Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1917-01-20
The Civic Center Plan

The Civic Center Plan
The board of trustees of the Phoenix schools have
called an election be held February on a prop
oston to sell the Central street school property for
not less than $4,000 The board holds $4,000 check
from the representative of eastern syndicate as
guaranty that bid the property will be not
less than 100000 1t is therefore. certain that if
the voters the it will be effected and the
property will beyond the control of the public.
The purpose syndicate has not been stated but
surmised be to resell the property by ots-hat
is to acquire it for speculative purposes.
The call for the election revives the subject of the
civic site, which has been allowed to lie dor
for four years after the qualified voters of the
had approved proposition to sell the prop
ertv to the city and the county a site for joint
city and county administrative building. the price
being $25OOOO The property was then believed
to be worth more than that but it not
proposed to put possession of the people,
that sum was agreed upon Probably proposition to
sell property private individuals for that sum
would have been approved by the voters.
Two other elections were necessary to consummate
the civic center project to determine whether the
city would accept the site and the other
o determine whether the county would accept The
first of these two elections would have been purely
formal since practically the question of acceptance
had been determined by the vote of the school dis
trict to sell, the boundaries of the district being
nearly coincident with those of the city. But the
board of supervisors at that time declined call
election of the of the county and the matter
allowed to lapse.
In the subsequent period of depression which set
in, it deemed inadvsable to revive it, But now
opportune time The city and the county
prosperous than they have been. While
real estate values are not high they four
years ago, there is believe that they will be
higher than ever, though that readustmen will prob
ably fully take place for months 1t will certainly
not take place before the property will be sold if the
February order a sale
The worst result from the sale of the property to
private individuals would be the removal forever of
such opportunity to erect civic center as few
cities have had We already have the beginning
of civic center, composed of the Federal building,
the Y. NJ. c. A. and the Water Users building all
situated in group in the most accessible part of the
city, one of the principal thoroughfares and also
on the state highway. Nothing lacking to make
it complete but joint city and county administration
building With the Center street school property in
private hands it could never be complete. We believe
that if the proposition should be placed before the
people of the county and the city they would approve
and vote to issue bonds if necessary, to purchase
the Central school block and erect joint city and
county building that would be object pride to
all citizens
There are details Of the plan which will be dis
cussed later. such of one or both of the
plazas or the Washington frontage of Them
thus repairing two breaks in the business section
which must time be repaired. The proceeds of
such sale would render the issuance of bonds un-
necessary There would then ample funds to carry
out the civic center plan and provide schools
with needed money.
Ii is only matter of time when we must have a
new courthouse and matter of perhaps little longer
time when we must have a city hall. 1t is ncon-
ceivable that when rebuild them they will occupy
like of which will not again, to get the most
admirable of sites at price small in comparison
with what will have be paid for an inferior and
less suitable site
But what is to be done be done quickly
The need of the school district for money is most
urgent AS school property the Central street build
ing Is worthless, the school population is growing the
buildings are all crowded beyond their capacity Even
temporary and unfit structures are fined to over
flowing There must be or more modern buildings
by the beginning of another school year.
We trust the public spirited citizens will take this
matter up at and set on foot a movement for
the acquisition of the Central school block by the
two weeks, or even a week hence may be too late