Minutes 11/09/1915 - Laserfiche WebLink

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R. O. P. November 9, 1915. for the following reasons: Its accessibility by street ~ars--the present Churchland line ~nning parallel to the en- tire tract only about ~00 feet distant, which car line crosses one of the Avenues in Westhaven every 360 feet, making it possible to have as many entrances along the High Street front as is deemed necessary or desirable--- The Committee can have little faith in the proposed extensions of street car lines after the City's experience in West Park View. Its natural beauty-- fronting on the main waters of Western Branch, with riparian rights, at a point where the Branch is a mile or more in width, being bordered om all sides by handsome trees which would not have to be disturbed in laying out the place for a Cemetery. Its area-- seventy-four acres, will furnish about 6,000 lots which will not all be sold, estimating for the natural increase in population, for about sevent~-five years. Its ideal location at the head of High Street, which most important thoroughfare could be extended nearly a mile further by using less than two acres of the land. This would give the Cemetery 3400 feet frontage on High Street and extend said Street to the main waters of Western Branch. Its perfect natural drainage, every foot of land above the bluff line (?4 acres) being a- vailable for graves under any w~ath~r conditions with no expenditure for establishing a drain- age system, and no annual outlay for its maintenance. Its reasonable cost-- $50, 000. 00 for the 87~ acres above low. water, is in line with other sales of. nearby lands within the last few years~ and very cheap compared with prices asked for lands adjoining with no street car facilities. It seems to meet all the requirements for the purpose in an unusual degree, i.e., accessi- bilit ~ location with reference to the future growth of Portsmouth, drainage and natural beauty. .Minority Report: Respectfully submitted, (Signed) M.B. LanghOrne, ) (Signed) R.L. Moore, ) Committee. (Signed) B.S. See, ) The tuudersigned members of the Cemetery Committee dissent from the action ~of the majority of the Committee, and beg leave to file their minority report as follows: We believe ~hat~t~would be a mistake for the City to purchase the Boston property as re- commended by the three other members of the Committee, and beg leave to recommend the accept- ance of the proposition made by Mr. H. L. Alexander, representing the Tidewater Realty Company, for the purchase, for the sum of Sixt~ ThOusand Dollars ($60,000.00) of a tract of land in the County of Norfolk, just west of Portsmouth, fronting on Rodman Avenue, and extending westwardly to B~uce's Creek, as show~ on a plat, dated October 15, 19i5, of a survey made by J. F. Bensoh, Civil Engineer, submitted herewith. The proposition of Mr. H. L. Alexander is also attached hereto. We have given serious consideration and investigation to the various sites offered, and the propositions submitted with respect thereto, and believe that the purchase of the property of the Tidewater Realty Company will be for the best interesms of the City in all respeCts. This property shows a total area of nearly One hundred and seventeen (1!?) acres, with one and e quarter (101~) acres available for use at this time for cemetery purposes, and another acre which could be easily made available. The Tidewater Realty Company has recently exnended upon thze p~operty approximately Six thousand Dollars ($6,000.) in betterments and improvements, and while the Company agrees to close ail streets platted through~the portion of the property offered by it, yet 'we are of the opinion that much of the work already done 9n the property could be ~etained for use at a saving to the City of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.), mncluding a new' dwelling house recently erected upon the property at a cost of eighteen hundred dollars $i~00.. ~ which has never b~n occupied, and which would serve as a Keeper's residence. Taking these improvements into consideration the cost price of the property is really re- duced to Fifty-five thousand Dollars ($55,000.00), or about Four h~u~.dred and sevent~ Dollars ($4?0.00) per acre for the property recommended by us, as against Fzve. Hundred and seventy-five ~ollars ~$575.00) pst acre for the Beaton property. There is only a dlfference of Ten Thousand ollars ($10,000.00) in the price.of the two properties, and for this Ten~thousand Dollars . (~1~,000~90) th~ ~it~, by.purchasing the Tidewater ReAlty Company's propert~ gets the benefit o~ ~ive ~nousan~ uollars:($5,000.00) worth of i~provements recently made upon the property, and about twenty-eight (P~8) acres additional of la~d available for cemetery put-poses. .Allowing one fourth 'of the area to be devoted to roads and paths, the one hundred and two (lOB) acres of land suitable for cemetery purposes can be subdivided into eight ~houeand two hundred and sixty-two (6~6~) burial lots of the present size ~O' x P~0' which would meet the needs of the City for many years to come. The revenue derived from the sale of cemetery lots at present prices - fifty dollars ($50.) for whole lots and thirty dollars ($30.) for half lots. during the next twenty mn our judgment, be sufficient to pay for the property in full, together with all interest char- ges, amd the cost of establishing and improving the cemetery, and leave at least six thousand, two hundred and sixty (6260) bmrial lots for sale, which sho¥1d yield the City a clear profit of three hundred and thirteen thousand dollars ($~13,000.00), and the fifteen (15) acres of low and marsh land, which can be filled in from time to time, should ~ieid an additional profit of about ~i~ty thousand dog,ars ($5~,0~0.00),' or a t~tal net profit of three hundred and sixty three thousand 1dollars ~$365,000.00), or a revenue of one hundred thousand dollars ~$I0~000.00) more than the city could realize on the same terms from the Boston property.·