The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-29
NEE I IN | IN SECRET HELD. LAST FRIDAY
County To Pay S262,000 Out
 Of Bridge And Building
 Fund, Condemn Two Lots
 And Buy Street From City FERGUSON WILL SUBMIT HIS FINAL PLAN TUESDAY Same Property Offered To City In February For $243,-
 000-Surprised At Secrecy Of Recent Negotiations


 Of Recent Negotiations Purchase of the block between Sev- enth and Eighth avenues and East Twentieth and Twenty-first streets. north, as a site for a new court house has been agreed upon by the Jeffer- son county board ofsrevenue and will be officially consummated at the Tuesday meeting, according to mem bers' statements saturday to The AgerHerald. Hill Ferguson, >pf Jeml- sonA& Co.,, who has an option on the property, has been requested to sub init his proposition in definite form at the meeting, he and members of the board admitted.
 Decision of the board of revenue to purchase the site for approximately S2620 900 was reached at an executive session with Mr. Ferguson following man D. C. Ball, w. B. Copeland, Jerry Gwin and Lacey Edmundson were present. Thomas F. Huey, the fifth member of the board. was absent. Edmundson Explains Details.
 Details of the deal proposed were divulged by Lacey Edmundson, the only party 60 the transaction who would freely discuss the proposition. According to Mir. Edmundson, the site will be paid for out of the public bridge and building fund in four an- nual installments. under the present understanding with MT Ferguson. This will not inconvenience or drain the fund, he explained.
 After acquiring the property, which is 610X150 feet, the county proposes to purchase 25 to 50 feet of East Twentieth street, adjoining the property, from the city, Mir. Edmund son said. He believes there will be little difficulty in effecting this pur- chase. It is known that Mr Fergu- son has already discussed this phase of the project with members of the city commission.
 Property ofs,Mrs. c. J. Ware. ad- joining the Tutwiler holdings, near Park avenue, and that of Roger New bold, fronting on Eighth avenue, must be condemned Mr. Edmundson said He said these proceedings would probably consume four or five months.
 The deal looks good to me" Mr. Edmundson stated Everything in town seems to be moving in that di- rection. We don't propose to build the new court house until we see how to underwrite it. No plans for the building have yet been discussed. Ine present structure and site will be sold however,"
 MT. Edmundson expressed sur prise that the deal had been made pubic His understanding was that all parties were to keep silent until The meeting Tuesday, when MT Fer guson's prososal was to be approved officially completing the deal.
 Recently Offered To City.
 The property in question was the center of civic comment late in February, when MT. Ferguson at- tempted to sell it to the city for some $243,000 for a combination city hall and library. That deal had a time clause whereby the city was to use the present city hall for three years. It provided that the city would realize approximately $700,000 from the property at Nineteenth street and Fourth avenue, north.
 Immediate action was then urged by Mr. Ferguson. who said his option expired March 31. Increase in the caused by the renewal of the option.
 After deliberation. the city com mission decided that the qualified voters of Birmingham should decide such a proposition and turned down Mir. FerSusons proposal by a vote of three to two, Commissioners W. L. Harrison. w. E. Dickson and Mary Echols opposing, President D. E. Me Lendon and Commissioner w. E. Cloe supporting the measure.
 Part Of Civic Center.
 MT, Ferguson has been working for some years on the civic center plan. advocated by various and sun dry city planning experts who have visited Birmingham, with the audi torium on the north side of Wood row Wilson park, court house on one sid. and the city hall and library on another. The plan as submitted to the city commission provided that the city build on the east side of the park, the site now about to be purchased by the county and that the court house be pla ced on the west side of the park, taking in property now occupied by the Y. w. c. A. and private dwellings,.
 Surprise was manifested Saturday by citizens when it was learned that the board of revenue was considering g acting without referring such an inn portant move to the voters of Jeffer- son county, even moving secretly and covering it's movements to avoid pub licity to the scheme. They felt it was odd that proposal turned down by the city should find such merit that the county felt it would be proper to take action of such far reaching effect without consulting the people to whom the board of revenue members are responsible,
 O o o
 Break With City.
 Another cause for widespread comment was the apparent open break of the board of revenue with the city commission on the joint city hall and court house plan. negotia tions regarding which are still pend ing, in the hands Of D. E. McLendon, president of the commission, and D. c. Ball chairman of the board of revenue. appointed a committee by the two bodies to investigate the feasibility of such an arrangement.
 However, the attitude of MT. Ball is known to be bitterly against such a plan He said so himself Satur- day. He told The Age Herald MT. McLendon had discussed the matter with him only one time since the joint board meeting, some time in May, and that he presumed the mat ter had been quietly permitted to go by the board, Mr. McLendon is much !. In favor of the idea. having made the first move toward the joint