The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-01-24
GET POSSESSION IN 1919
Price is Agreed on at $4,000 But Alder
men Defer Action on Matter Utnli
Next Meeting--Aldermen DO Not
Mention Saloon Closing Problem.

The property owned by Charles H.
Gonnermann, located at the corner of
Market and West street, has been Sc
lected as site for the proposed new
police station and municipal court
building. The purchase of this prop
erty by the city at price Of fourteen
thousand dollars, was recommended to
the council at the meeting on Monday
evening by a joint report of the com
mittee on buildings and water works,
the committee on police, and the fire
and police commission. Announce.
ment was made that the city had taken
an option on the property and that
formal agreement for the sale of it to
the city fixing the terms on which it
was to be bought, had been signed by
the owners. The council deferred ac-
ton on the matter until the next reg
ular meeting as the agreement made
with the owner provides thta the mat
ter may be closed up any time between
now and the 18th Of February. The
report of the joint committee made no
suggestion Of an immediate use of the
property and the agreement for it's
purchase provides that the city is not
to have possession until May LIST, 1919.
The terms on which it is to be pur-
chased provide for the payment of one
thousand dollars on the signing of the
agreement and further payments of
thousand dollars year until the full
price has been paid. The interest rate
is fixed at FIVE per cent and it is
understood that no interest will be
paid so long as the property Is, occu
pied by Mr.. Gonnermann
The property has frontage of one
hundred and thirty-two feet on Mar
ket street and longer frontage on
West street. 1t is located pretty close
to the center Of the city and it is
considered by the joint committee as
the best available site for a police
station to be found anywhere in the
down town district.
The members of the committee were
hopeful that the county would join
with the city in building the building
so that it might be used both as a
police headquarters and as municipal
court building, but the County Board
has declined to go into the deal unless
the city accepts as a site for the build
ing the present site Of the municipal
court. Members Of the council commit
tee declared last night that this site
was not available on account of the
fact that it was not large enough for
building of the size demanded.
The committee will make no further
suggestion of sites and it is expected
that the agreement for the purchase
of the property will be ratified at
the next meeting.
Little Business at Council.
Outside of the discussion of the
plans for the purchase of the site for
the police station there was little of
interest at the meeting of the council.
Many people had expected "a further
discussion of saloon closing, but they
were booked to disappointment as not
once during the session was there the
slightest mention of the battle of the
former meeting. The deferred action
on the five day closing proposition was
never even mentioned during the
evening and it was evident that
all of the aldermen considered the mat
ter a closed incident
Mayor Pfennig sought to bring con.
servation a little nearer home by sug-
costing that street lamps might be
operated on moonlight schedule as
in the old days, but the members of
the council held that the amount al
lowed the city for outage by the cleo
trio company was so small that it
would not be worth while to give
any extended consideration to the
moonlight schedule plan.
There was considerable discussion
in regard to the payment Of the men
employed on the streets. The payroll
showed that teamsters working in the
north division were being paid at the
rate of seventy cents an hour while
those in other divisions were being
paid at the rate of eighty cents. Al
derman Joachim, chairman of the com
mittee, declared that the teamsters
working on the north side Of the city
had asked for no advance and that
for this reason no advance had been
given to them. The council voted
without division to make, all city work
ers in this line on an even scale and
the committee will see to it that the
north side teamsters receive the same
compensation as those in other divisions
before the next meeting Of the council.
Even routine business was slack at
the meeting and the aldermen put on