Morning journal and courier., 1886-08-19
BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS.


 Improvements in Various Parts of the
 City NIT. Sullivan,s Resolution Res
 lating to the City Engineers Depart
 menr Defeated Other Resolutions
 Introduced and Passed.
 A special meeting of the Board of Public
 Works was held last evening, His Honor
 Mayor Holcomb in the chair. Members of the
 Board present were Messrs. Crawford, Whit
 ney, Reilly Stackpole, Gilbert and Sullivan The committee to whom was referred needed repairs on Quinnipiac bridge reported that the fender pier needed repairing, also that the iron work under the bridge needed repainting. The committee had previously
 been given power to have needed repairs made.
 Bids for sewer in Broad street between Palmer and Cedar streets were opened as follows: P. Maher, $35O Anthony Carroll, $2o0; Matthew Kehoe, $284. The contract was awarded to MT. Kehoe. l Orders for curbs, sidewalks and relay of walks in various parts of the city, as ordered by the Court of Common Council, were re- l ferred to the clerk to notify parties in inter | est, and the city engineer to give lines and I grades.
 | Hill he had examined the property corner of ! Hamilton and Walnut streets where M. Dill l lon had complained that the estate of B. Reilly should have 100 feet and found that they had only 96 feet. The mere stone seem | ed to be set wrong.
 MT. Hill said that the better way to get over the difficulty to have 8 new layout of Walnut street made.
 On motion it was voted to make new ! layout of Walnut street.
 The clerk was instructed to notify the West Haven and New Haven horse railroad company to pave between their tracks on Howard and Sylvan avenues before October | 1st, 1886, in accordance with an order from the Court of Common Council. The order for a sewer in Shelton street was | laid on the table.
 It was voted to advertise for bids for a I sewer in Grand avenue between Blatchley ! avenue and Poplar street and in Wallace street from Myrtle to Locust street, the bids | to be opened at the next meeting. Mir. Sullivan moved to take from the table | the resolution proposed by him last week | which provides that all men employed in the | road department in whatever capacity shall
 be engaged by the Board of Public Works ! and their salaries regulated by said Board | and shall be discharged by said Board, except | in cases of the superintendent of streets and 1 the superintendent of parks. Another resolution provided that hereafter ! no committee of the Board of Public Works
 or any man employed by said Board shall | have power to make contract with any per | son persons without the consent of 8 l majority of said Board.
 l After the resolutions were read MT. Craw- \ ford said that as the resolutions affected the | engineers department more than any other he would like to hear what Engineer Hill had \ to say on the subject
 | Engineer Hill said that, as it appeared to him, the resolutions were aimed directly at | his department, as he had had the power to ! employ and discharge his assistants. He said he thought the efficiency of his depart ment depended upon the continuance of this | system.
 | M C,1J;ro, eoid he d;d ,o4 bal;ava ;n delegating the power given the Board of l Public Works to anybody. Neither the ! chief of police or fire department had the l power to employ and discharge men at will and he did not believe in delegating such
 power to the city engineer. He said he did not desire to curtail Mr. Hill, but he thought
 when he discharged or hired any men he
 should report the same to this Board for | their approval, and this Board should fix the salaries of such men as were hired and not ! the engineer.
 l MT. Crawford said that he thought the ! resolutions were entirely uncalled for. If I any charges were made against the city en- ] gineer he would stand ready anyone to
 have the matter investigated, but, so far as l he knew, no such charges had been made.
 In conclusion MT. Crawford moved that the resolutions be indefinitely postponed. ! MT. Whitney seconded the motion. The Mayor put the question, and there | was tie vote. His Honor then said that he
 should dissolve the tie by voting to indef- | nitely postpone. He said if there were any l heads of departments that were not qualified l for their positions, then they should be dis l charged at once.
 MT. Sullivan introduced another resolution providing that the superintendent of streets ] and the superintendent of parks shali pay all | men in their employ aU the supply house and l the State House. Also that it shall be the l duty of said superintendents to keep weekly pay roll on which the names and residences
 of all persons working in their respective ! departments shall appear, and also the time
 and amount due. Said pay roll or certified | copy of it shall be returned to the Board of 1 Public Works at their first meeting preceding | the first Thursday of each month; except in Fair Haven, where the men employed shall be paid at their headquarters. The resolutions were passed and the Board odi