Summary of notes on the power plant
Transcribed by: Bob Knebel
Page 1, 6 Oct 1908: Frisco Ice & Light Co.--for fire protection $56.00 2 7 Nov " : " 3 5 Dec " " 4 2 Jan 1909: 59.00 5 6 Feb 137.00 7 3 Apr 56.00 11 1 May " Note: The above entries establish a trend of plant costs in that era are informative only. 16 29 Jun 1909: Establishes a building code within the "Fire limits" on the "Public Square". 28 29 Oct 1909: "Motion carried to install seven or eight electric light in different parts of the city...". 29 30 Oct "...Frisco Ice and Light Co...construct a light line...the city to pay the cost...". 32 31 Jan 1910: "W.J. Bowden...for Frisco...asking for new contract...". 50 21 Jun : "Frank Gaston was granted a permit to erect an engine room at the rear of his building 6-8 feet, the material all to be corigate iron". 57 16 Dec : City plans to rescue Frisco and take itover. 58 26 Dec : More discussion of takeover--negative.First mention of the words "Light and Water Plant ofGranbury". 70 25 Jul 1911: Considering a bond issue for water works.71 29 Aug : Committee appointed for estimating cost for erecting a city water plant. 78 28 Feb 1912: Street lights to stay on all night. 91 29 Oct 1912: Now called "Granbury Water, Ice and Power Company". 93 28 Jan 1913: More on building code--no shingles allowed. 100 26 May 1913: Now called "Granbury Ice and Light Co.". 135 19 Jan 1915: Still no contract with "Mr. Clonch" on lights and water. 136 25 Jan : Committee reports still no contract. City Council agrees to suspend both lights and water service (to city, not patrons). 138 22 Feb : City OKs contract with Gby. Ice & Light Co. 159 27 Dec : Committee agrees to new 1-year contract with Mr. Clonch "to furnish City with lights and water" and Clonch "to place a 100 candlepower lamp on each corner of the square-furnish water for stock fountain on the square-- all for $85.00 per month". Typed contract attached in its entirety and probably the first legal name of "THE GRANBURY WATER, ICE, LIGHT AND POWER COMPANY". COMPANY was to furnish (for $85.00/mo.) city water, lights, steam pressure, fire 1 whistle and an around-the-clock attendant. 175 29 Jan 1917: New contract, same company name, same $85.00/mo. 213 11 Nov 1918: Motion to grant a Mr. Grundy a franchise for lights for 25 years. Did not include water. 215 30 Dec 1918: City paying "Gby W. L. & P. Co. $109.75/mo. 261 11 Oct 1921: "...that the assessment or inventory of the Granbury Water, Ice, Light and Power Co. be raised from $6000.00 to $15,000.00...". 264 30 Jan 1922: Paying Gby WIL&P Co. (for water and lights) $118.50/mo. 277 29 Jan 1923: Sidney Spitzer & Co. proposes to handle bond issue for "water works and electric light bonds totaling $75,000 and bearing 6% interest/annum...for forty years". 281 18 Apr : Bond election passed for construction of a water works and an electric plant. Total: $75,000. 134 voted "for" and 111 "against" issuing water works bonds in the sum of $47,000; 134 voted "for" and 109 "against" Electric Light Bonds in the sum of $28,000. 288 18 Apr : City Council with Mayor A.T. Keith, Aldermen Earl Cogdell, F.W. Hudson, W.E. Martin, H. Ferrill, and W.H. Cherry met with Mr. O'Neal of MUNICIPAL ENGINEERING CO. and Mr. Grundy of Gby WIL&P to : discuss purchasing WIL&P (which they failed to do); and to place ads accepting material bids for the neew plant in the Dallas News and two trade journals. 289 23 May : Council moved to enter option contract with Grundy to buy Gby WILP. 290 5 Jun : Grundy offers to sell his plant to teh City for $14,000. Council declined. 290 14 Jun : Council and Grundy agree on $13,000 to buy all of Grundy's plants. 295 9 Jul : Council OKs paying Grundy out of bond money then in the city treasury. 297 11 Jul : Council accepts bid of MUNICIPAL ENGINEERING CO. of Dallas ..."of $56,421.20 to build the new water and light plant...". Pages 298-501 are blank. So far I have found neither a description of the property of Thrash's of Lambert St. nor that of the old or proposed new plant. I get the feeling that the new plant to be built by MUNICIPAL ENGR. CO. will be on the old Grundy plant site. It looks like the original plant was privately owned and sold services to the city until the city's needs outgrew the plant's capacity.