
approved by representative of the
citizens and the board of trade. The
al4swer was that the matter had never
come before council until the other
day, after it was found that the sta
tion was building on the north side of
the Seaboard tracks. No one could
tell Mr.. Murchison whether the site
and plans had been approved or not.
1t was said that as matters now stood
there was general dissatisfaction with
the location.
Councilman Meffert offered reso-
Tuition, which Councilman Fausett Sec
onded, and which council adopted
unanimously, condemning the present
site, and setting forth that unless the
change be made council would prefer
that no station be built. Copies of this
resolution were furnished the repre-
sentatives of the railroads, and copy
was wired to the railroad commission.
The railroad officials stated that
they had acted in good faith, were
carrying out the orders of the com
mission under a penalty for failure to
do so, and had understood that the site
and plans were approved by the peo-
pie of Ocala
L. w. Parsons, division superintend-
ent of the Seaboard, stated that a
change in the site would necessitate
calling for new bids for erecting the
station, and that the present contract
would have to be forfeited with a
loss. Mr.. Parsons told a representa-
tive of the Star after the meeting
that the calling for new bids would be
necessary under the laws of the Inter-
state Commerce Commission. Mr.
Murchison told council that, even if a
trade of properties could be made
agreeable to all parties, it would take
considerable time and red tape be-
fore a change of the station could be
effected, in view of the fact, he said,
that the Carmichael property had
teen bought and paid for on a pro
rata basis and the property placed in
the general railroad fund and mort
gagged. Mr.. Murchison asked if coun-I
Gil thought that the railroads should
bear the brunt of some one else's err
ror.
Before council reached the resolu-
tion and adopted it, ordinances that
had been drafted by the city attorney
for the avowed purpose of forcing the
hands of the railroads, were read. No
member of council seemed to be dis
posed to offer the resolutions, how
ever, and they were held over. The
city attorney said that he had been
looking up the laws to see if it would
be possible to compel the erection of
viaduct over the North Magnolia
rossing. Councilmen Gerig and Knight
moved to table the resolutions, but in
asmuch as the ordinances had not
been introduced, the motions were not
in order.
The resolutions were as follows:
Be it resolved, That the present
site of the union station be and it is
hereby condemned by the city coun-
Gil for the reasons that:
First: Said site is unsuitable and
inconvenient
Second: That said site endangers
the lives of ninety per cent. of those /
using the said depot by reason of /
their having to cross numerous rail-
road tracks to get to and from said /
depot.
Third: That said depot is so arrang-
ed that the Seaboard Air Line will /
be compelled in many instances to
block North Magnolia street with its
trains stopping at said depot. there
by greatly inconveniencing the public
in use of said street, which is one of
the main thoroughfares of the city,
and also thereby practically prevent