The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-07-12
REVERSED MIR. NEARBY
CONFERENCE COMMITTEES RE-
PORT ON LAYING SIDEWALKS
The Investigation Made Indicates
That Where New walks Have
Been Put Down They Have been
Necessary and Duly GrGered---NO
Grounds for Complaint About
Them--Owners Protected.

Comptroller McCardy was not In
dorsed at the meeting of the confer
ence committee yesterday afternoon.
AT recent meeting the Comptroller
made several suggestions as to certain
reforms which should be made in the
conducting of city affairs. One of the
suggestions was regarding the laying
OF sidewalks, and the comptroller went
on record by calling attention to sew
eral pieces of walk which had been
relaid when there was no necessity Of
it
committee consisting of Assent Lyman
Kirke, President Copeland, Of the
board of public works, and City En-
sineer Rundlett. At the committee
meeting yesterday afternoon the COM
mittee submitted the following report
In the matter of the communicat On of the
city comptroller relative to the laying of side
walks, referred to this committee We would
respectfully report as fellows:
The charter of the city forbds the laying
OF any new Sidewalk where no previous SIDE
walk has been constructed without a petition
OF one-third of the property owners In cases
OF renewals or repairs of old sidewalks pre-
llmlnary order for such work is sent from the
common c>Incil to the board of public works
Sometimes this order is made from the OBJ
servation of councilmen themselves or com
plain coming to tn m, buc en- rally from e.
ports of inspectors sent out by the engi-
neerlng department to examine the condition
of walks.
The board Of public works on receiving the
preliminary order sends out postal notices to
the property owners notifying than that a
new sidewalk has been ordered and giving
them an opportunity to lay their walks
or correct any errors that may have Teen
made. At the expiration of tine time allowed
property owners to take cut permits to c. n
struct their own walk, generally about ten
days, the board of public works sends a cor
rected report to the common council for a
final order.
VIII III final order is e eyed b. the b ard
of pubic works it is turned ever 10 the en- 81
neer to carry out. Under the charter author
ity is then given to the engic eer in case the
walk ordered is in good and sufficient condi-
ton to cancel the order for the laying OF the
walk.
1t is therefore seen that the interests of The
property owners are protected, and there is
little chance of a good walk being reaid. In
view of the large amounts that are gen sral, y
obtained as damages when an accident oc-
ours, 1t would seem that it would be bet
ter for the city to err on the si,e of safety
and whenever there is question OF doubt
to order the walk at a small expense to tn
property owner rather than to have ac-
eident occur and the public mulcted for a
large amount.
In regard to the wooden walk spoken about
by Comptroller McCardy on South Robert
street in front of the G. G. w. railroad We
| find that this walk was ordered April T. 1897
by Assemblyman Dix, who states that he made
the order after personal examination of the
| walk, and that it in a very bad condi-
ton and required renewal
| In regard to the other wooden sidewalk or
Arundel street, near RCncQ street, we find
that said sidewalk was not relaid new in
/ 1897, but simply repaired, and the engineer
! in charge of the sidewalk work reports thai
a complaint to its condition previous to
IT'S repair was made by Mr.. McCardy himself
! but very little new lumber was used in the re-
/ hea
made this year.
! In reference to the cement sidewalk in front
OF the City hospital, we find that The walk was
laid last November and portions of the walk
turned out defective either account Of
! frosty weather some other causes but this
| spring the defective work was taken out and
the walk repaired by the contractor.
| Relative to the cement walk in MGR. ian
Park laid in front of the public park, we
have examined the same and find that it le-
quires no repairs, and is in excellent condi-
ton for that class of work. In relation to the
paving work being done on Laurel and Ash
land avenues your committee examined the
concrete laid by the contractors, had the
streets opened in several places and found the
concrete to be of excellent quality and in
all particulars su table for asphalt pavement
Some stones larger than the specifications
allowed were seen in the plies OF stone, but
not of a sufficient qua nifty to in any way in
jure the quality of the Work. In every case
examined the thickness of the concrete was
greater than required by the specifications
~
owners on both sides Of said streets who are
considerably interested in said improvement
and they expressed themselves as being its
fled with the quality of the work done to date.
We believe the work on both streets will prove
satisfactory.
After the report had been read and
pending the motion to have the same
accepted, Mr.. McCardy stated that
there was an error in it which should
be corrected. The walk he had allud-
ed to in his suggestions to the COM
mittee near Rondo street was on the
west side of Arundel street, while the
one he had complained about to the
city engineer was on the east side of
the street The portion Of the report
which made it look bad for Mr.. Nc
Cardy on the Arundel street walks was
eliminated on motion of Mr.. Wheelock.
President Kirke, of the assembly, ap-
pointed on the subcommittee to consid-
er the proposition of leasing the mar
ket house for term of years at $4,000
per year, asked for further time.
The subcommittee on the purchase
of the police station property also
asked for more time
The usual reports from the depart
ments were submitted and approved.