The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1950-02-01
Send Resolution
To Captain AdeH
For His APprornI
Or Rejection
Fear That Many
Will Lose Jobs
If Mari Is Cut
Off At This Time

City Commissioners, in a spe-
cial session yesterday afternoon.
passed unanimously resolution,
asking the commander of the
United States Naval Station,
Captain c. c. Adell, to allow
Dredgers' Key to be re-opened
for about thirty days.
The commissioners were of the
belief that if mari could be secur-
ed FOR another thirty days, then
the present city building pro-
gram will not be seriously re-
tarded.
In making the request, the
commissioners thought that the
dredging of the Garrison Blight
would procure enough mari to
satisfy the demand for the next
ten years.
But it will be about thirty
more days before the Sunshine
Construction Company can de-
liver the mari for Key West con-
tractors and the general public. !,
In the meantime, a group of
mari truckers will be thrown out
of work, and possibility that a
number of the IT'S carpenters
now employed in eonstruc-
tion. work will be 'let off"
Those attending the meeting
yesterday, in addition to the five
City Commissioners were City
Manager Ralph Spalding, City
Attorney M. Ignatius Lester,
City Clerk Victor Lowe, Monroe
County Commissioners Clarence
Higgs and Joe Allen, Commander
A. G. Husband Representing
+. Captain c. c. Adell, of the United
States Naval Station).
County Commissioners Joe AL
len and Clarence Riggs were not
in agreement with the city reso-
luton at all. Allen told the City
Fathers that they were wasting
their time that the County Com
,missianers had already seen the
Navy about re-opening Dredgers'
Key and it was denied. Allen
contended that the City Commits
sioners were lodging the issue.
Allen and Higgs wanted the
city to pass a resolution to the
effect that the city had no OBJ
lection to the county dredging
bay bottom near Dredgers' Key.
, Seemingly they had felt that
the Navy was not inclined to
enter into another dredging con-
tract with the county that would
interfere with the city's plans to
uredBe Garrison Blight.
Harvey Doesn't Agree
This the City Commissioners
could not see at all. Commission
er G. B. Harvey, an engineer in
ms own right, wanted to know
what was the difference between
dredging bay bottom land in the
Blight or dredging bay bottom
land further north.
The statement was made by
Commissioner Joe Allen that the
mari coming out of Garrison
Blight was inferior, and could be
used for fill,' but not for con-
crete work.
(. Allen was told this by some
persons whose names .he did not
disclose.
Both Harvey and Adams dis
agree entirely with the statement.
. Commissioner Adams contend
ed that the mari from Garrison
Blight was just as good as is now
taken from Dredgers' Key.
All the City Commissioners
couldn't understand the county's
reluctance to enter Garrison
Blight. They reasoned that the
county could dredge at the Blight.
Get their mari, and thereby
deepen the Blight so that it may
someday become the dream of
every Key Wester, a great yacht
basin. Harvey was for allowing
the dredging to a depth of some
5O'.,.
Commander A. c. Husband,
USN, explained the Nays posi-
ton. He told of the suspended
agreement between the Navy
and the county whereby the
county paid 10 cents a cubic yard
for the mari. THE Navy has a
need for the remaining mari"
said the Commander.
(Under the proposed 1000
dwelling construction plan. the
Navy might be hard pressed for
MARI if they continued to sell
their present supply.
When Mayor Eisner asked if
the 30-day extension plan. could
be arranged, Husband replied:
The question is up to Captain
c. c. Adell."
Cornr,n;se;o,oar Adams, ssVVol1ISl