The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1919-04-24
About Those Sea Front Lots

have always been greatly interest
ed IN the progress and develop
ment of our splendid little city /;
and, if your space will permit, |
shall give you some facts and de-
tails explanatory of the water
front situation which, just now,
seems to be agitating the public
mind. ! have no personal inter-
est whatever in the matter, save a
high degree of civic pride and the
natural desire common to all to
see that no injustice be done to
any person.
On March S, 1913, G. s. Stone
was appointed by the Park Com
missioner OF the town to take
up the matter Of improving, beau
tifying and ornamenting the
public parks,'' and to prepare
plans and specifications to inn
prove the waterfront Stone
thereupon prepared plan and
drawings which showed a propos-
ed seawall and subdivision of
Cross, Gill, McGregor, Chasteen
and Berry parks into lots for sale.
This plan was at once condemned
by the then solicitor as being vir-
tually an abandonment of the
parks, which would cause rever-
sion to the original donor, Isaac
II. Trabue. But Mr.. Stone in
sisted that he was right and made
some attempt to dispose of the
lots fronting ON Retta Espanade,
and did execute few contracts
of sale. Then a suit was brought
by some of the residents of Retta
Esplanade against the town and
Stone, which was later settled
amicably by a decree settling the
depth of the parks at 95 feet, and
that the streets mtersecting the
parks should be narrowed to 66
feet to correspond to the uniform
width of the town streets. The
original dedication made the dist
ances between the parks 100 feet.
In August, 1914, the average
depth of the parks from Retta
Esplanade to the water of Char
lotte Harbor was 50.93 feet, the
measurments being as follows:
Cross $3.50, Gill 6140, McGregor
1882, Chasteen 1894 and Berry
66 feet. 1t will thus be seen that
the settling of the depth of the
parks at 95 feet was substantial
gain for the town, and shortly
after that an ordinance was pass
ed provided for the widening of |
the sidewalk along the park side
of Retta Esplandae to Is feet and |
providing for the leveling and i'm
proving of the parks.
In his dedication OF the parks
to the town, Isaac I'll. Trabue pro-
vided, :" said parks being 100 feet
from each otehr an dying be-
tween Rctta Esplanade and the
water OF Charlotte Harbor.
When the Council agreed to ap-
point Stonea. park commissioner
the members had III view the saw
ing of the. parks, as the river was
wearing into them and at several
places had already reached Retta
Esplanade. The council was
bound to maintain the street in
tact and it became matter of im-
portance. A seawall seemed to
be the only way out Of it; and,
after the establishment of the
parks at 95 feet and their permen-
cy assured, the council was inter-
ested only in saving the street
from the erosion Of the water.
The seawall idea and the filling
IN of the intervening space was
readily accepted, and that inn
provement went forward, the
council however, taking the pre-
caution to pass resolutions to the
effect that 1T was not a party to
the undertaking and in no way
responsible for any debts or con-
tracts, and requiring all contracts
or bargain made by Stone with |,
third persons to be spread before .
it.
1t was understood then by all !
parties interested that the town. !
should be benefited only by the
addition to the tax-roll of the loss :
made by the filing in, and by the :
Improving of the parks by level