The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-06-27

ell submitted to this body and acted
upon.
Zone of the means by which citizens
make known their wants and wishes to
the municipal authorities is by petition,
Heretofore petitions have been disre.
garded and, being referred in the orig
inal to committees, they were lost,
shelved or destroyed. This wear no
petitions from the people have been
presented and either acted upon in
council or referred to committees, and
In nearly all instances they have been
reported upon, and the person present.
ing the petition notified Of the final &C.
tion of council thereon. All petitions
which are presented at present are
copied when referred to com mittees and
the original always kept in the Office of
the clerk.
only three N easures passed by this
Council nave been vetoed by the mayor,
viz: resolution au thorizing the board
of public works to advertise for bids
for paving Patterson avenue; an ordi-
nance granting franchise to w. Fl.
Macksy & Co. for lighting the city
with electric lights, and resolution in
structing the board of public works to
improve the spring on Kfmball avenue,
near the gas works.
The records Of the present Council
are very voluminous, and contain 39s
pages of closely written matter. or
about 796 pages of ordinary type writ
ten matter, equalling more than 277, 900
words, being as many as is contained in
the records of previous Councils FROM
January /, 1887, to July, 1892, or about
four and one.half years"
Mr.. McClelland, of the finance com
mittee, submitted his report with at
tacht reports from the city auditor and
treasurer. The former showed an ap
preparation balance of Sl66,252 SO, and q
bond appropriation balance of S97. 65s nS.
leaving general fund balance of Sos
594.75. The report Of the treasurer
showed cash balance on hand, all bond
money, of S64S3a.21, and taxes uncol-
lected $50, 9O9.74- He said the auditor
could make report OF receipts and ex.
penditures to the incoming Council on
the LIST OF July The report was received,
considered separately, and approved.
How to meet the interest on the
bonded debt was discussed, and on mo-
tion OF MIR. Buckner, Mr.. Crabill in tee
chair, 1t was referred to the finance
committee, to report at an adjourned
meeting.
The committee on streets made the
following report:
"The Co ,ncil will recollect that prior
to the undertaking of the duties devolv-
ing upon the committee on streets, there
was but 433 feet of streets paved and
%, 40 feet Of streets macadamized, with
no new stone or brick sidewalks in sight,
nor any improvement mentioned on
those sidewalks already laid, which had
become in bad condition; consequently,
when in July, 1892, this committee was
named 1t resolved at once TO take the
work into its hands, and acting energet.
ically upon this resolution your com.
mlttee had the honor OF gu bmittinx to
the Council for consideration certain or.
dinances and resolutions covering the
construction of new and the repairing
OF other streets and sidewalks through.
out tho cisy, and having obtained the
necessary consent of the Council, from
that period this work has been carried
on until the present time, your commit.
tee hopes and trusts in a manner salts
factory to this Council and the interests
of the general public.
"Ihe work on the paved streets dur
ing the year, including the important
improvements and additions, com
menced during the preceding year, was
carefully contracted for and executed in
manner to prove of great service TO
the public; and these streets have been
maintained in fairly good condition
since completion.
THE completion OF the brick paving
on Jefferson street 47s feet at cost Il
S4,5l9.13; Campbell avenue 1850 feet,
at cost of Sl4. 864.27; Salem avenue
1850 feet, at cost of $14, TIT SIS; Nelson
street and the market square SOS feet,
at cost of 50, 506.53; total of 4 ,9s3 feet
OF streets paved at cost of S43. 627.5I, an
increase OF 4.5l0 feet over that of same
period in 1892, together with the i'm
provements made in brick and stone
sidewalks on and about these said
streets, namely: 3,340 feet of new br ok
sidewalks sLd ESQ feet of old sidewalks
relaid at no cost to the city, has con.
verted this section of the city from q
common mud highway Lnprovided with
anything, except that which nature
afforded, into comfortable, clean streets.
with pavementS, cutters, drainage and
all necessary sub-structures. and has
added greatly to the general appearance
OF these thoroughfares, making them
more enticing and attractive to the gen.
eral public upon which to transact bust
ness.
AS great advances have been made
during recent years in the quality and
workmanship Of the paved streets in
some OF our larger cities, your comm it.
tee thinks it proper to say it should he
the aim of the City Council to keep up
Herewith as far as possible.
The construction OF new board walks
and the grading and macadamizing of
the several streets leading out from
the business section Of the city, has
added much to the convenience and 40.
pearance Of the residential section.
Center street, Ii. W has been supplied
during the year with 1904 feet OF new
board walk; Tazwell street 949 feet;
Giimer avenue 95l feet: Albemarle ave.
nue. SAT feet; Highland avenue l,3.a