The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-12-28
oFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS.

ETOIl Ills I1OiiCI NAS .on.
JERSEY CITY, N. j., Dec. Il, 1884.
To the Honorable the Board of Street
and Water Commissioners
Gentlemen-I am in receipt OF a reso-
luton from your Board passed at your
meeting. December 10th, appointing the
18th day of January, 1895, and your meet
ing room as the time and place nxea
when and where your Board Will meet
TO hear parties Interested in the appn-
cation of William B. Mason and others
for the construction or a nam sewer
along the %northerly line OF tns VIE rlsI Rai i
road. between Wilton street and Suy-
dam avenue. and along the centre nne
of Pine street. If extended westerly 1roIl
its present westerly terminus, crossing
under the Newark and New YORK Rali-
road to Van Horns Creek. as SHOWN
generally upo a map annexed TO say ~
application; also for the acquirins % %
construction and maintenance OF sala
main sewer. The granting OF TINS APP
plication has been delayed for the rea-
son that the report of the commission
ers of Assessments and their prelim-
mary sketch show that about TWO
thirds of the cost of this sewer Will pc
reason for this is. that a large portion
of the sewer runs through meadow
land, which had to be condemned Tor
the right of way, and only one,thlra
Of the cost can be levied or collected
bv assessments upon property benented.
The Commissioners and your Board very
properly hesitated in adding. to the pond
ed Indebtedness OF the whoie CITY ny
extensive improvement until they a
assured themselves of the fact that sucn
a sewer was absolutely necessary Tor
the health of the people Of that sec
lion Of the city, and that all the prop
erty In that portion of Lafayette would
soon become valueless on account OF
the damage done by our refusal 10 al
low the building of the sewer.
The Commissioners of Assessments
have condemned a stretch of land sixty
feet wide between the westerly side OF
the Newark and New York Rahfcad anu
Van Horns Creek.
We have been unable to-provide for
the collection or designation OF any as
sessment upon the property west OF the
railroad, and as the city Will acquire
title in fee simple to this stretch OF
land, which may at some future time
become valuable either as a street or
the property bordering thereon may pc
used at any time in the future for build
ing purposes, 1 believe that the policy
of the city should be to assess the prop
erty benefited in hat time either for
the cost of the right of way for use as
a street, or that a charge shoulo pc
made for permits to connect. with that
sewer, which would equal the cost of
AS this will probably not occur for
some years, I desire and my intention
has been in sending this communication
to your Board to have the matter Pc
Collie ii pddt Va ~
that your successors might have the ad.
vantage of knowing what the policy OF
the city was at the time of the con-
struction of the sewer.
This may also act as a preventative
to any action on the part of any future
Board of Street and Water Commission
ers calculated to give away the rights
to connect and use this very expensive
sewer without the city obtaining proper
CONDENSATION for those privileges and
adequate return for the none now 'ex-
pended.
The entire cost of this sewer will be
seventeen thousand three hundred and
ninety-three dollars and fifty cents ($17,-
393. SOY. Only six thousand nine hundred
and ~ente dollars 6,917.) can be col
Iected by assessments. The balance,
ten thousand seven hundred and eighty
three. dollars and fifty cents oslo, 1888. 5)
will have to be borne by the city at
large until such time as the section
west of the railroad has become of
such value that the sewer will be used
and some return of the money, If not
all, now expended at the cost of the
whole city can be procured. In this con-
nection l would suggest that your
Board nave prepared and adopt ar or
dinance regulating the granting and the
with sewers such as this one; making
sprovision that in such a case as this
If at any time connections be made with
a sewer by property not assessed at the
time Of the construction of the sewer,