04-13-59 Council Meeting Minutes

Home Browse Search

COMMUNICATION The Clerk read a communication from the United States Conference of Mayors stating that the 1959 Annual Conference will be he:ld`at the Statler Hotel, Los Angeles, California, July 12 -15. Councilman Hahn made a motion that the communication be accepted and placed on file. Councilman Muszynski seconded the motion. Motion carried. COMMUNICATION Mr. Stanley C. Korpal, President March 28, 1959 South Bend City Council City Hall South Bend, 1, Indiana Dear Mr. Korpal: I wish to express to you our deep appreciation of the great respect shown to my father by the members of the City Council. The presence of you and the members was a true tribute to a man that loved his City. My brothers join me in wishing you and each member continued success in your deliberation of City affairs. Sincerely, GEK /ail George E. Keller Councilman Erler made a motion that the communication be accepted and placed on file. Councilman Erhardt seconded the motion-. Motion carried. COMMUNICATION SAINT JOSEPH COUNTY AFL - CIO COUNCIL South Bend City Common Council City Hall South Bend, Indiana Gentlemen: April 10, 1959 Since last January, South Bend and Saint Joseph County have been studying formally the formation of a city- county building authority, as you well know. We wish to point out why the establishment of such an authority to finance new buildings for local government can be delayed no longer. Neither South Bend nor Saint Joseph County has constructed a major governmental building for many years. The community has grown tremendously but local government facilities have not grown at all. As a result, the City Hall and the Courthouse are obselete and overcrowded. Any visitor to either building can see this for himself. City Hall is jammed and has been partitioned and reparti- tioned until city offices fill every available inch of space, even to the crannies under the main staircase. In the Courthouse, the picture is the same. County offices even have overflowed into a rented office building. The result is an eyesore and a loss of convenience and efficiency. Local government units in one of Indiana °s major metropolitan areas are crowded into facilities built for the horse and buggy days. The obvious solution is the construction of new buildings. In, fact, it is no longer just obvious. It is inevitable. The proposed joint building authority is the simplets and most economical way to meet this need which must be met sooner or later. A centrally- located grouping of new facilities in a governmental center would provide convenience for the taxpayers who pay the bill and use such buildings. Progress in architecture and wise planning would enable such a center to be more than a convenience. It would substantially increase the beauty and attractiveness of our community. Certainly it has been a long time since anyone felt the need to praise the beauty of the South Bend City Hall. It is time the appearance of our government buildings ceased to be a matter of apology. A joint authority can provide the necessary buildings the way they should be provided, with care and with planning. Money spent on a joint project would represent a saving in the long run because wise use of funds for a governmemtal center would make unnnecessary more costly construction of separate facilities later. And the costly renting of outside office space for city and county units would be eliminated. For these reasons, we agree with those who feel that the city and county need and ought to have new buildings. We belive that these buildings -' should be grouped at one site for the convenience of our citizens and the appearance of our community. We state that the need for such a project is obvious and that a governmental center will demonstrate that South Bend is the growing, modern community that it is. That is why we urge in the strongest possible terms that affirmative action to be taken on the first steps toward a local governmental center for South Bend and Saint Joseph County. Yours truly, Is/ Stanley J. Ladd Stanley J. Ladd President Councilman Glass made a motion that the communication be accepted and placed on file. Councilman Kroll seconded the motion. Motion carried. PETITION Petition of Charles and Katherine L. Cataldo, and others, to rezone land located at 1504, 1508, 1512, 1514, 1520 and 1528 Lincolnway East, South Bend, Indiana. Councilman Muszynski made a motion that the petition be referred to the City Planning Commission. Councilman Christ man seconded the motion. Motion carried.