The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1919-09-04
Two Millions for a Court House.

some years ago Inc suSStcOioH u q
two million dollar court house would
have made Kenosha famous throughout
the nation. Denver built one that cost
million and a half and the picture
Of it went on the front page and top
of column. But the standing Of the
million has been changed and right
now a couple of millions does not look
very big to a lot of people. They talk
Of millions Like most of us used to talk
about two-bit pieces.
Even with this education up to the
champagne appetite we believe that
as bad as we consider the need OF
Kenosha county for court house, 1T
does not need two million dollar
court house. 1T is to be hoped that
the very excellent building company
which estimated the plans of this
building made some terrible mistake
and at least doubled the amount of the
estimate. There are some people who
believe that bids submitted ON the
plans in response to the cali of the
county board will show this is true.
Others have haunting suspicion
that figures Of the Westinghouse
Church, Kerr company will be found
within at least half a million dollars
Of the actual figures. Of course it is
urged that these men have estimated
other than the superstructure. A SUI
perstructure without the fixings that
90 with it would not be of any great
value to the county of Kenosha SO that
it is but fair to estimate when the
people consider it the entire cost of
the building and it's furnishings. 1t
must be admitted that the furnishings
must be in keeping with the building.
The old fashioned straw mating would
not look well on court room in such
q court house and an old desk with the
initials Of every county official since
1899 cut along it's edges would not be
a fitting furnishing for such building.
Of course the furnishings had moth
ing to do with the architects esti-
mate Of building. He was talking
about building and not carpets
and steel filing cases and steel Jail
cells and marble ornaments for the
various rooms. His figures must not
be confused with the estimate, for a
building ready to move in.
Just the same these estimates have
led lot of people to believe that Ke-
nosho County cannot build the kind of
q court house she wants, no matter
who makes the plans, for less than
million dollars and the sooner the mem
bers of the county board get their fl
nancial vision slanted up to this fig,
ure the sooner the work is to be started
This win mean that the city is going
to pay something like an average of
thirty thousand dollars year for
twenty years as interest and fifty
thousand q year as principal. This
must be added to the costsof maintain
ing million dollar court house. Tt
may look to lot of people that the
county's business is not big enough
business to expend this much for the
housing of it. This is the problem that
must be solved by the supervisors. Pos
sibly a submission of the question of
building million dollar court house
to the people would mean disaster to
the plan but just the same the people
ought to have a chance to vote on it
before the supervisors get too far. The
bids to be taken on October LIST win be
valuable for only about thirty days
No big builder is going to hew right
down to the bone with his figures un-
less he is going to be pretty sure that
the contract is going to be let and let
quick enough for him to buy material
and cover his bid.
The fact that the county has pur-
chased a site does not make it obliga-
tory upon the county to build court
house. The site is a reasonably fair
investment of the county's money and
1T will probably never be any cheaper.
1t might be possible to use it for a
Central Market until the time it is
needed for the pile of stone and marble
and using it as market and running
the right kind Of market might put
some money into the pockets of the
people so that they could pay the taxes
which the real court house will demand
that they pay.
The whole question is one that adj
mits Of but one kind of handling and
that is common sense handling. The
supervisors recognize the needs of the
county for county center. They may
inteligently recognize that these
needs would warrant the spending of
a million dollars but the common sense
of the rest Of the people should be ap-
pealed to as WELL
The MaioY-itxy Prevails