The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-12-20

Instructed to Advertise for Plans and
Specifications for New Jail.
A special meeting of Council was held
last night for the purpose of receiving
the reports of tho street and public
property committees. There were
present Messrs. Watts, Welsh, McCon-
nell, McClelland, Graves, Sheehan,
Camp, Huff, Engleby, King and Buck
ner.
Mr.. Watts, chairman of the street
committee, submitted the following re-
port:
ROANOKE, Va, Dec. 10, 1891.
Your committee would report that
they have had two meetings of tho
street committee since the last meeting
of the Council and are getting data for
a full report in regard to tho condition
Of the streets, expenditures thereon, and
suggestions as to what tho city should
do in regard thereto.
AT meeting held Friday night,
after thorough discussion of tho mat
ter, tho committee determined to recon-
mend to tho Council that, with the OK
ception Of the following streets, which
should be graded below the grade, i. @,
~ inches, all tho rest of the streets
should be macadamized up to grade:
Jefferson street, from Campbell to
Ninth avenue; Fourth avenue, from
Commerce street to Holiday street;
Randolph street from Robertson to the
overhead bridge; Norfolk avenue from
Nelson street to Campbell street.
The foregoing streets your committee
believes will be streets where the
heaviest business of tho city will be
conducted. They lead through the
thickly settled business section of the
town and from the Roanoke and South
orn depot.
1t is believed by the committee that
for the rest of the streets, six inches of
macadan will answer every purpose for
years to come if it is kept in proper re-
pair; and that the digging out Of six ad-
ditional inches is an entirely unnecess-
airy expense and one which the city will
have cause to regret if it is continued,
as tue committee believes that the
streets will lie used with tho present
macadam, as said above, for long term
Of years and with six inches below grade
they will hn dishgured and look badly
In regard to tho guttering and side
walks.
They would also recommend, if the
above recommendation is adopted. that
the curbing shall be changed from it's
present character to permanent curb
ing, and recommend the use of vitriiied
brick, tho estimate cost of which is
herewith appended, made by the city
! engineer.
| They would report further that thew
have ordered the work of macadamiZ.
| ing to BIO prosecuted with vigor on tho
following streets:
The street beginning at Lynchburg
road to Rutherford street, Rutherford
to Commonwealth street. and Common
wealth to Lick Run; Jefferson street
from Campbell to the end of tho work,
Franklin road to Lewis street,. Nor
folk avenue from Nelson to Nichols
street, Campbell from Park to D street.
After these streets are completed or
in part COMPLETED your committee will
direct what other streets shall be pushed
to completion. The above streets were
chosen on account of the fact that thew
are main tn oroughfares of travel, and
in the belief of your committee, are
moro important to the general community
than the ones that are left for u later
time.
Your committee would further report
that tho guttering that is being done is
not being done satisfactorily, and thew
have directed the city engineer to insist
upon the contractor making the gutter
ing complete, strictly and absolutely,
with the specifications. With these
exceptions they believe that the work
IS now progressing with reasonable
satisfaction, although there is some rock
being used upon the streets that is rot
give their attention to-
Mr. Watts rand n 1atfor fro,,, 49,
engineer, in which he made the follow
ing estimates:
Brick gutter, per square yard. COM
plete Sl.05; brick sidewalk, per
square yard complete, zoe; stone curb,
per lineal foot, Csc; macadam six inches
thick, per square yard, sec; grading per
llneal foot for so feet assumed average.
so cents. For 50-foot street with two
sidewalks Of stone curb and vitrified
brick sI feet wide each, and two brick
cutters each, 3 feet wide and 81 feet
roadway of six inches macadam, would
cost as above, including the grading,
SIS per lineal foot. Should the city
assess the property for two thirds of
this amount, or one third on each
side as has been sue gcsted by former
councils, the cost would be S1.67 per
lineal foot or eighty-three and ono
third dollars for fifty-foot lot.
In presenting the report Mr.. Watts
said he had tried to inform himself in
regard to macadamizing and had con-
suited with the city engineer in regard
to 1t. Mr.. Welsh and Mr. Huff we're also
familiar with the work Of macadam and
the committee thought this the best
thing that could be done. He thought
the city should procure steam roller,
and with very small force of men the
streets could be kept in condition for
number of wears.