Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1916-01-14
LAND DAMAGE SETTLED
Order for $4,000 Drawn by
Selectmen for n. G. Barber
Street Changes to Be Made in Spring
Barber to Erect Building for
Mercantile Purposes.

An order on the town treasurer for
$4,000 was drawn by the selectmen
Monday afternoon and delivered to Her
bert G. Barber i'll payment for 2,024.7
feet of land which the town decided to
take from Mr.. Barber s lot at the cor
ner of Main and Flat streets for the
purpose of widening and Strengthening
both those streets.
This settles the long controversy over
land damages involving this particular
property. The selectmen and Mr.. Bar.
Der were in conference Monday and
reached an agreement as to the price,
the money was paid over and legal en-
tanglcments were avoided.
The payment is at the rate of a
little less than So foot. The select
men think the price is high, but that
it was better to pay that amount than
to get the matter complicated by legal
proceedings, with the consequent delay
in disposng Of the matter. On the
other hand Mr.. Barber thinks he has
made considerable of a sacrifice and
calls attention to the fact that back
in 1879 the town paid at the rate of
about $3.50 a foot for land taken from
the lot where the Peoples National
bank stands. Mr.. Barber says the TAX
ing of the land will mean about $1,000
less each year in rentals from the
building he proposes to erect on the
lot than he would receive from the
building he formerly planned, while the
interest on the payment of $4,000 at
per cent will be 5000, making a net
yearly loss of 5000.
The question of damages for the land
taken from Mr.. Barber on the south
side of Flat street, needed in straight
ching the street. has not been
closed, the county court not having
made an order on the report of the
commissioners appointed to fix the
amount of damages. The commission
found the damages to be about 81 100
or about 81 cents foot, according to
one construction of its report, while
another construction places the figure
some $500 more. Mr.. Barber says, how
ever, that he expects that this matter
will be settled without controversy.
The selectmen say they intend to
have the purchase of the land at the
corner of Main and Flat streets re-
corded at once in the town clerks of
fee and to begin work the coming
spring to straighten the streets. 1t is
expected that some grading will be
necessary on the Main street hill, as II
is desired to avoid some steps in the
sidewalk which otherwise would be
necessary at the junction of the two
streets. The sidewalk will run in q
straight line from the corner of the
Cox building to the corner of the. Rich
ardson building on the south side OF
Flat street.
A retaining wall will have to b'
built, but it is possible that some ar
rangement can be made whereby thu
town and Mr.. Barber will build wal
suitable for the uses of both, Gael
sharing the expense.
When. asked if he intended t.
erect a building on his lot Mr.. Barbe
said emphatically that he did and tina
he preferred putting his money int
real estate there than to buying west
ern mortgages and railroad stocks. HI
said he necessarily would have to Civ
up his former building plan and pu
up a smaller building. Plans for som
sort of a structure for mercantile pur
poses will be prepared within tw
weeks. Mr.. Barber says he Will cree
fireproof structure if he finds tn
expense is not prohibitive in proportio
to the income, otherwise he will pu
up less expensive building. He il
tends to have it completed by next fal