The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-08-19
PAVE MAIN STREET.

Said a property-owner and business
man yesterday: speaking OF street
work and the continued absence OF paving, |
how is it that Main street is not pavedf
More than year ago two meetings were
held at the city hall by Main street prop |
erty- holders, or a majority of them, at
which, it was said, not single objection
was raised to the paving of the street
The only doubt was as to the material, and
not man was present but stated that he
wanted to see the best material used, let 1T
be what it may.n
For two years or more we have been
talking almost necessarily about paving the
streets. The city council and its organ
have talked loudest and most and widest,
We don't know how many paving ordl-
nances have been introduced, nor how
many have been adopted, but for time
these bills were numerous and 1t is certain
that paving districts were created, esti-
mates presented snd people were led to be-
| lieve that mile after mile Of streets would
have been paved long before the close of
this year of our era. And what is the out
come of all this talk, of all these promises,
of all these ordinances and all these esti-
mates! Not one yard of paved street within
the city limits save on the narrow thorough
fare known as Commercial street, and the
abutting property owners there took the
matter into their own hands, and after about
year of demanding and urging succeeded
in getting down pavement which was
laid as an experiment"
The gentleman whose words we quote
above spoke truly as to Main street and its
property owners, but strangely enough, in
contradiction of the clamOr for this sort of
Improvement, nothing has been done and
that popular thorougfare remains the rag
ged street that it has been for all these
years. In q few weeks it will be af1oat
with mud and slush, an inconvenience, an
eyesore and a nuisance; next spring the
supervisor will be called forth to haul off
the filth and fetch on more material for
conversion into nastiness There is Just Que
street in the city which should be paved
immediately-ope street the paving Of
which would work no hardship on the
property owners, and that one is Main
street. The abutting property there is
extremely valuable, rents are high and the
owners of the lots would not be oppressed
by the cost of the pavement We don't
believe q protest against paving would be
supported by 10 per cent. of the frontage
between South Temple and Third or Fourth
South, for the owners all realize that the
street needs the improvement and that
they are able to pay for it. The trouble
with the council has been that it
wanted to do too much; it wanted
to make a great showing, and the
: result is it has done nothing. 1t will be
time enough to pave the streets in the
suburbs when those on which there is
heavy traffic have been taken care Of and
outside property has appreciated in value
so much that the lot owners will not be
glad to exchange their holdings for re-
ceipted paving bills.
The HERALD suggests that if the council
will at once make paving district of Main
street. between South Temple and Fourth
3 South, and will authorize the laying OF
= granite blocks, the matter will be
SO well received by the property
: owners that work may be inaug
urated just as soon as the technical
b formalities hava been complied with Thai
street being paved, in very little while
there will come a demand for paving
others. First South, Second South, Wes
Temple and State will soon fall into line
and before we know it people will be able
e to find paved streets in Salt Lake city. Blu
i there will never be any paving 80 long a.
|, the council insists upon big districts ant
Vt tries to force the Improvement before prop
I erty-owners are ready for 1t.