The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-08-23
DIDN'T WANT THE PAVING.
Jefferson Street Property Owners to
Resist the Assessments.

The Belgian Block Pavement Put
Down by the City Under the Protest
of Property Owners Along the Street.
A Meeting to Be Held To-day to OPP
pose the Pavement of the City's
Bills.
/ The Jefferson street property owners
will hold a meeting this afternoon for the
! purpose Of discussing the jefferson street
paving question and taking steps to find
/ if they can be compelled TO pay the as
sessments for the paving. There are
| fftyone property owners on jefferson
street and the property is held in seventy
| one separate lots The property owners
| opposed the replacing Of the shell pave
ment with Belgian blocks from the begin
ming, and it was against their unanimous
opposition that the work was done.
Capt w. n Nichols, one of the signers
of the call for the meeting, said yesterday
that he believes the majority of the prop
erty owners on the street will Join in op-
posing the collection of the assessments.
The old paving he said, twas good
one, and did not need TO be replaced as
was shown by the fact that when the
paving was torn up it was found to aver
age twelve inches deep in shells all the
way.
A UNANIMOUS PROTEST.
"The property holders unanimously
protested against the changing of the
pavement said Capt. Nichols, land at a
conference with council, demonstrated
the unreasonableness of the proposed
change. The strength of their arguments
was acknowledge by the council, and il
was understood that the idea of repaving
had been given up. At the next meeting,
the council decided to replace the shells
with blocks. Under these circumstances
the property holders feel that they are
justified in fighting the assessments. The
assessment against the property owner,
suppose, is based upon the ground that
the pavement is an improvement to the
property, for which the owner should
be required to pay. This GER
tainly is not the case with the
Jefferson street pavement. Instead of
adding to the value of the property it act
ually diminishes it. The noisy pavement
is an almost unbearable nuisance, We
hIcles rattle over it from early morning
until late at night. 1t is used for almost
the entire traffic of the southern portion
of the city. The only people who are ben
Gifted by the pavement are the owners Of
drays, wagons and other vehicles. Here
Is where the injustice of the thing comes
in. OF the people who are required to
pay for the pavement not more than two
or three own vehicle of any kind"
WILL TAKE STEPS TO RESIST.
Capt. Nichols SAID that the meeting
this afternoon viii probably perfect some
sort Of organization for the purpose of OPP
posing the payment of the assessments
Those entering into the agreement will he
assessed small sum to pay the expenses
that may accrue, and legal advice will be
secured
The total cost of the jefferson street
pavement was 20,S7S.9l. OF this the
city's proportion is one third, or ST. 959. "a,
leaving Sl3,9l9.7 gross to be assessed
against the property holders. The city
as the owner of the intersecting streets
and lanes defrays a considerable proper
ton Of this amount The property hold
ers also get a credit for the amount pre-
viously paid for the shell paving. The
estimate of the net amount TO be betrayed
by the property holders furnished Capt
Nichols by the city treasurer is 81, 903. 05.
The opinion of the city attorney, Mr.. S.
B. Adams, as already previously stated
in the MORNING News, is that the city's
position is impregnable and that it has an
unquestionable right to order the paving
or repaving Of any street which in the
Judgment of council NAV be adVisa bla