The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-22
MAY IMPROVE THE STRAND.
COUNCIL HAS THE MATTER UNDER
CONSIDERATIONS.

Street and Lane Committee Investi-
the hay street Mems Petition-City
Engineer Estimates the Cost of IA
JO-FoOt Gravel Roadway with
Vitrifed Brick Sidewalks at $40
OOO-The Figures Considered "a Lit
tie Too steep and Cheaper Plan
May BE Devised.
The petition Of the business men doing
business on the north side of Bay street,
between Bull and jefferson streets,
for the Improvement OF the
large open area between Bay
street and the business houses on the
north side, is receiving the careful at
tention of the street and lane committee,
to which committee the petition was re-
ferred at the meeting of council Wednes.
day night.
The petitioners give to this open area
the name of the Strand" which is
doubtless as good a name as any they
could have selected. The Strand has re-
mained for so many years an unimproved
and unsightly place that the idea of i'm
proving it must have seemed quite novel
to a good many people Some improve
ment has been made on the portion be-
tween Bull and Whitaker streets by par
TALLY surfacing with ebert, but the re.
naming portion from Whitaker to JEFF
ferson is at present without the slightest
improvement. Even the north sidewalk
along this portion of Bay street IS
one of the worst in the city, though used
daily by Thousands of people. .
The plan of Improvement suggested and
under consideration by the street and lana
committee includes vitrihed brick side
walks, both on the north side of Bay
street and fronting the business houses,
while the intermediate space, amounting
TO roadway Of about fifty feet in width
is to be surfaced with Augusta gravel
City Engineer VIM was requested to fur
nish an estimate of the cost of improve
ment under this plan. His estimate OF
the cost of the improvement as proposed
was $4,000. This was somewhat of sur,
prise to the members of the street and
lane committee as they had no idea the
cost would be SO much. Fifty-foot road
ways, even with Augusta gravel are cost
~, and vitriied brick sidewalks also run
up to a pretty penny. The committee and
the engineer are now figuring together
to see if the cost of the Improvement can
not be reduced somewhat.
There is no doubt that the proposed i'm
provement would be very desirable and
that it would add greatly to the appear
ance of that part of the business section.
Should the Improvement be undertaken
by council a very neat question would
arise as to how the cost should be divided
AS Bay street intervenes between the
Strand and the property on the south side
of that street. that property could not be
assessed for any portion of the cost. This
would throw two-thirds of the cost upon
the city. Factors walk runs in front of
the buildings on the north side, being
bridged over by platforms, and if it
should be held that the walk is a public
street, the property owners on the north
side might escape assessment and the en-
tire burden would thus fall upon the city.
AS the improvement would be made,
however, for the benefit of the north side
property owners they would doubtless be
willing to bear their share of the cost
Factors walk being so generally built
over and made use of for private conve-
nience it might very easily be decided not
to be a street in the general acceptance
of the term. In this case the cost of lay
ing the sidewalk on the north side would
also fall upon the property owners there
Chairman Davis of the street and lane
committee is taking an active interest in
the matter and will work out the improve
ment if it be found possible to accomplish
it at reasonable cost.