The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1940-12-27
LIBRARY SALE
APPROVED BY
CITY COUNCIL

Following spirited hut not acrl-
moniOuS debate. the Council Monday
night, by ii four to two vote. approved
the sale of the public Library site ana
building to Max Mig,foll, at price OF
$6OOO0
Prior To final vote To approve Inc
sale. as recommended by the Board or
Education. Sevelal previous actions in
regard TO the sale were reSclnded. III
order to clear up the legal situation.
petition btaling "a signatures
was received. asking that the Council
deny the recommendation for sale
made by the Board of Education.
The resolution approving the sale
was offered by Councilman John j.
Wagner.
Councilman GeOrge {. Benin led the
opposition to sale on the terms offered
in the MigdOll bid He said that the
site involved. measuring lOO by 40
feet, was alone worth the price Of
$500 per foot frontage Offered by Mig
doll The superintendent of schools. he
declared. had stated that ii would
cost S4OOOO To replace the library
building, at p'e~ent costs for labor
and material
\ new library building contemplate
ell To he built in the rear of the city
hall at Bidde and superior. would
cost. he said. $IJ.WD.
La the near future, hc said. it would
he necessary 10 enlarge the city hall.
already overcrowdcd and insufficient
to house ali city departments y Ii
hraIy on the east side Of the city hall
would leave no room for enlargement
Uf the city hall
Councilman Benin was supported in
hiS objections by Councilman Ernest
T. Schultz The latter cOntended that
the whole question should first be sub
mittei to the vOtelS of the city An
other building added to the city hall
site would cut off any parking space
for workers in the municipal building
Councilman Wagner just as vigOr-
ously defended his resolution offering
the sale
He was supported by Councilman
Louis BrOhl. Sr.. who said that selling
the library site would add to. rather
than diminish the amount of taxable
property in the city.
Councilman james II. Mason took
the same view. declaring that the sell
ing Of the library site WAS the wise
thing to do.
AT this point City Attorney Fred j.
Gartner gave the legal slant on just
what was involved in the sale. He said
the advertisement Offering the library
for sale included both the land and
the building, but that the proposed
purchaser was willing to give the
school board the building, if wanted.
A vote was then declar red in order
and the sale was approved as follows ::
Yes OOuncilmen BrOhl. Mason.
Wagar. Wagner
NO-COuncilmen Benin. Schultz
Hesitation Marked
Establishment of Library
From its very inception, the Car
negie library was involved in divided
opinion.
Something over quarter century
ago, the proposition To accept $4,000
from the Carnegie fund was opposed
10y many labor men, on the ground
that the Scotch philanthrOpist was the
| enemy Of organized labor
The late Or. J. Stafford Mc(ilaugh-
lin. who was mayor Gf WyandOtte at
the time. took the preziutiOn to sound
local wOrkingmen before recommend
ing the acceptance of the $4,000 gift
There was u provision in the gift
that the Board of Education was to
appropriate $3.50 per year for main
tenance of the library after it was
completed The board heSitated about
making this guarantee. but finally did
80.
After serving its purpose well for
. years. WyandOtte's growth in pop
ulatiOn has rendered the present quar-
ters inadequate for the demands made
upon it.