The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-22
STREET FUTURE
1T is A MATTER or MUCH MOMENT
TO PROPERTY OWNERS.
Washington-Street People Ask that
Action BE Postponed Till street.
Car Matter Is Settled.

|
committee investigating the question Of re-
surfacing Washington street at the expense
| Of the property owners recommended that
a committee be appointed to request the city
authorities to postpone the proposed repairs
until the street car situation is cleared up,
when new franchise can be given by the
| city requiring the straet-c9r company OPP
Grating to pay part Of the cost. This would
postpone the proposed repairs for about
three years. Meantime it is proposed to
,have repairs paid out of the general fund,
as 5000 was expended last year. This
course would postpone the whole question
of resurfacing improved streets for three
years and leave undecided the question of
whether resurfacing should be done at the
general expense or the expense OF the
abutting property owners.
The report was adopted, and the commit
tee making it was reappointed to go before
the Board of Works. Alpheus H. Snow will
to-day ask the board to appoint time to
receive it. The entire question must de dis
posed of by March 2, the day when the
board will take final action. There is after
that ten days for the filing of written re-
monsuances, but there are few, If any, res
ident property owners on the portion of
washington street affected, so that the i'm
provement cannot be defeated except by
agreement In the event of the failure to
secure a postponement of the work, the re-
port calls for the appointment of commit
tee of ten to confer with commtte from
the city officials, Board of Trade and Com
mercial Club relative to the entire subject
of resurfacing and repairing streets, and
whether the policy shall be to pay for such
work out of the general fund or by the
property owners affected, and to take steps
to protect the legal rights of the property
owners.
There was a point made by George J. Ma
rott. He reminded the property owners
present that under the franchise of the
Citizens Street-railroad Company that cor
poration can be required to pay for ire
pairs" to the portion of the street lying be-
tween its tracks, providing the same ma
tefial is used in the remainder of the
street. 1t struck him as significant that
the specifications adopted provide that the
portion between the tracks on Washington
street is to be of brick, while the remainder
of the street is asphalt
WHY BRICK is SPECIFIED.
THAT simply MEANS" said Mr.. Marott,
that if the courts hold, as we contend, that
resurfacing is simply another name for
repairs, and should be paid for by the city,
that the company will evade paying any
part of the cost, saying that it cannot be
required to pay for repairs that are Of diff
ferent material from the remainder of the
street. 1t looks to me like there was some
thing more than an accident in the city
officials deciding to place brick between the
tracks and asphalt elsewhere. L think that
is a question that should be the subject of
inquiry when the committee confers with
| the board.'
| II. d. Pierce, in discussing the subject
said that it was being said that there was
politics in the Washington-street matter
If a Democratic mayor wanted to keep
down the tax levy in order to boost himself
| into the Governors chair it might be all
right. He had no objections. This might
account for the decision that the work
should be paid for by assessments on abut-
! ting property instead of out Of the general
fund. If the latter course were pursued it
would be necessary to increase the tax levy,
as the report showed. AT any rate he said,
there is no politics in the meeting Of the
property owners.
Otto Stechhan was in favor Of having the
committees go into the question of whether
the entire system of assessing abutting
property owners, instead of paying for i'm
provements out of the general fund was not
wrong. He favored an amendment to the
Constitution that would permit the city to
borrow $5,0000 900 or $40, 900 900 to improve the
streets of the entire city. He thought that
levy of cents would be sufficient to pay
the interest on the bonds, keep up repairs
and provide sinking fund. After consid-
cradle adverse discussion he withdrew his
proposition. Others insisted that it was TOO
late now to talk about changing the or
ganic laws OF the city, and that such
proposition embraced an amendment OF the
fsllx aof1 g
years, beside which it would embarrass the
disposition OF the question that is now to be
The report of the committee gave the
history of the Washington-street pavement
when was made in 1883, at a cost of $11 80 q
foot each side and 80 cents a foot for curb
ing, total Of $3.50 a foot. 1t rected the
improvements that are proposed at a cost
OF IS foot, and showed that about one
cupied by. the car tracks. The estimated
cost Of bricking the tracks is $1.40 a foot
each side of the street.
The Council has appropriated for the re-
pair of permanently improved streets, from
jan !. 1898, to Jan. ], 1899, the sum of $15,-
ON. the report says. ''Ihe cost of the re-
or washington street proposed to be inn
proved was about $1,000 If the proposed
Improvement and resurfacing should not
De made, and Washington street should be
repaired temporarily this year at the city's
expense. further appropriation would
have to be made, as the balance of IS 900
would be insufficient for the repair of the
other improved streets on which the guar
anty has expired. Such additional appro-
priation could be made only on the recon-
mendation Of the controller by two-thirds
vote of the Council AS the present appro-
priations are adjusted so as to equal the ex-
pected revenues, an additional appropria-
tom might necesstate a temporary loan.
Under these circums tanceS, the Board of
Public Works deemed it its duty to order
the street improved and reSurfaced at the
expense of the property owners. =
DRIFTING TO A VAST EXPENSE
'HThe city engineer states that the resur-
facing of every permanently improved as
phalt street becomes necessary at periods
varying from ten to fourteen years. that
the resurfacing will cost about so per cent.
Of the cost of the Original improvement.
There are at present about ffty-seven miles
of permanently improved streets in the city,
of which thirty-eight miles are asphalt"
According to the report, the city engineer
states that if the roadway of Washington
street were to be narrowed five feet on eth
er side, as has been suggested, the expense
of new curbing and sidewalk would equal
or exceed the expense of improving in the
manner now proposed. The city engineer
estimates the cost of repairs upon the per-
manently improved streets, other than
Washington street. at 80 cents lineal foot
on each side of the street a year. The cost
of repairs on Washington street for the
past year has been about $1.20 a lineal foot
on each side of the street The report goes
on to say: