The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1898-09-14

aDout - cou11 PEI Auca- Aoot o-- C-o-
side. There would also be additional ex-
pense for grading at places, as well as for
preparing the roadbed on which it is to
rest, bot We are not in q position TO make
any estimate Of this item of cost
In some cases the ground in its natural
state is put in the best possible shape 20
receive the pavement, bur where it is de-
sired 10 do the very best Of work it is
often necessary TO prepare bed of con-
crete for the pavement 70 rest on, all Of
which will add to the cost of the work.
But for the purpose of this article we will
use 81 25 per square yard for making esti-
mates OF cost.
On our IS foot streets, where the side
waIks-as on Main street-are to be y
feet wide. there would be A Sc usre yards
of paving in each lineal foot of the length
of the street; adding 90cents for the curb
stone on the two sides would make the
cost for each lineal foot OF the street Sc Il.
The same cost would apply to a part of
Main Cross street. But on part Of Main
Cross street, on Patriot and Union streets
the sidewalks are only 10 feet wide, and
there each lineal foot would require five
and one-ninth square yards. at a cost Of
$7.29 per lineal foot of street. On our 50
foot streets with lO-foot sidewalks the
cost would be $4.93 per lineal foot Of
street, to all of which must be added the
cost of grading the street and preparing
il, whatever that may be.
Now, there are few people who seem
TO think that these figures should not
look very high TO any one But let us
see where they will run to in the aggre-
gate for the whole town, or even for any
one long street. Main street, from the
railroad on Pleasant street 10 the borough
line on Franklin st: eet, is 4, 300 feet long,
and to pave aud curb il at the lowest
price we know OF, viz: S67l per lineal
foot, would cost SIS .lS2. Union street has
l,2250 feet that should be paved, which, at
S7.29 per lineal foot, would cost Sll.ll2 80.
Patriot street has 2. 400 feet, which. at the
same rate, will cost SI7. .496. West street
has at least ], $50 feet and East street l,0j0
feet that should be paved, at cost Of
S40e per foot. On Main Cross street there
is a length of about 1000 feet that certainly
should come in on any scheme for street
paving. Assuming that a uniform curb
line of twelve feet on each side for the
sidewalks be set, then this street would
cost $40, ,130. The grand total for all these
streets would be $s7,99a. But even this
large sum would not represent all Of the
cost. Let a street once be paved. and the
sidewalks will have to conform to the
new order Of things.
There is not a side walk in the entire
town that would not have 10 be torn up
and relaid, and those of plank would
have to 60 altogether.
We are impelled to give these figures
on the cost of street paving because some
of our people seem to have taken up the
idea that the Borough ought to abandon
its present system of street work and in
stead pave each year such length OF
street as the taxes collected would per-
NIT. Now these people certainly never
have made any very close CALCULATION on
cost. If they had they would see that
such a scheme as that had very little
feasibility about it, because. after first
paying for street light, police service and
other expenses OF administration, and
having used the taxing power t, its ut
most limit. the borough would be kept
busy to pave as much as four hundred
feet on any of the wide streets in any one
year, and to do this much they could not
do particle of work on the streets any
where else, not even as much as the open
ing of the cutters and water tables.
We have shown that at least l3, $50 line
al feet have about an equal right to de-
mand such improvements, and at that
rate it would require thirty-three years
TO complete the round, and long before
that time the first part paved wonld be
ready to pave over, while the parts re-
manning unpaved would, after the first
few years, be utterly worn out, and in
wet weather as impossible as a ploughed
field.
No, such a scheme will not work. Ger
tainly some Of those who speak in its fav-
or must calculate that as soon as they can
have their own street paved and made
nice that they will then find some way of
stopping the work, and so leave their
neighbors who live on other streets in the
lurch after having helped pay for the
identifying of the streets on which these
people live. They may find that won't
work either, for once started the people
on the outlying streets will stand up for
their own.
Under the act relating to street paving,
on petition of a majority of the lot own
ers, the borough may pave the street and
collect two thirds of tbs cost from the
property owners according to their
{ o Itage, and one third to be paid out
of the borough funds.
This would be the better way; on oeri-
ton we think the borough might pave
from 800 to 900 feet each year and still
have something LEFT over toward keeping
the remaining streets in passable condi-
tion while the work would be going on
and the time required for paving all Of
the streets named could be brought
down to about Is years.
But will our property holders sign such
petit n in numbers enough TO Justify a
start: Outside of that part of Main Cross
street between the Diamond and L nion
street. distance OF go feet mot enough
to begin onl we do not believe that at this
time enough sigHers could be obtained on
any ak hundred feet of street anywhere
in the town, and on less than that dist
ance it would not be worth while to start.
But if such length as that were to come
in on petition (the signers of cJurse hav-
ing duly considered what it was going TO
cost them them we think the council
would be very likely TO try 10 find the
money for their end of ii.
Should enough petitioners for such a
length of paving come in, the first step
necessary would be the employment of a
competent engineer 20 establish and fix
the grades of every street in the town.
It looks to us-at least that this would
have TO be done.
A proposition to do this was offered
once in the council and was lost by a tie
vote.
The cost Of doing this work is various
ly estim ated at from three to five hun
dred dollars.
Some, at least, If not all of the dissent
ing councilmen. voted against the mo-
ton because in their opinion there was
not sufficient evidence of enough desire
On the part of property holders to have