St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-04-17
was then something wonderful and he never
seems to have lost any of it.
THE WEST SIDE LEvEE.
Plans for 1t Considered by the Board
af Public Works.

THE WEST SIDE LEVEE.
Plans for 1t Considered by the Board
of Public Works.
The West ST. Paul levee appears to be
one of the most difficult public improve
ments that the council and the board Of
public works have had to handle. The
fundamental difficulty lies in just two
things, the magnitude and cost of the work.
and the small amount OF property there is
to lay the assessment upon. LII is sub
iect that has been long considered, and yet
the difficulties surrounding 1t are
just as great as they ever were. Yet, not
withstanding the difficulties and the great
cost, a levee is imperatively demanded to
protect the valuable property on the fiat
from being submerged. At the meeting OF
the West Side Citizens union, held last Fri
day night, committee was appointed to
meet with the board of public works for
the purpose of urging forward the work.
Besides the committee about twenty other
citizens of West. st. Paul met at the rooms
of the board last evening and talked the
matter over, and then the board adjourned
till next Wednesday evening to further con-
slider the subject.
THE MEETING.
Mr.. LaWton was the first speaker. He
explained the history Of what had been
done, the appointment of the committee
and what the citizens wanted, and urged
the construction of the levee Immediately.
Can't. Starkey explained how the matter
came before the board, and said it was adj
mitted that the levee was necessary. The
council had sent a final order to the board
directing the work to be done. The work
does not proceed and the people on the West
side are anxious, he said, to have the work
done. The report that the work is to cost
so much is not correct. The engineer esti-
mates the cost at $71, 900. Now there are
great many new buildings on the
fiat that would be swept away
and injured great deal more
than the cost of the levee. The captain in
timated in his remarks that an influence, it
was thought, had been brought to bear to
delay the work in the board, but all the
members denied that such was the fact.
Col harrington said that the delay in
the work was caused by the people on the
other side asking delay in order to get
further legislation.
Considerable time was occupied in en-
deavoring to find out the exact state of the
matter before the board, and it was finally
determined that final order to do the work
had been sent to the board by the council.
Capt. Starkey then argued in favor Of
constructing a section of the levee from the
bluff to Dakota avenue first, but at the same
time he wanted the whole levee built.
Mr.. Lienau argued that the leyee could
not be graded in sections. To grade the sec
ton spoken of would cost $500 lot, and
you cannot assess the property east of Da-
kota avenue. The people of the fiat, if
they should vote on it to-day, would vote
against grading the levee, and why? Be-
cause they don't want to pay for it. | have
got $780, 900 or $40, 1000 worth of property on
the fiat, he continued, and yet l say don't
want the levee. The people of the Sixth
ward don't know what they do want, be-
cause they don't know what it is going to
cost. If the levee is to be graded it must
be done altogether and not in sections.
Mr.. Barrett, one of the members of the
board, suggested that perhaps it would
be better to send the matter back to the
council asking that body to send to the
board a preliminary order to ascertain if
the work is necessary and proper.
Mr.. Lawton objected to this and said
that the board has a final order before it
and that ought to be, considered and the
matter should not be sent back to the
council.
Gen. Becker said the committee from
West st. Paul did not agree. Capt.
Starkey wanted the levee built in sections
Mr.. Lienau didn't want it all and Mr..
Lawton wanted it all built. This being the
case he could not see how the board could
come to any satisfactory conclusion as TO
what ought to be done.
Mr.. Stanley, on being asked for his
views, said that three different opinions had
been expressed by the committee, and he
would present still another. He wanted
the levee, but he thought that it should be
built as general Improvement and paid
for by the whole city. He had no doubt
the levee would cost $500, 900. The people
over there couldn't stand that. He sug-
gested, also, that the leyee ought to have a
cone of puddled work running the whole
length of the leyee. This cone should be
from fifteen to twenty feet wide.
MesSrS. Lewis Garrish, Bowles and others
spoke in favor of the grading of the levee,
and altogether there was great variety of
opinions.
At this point the board determined to adj
iourn till next Wednesday night to consider
the matter further In the meantime those
in favor of the levee are to get as many sig
natures as possible to petition asking for
the work to be done The board then adj
journed.