The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-03-22
A BREATHING SPELL NOW
MEMBER OF WORKS BOARD TALKS
OF STREET IMPROVEMENTS.
Not Over u Half Million Dollars I'm
Contracts TO BE Let This
Season.

w. Scott Moore one of the members or
the Board of Works, believes. in the abb
sence of any definite plans on the part of
the board as to street improvements, that
the policy for this year will be to simply
finish the work which was mapped out last
year but was left unfinished for various
reasons HIS is of opinion that since the
city began TO operate under its new char
ter street improvements have been made
more rapidly in many cases than necessary.
There is no doubt in his mind that many
property owners who have been Land
poor for years, and have had hard work
carrying their property, were subjected to
hardships by being forced to pay for street
Improvements in large amounts. He consid-
ers that the objects 1t was desired to attain
in pushing the paving so energetically have
been reached and now, the center of
the city has been solidly improved, the bur-
dened property owners are entitled to a
breathing SPELL
While the general plans have been dis
cussed by the board. none of a specific
character have been arranged and it is i'm
possible for any of the members TO even
guess what the aggregate sum TO be ex-
pended on Improvements will be, although
Mr.. Moore aoIds nc personal opinion, based
on nothing tangible, that it will not ex-
coed $500 600.
Both Pennsylvania ard Illinois streets will
be resarsaced from Washington to Ohio
streets. The Pennsylvania-street resolution
has already been passed, while the Illi-
nois-street matter will be attended to
as soon as possible. Judging from pres
ent indications there viii be no paw
ing done on streets on the South Side
this year and probably none outside the
central portion of the city" There are
many alleys and small portions of streets
within the mile square which need atten-
ton and which, it was expected, would be
improved last year, but the work was not
done because in many cases the property
owners asked that action be deferred until
this year because of their inability TO con-
veniently meet the assessments at that
time 1t is the intention Of the board this
year to simply attend to this work which
was carried over from last year and make
no attempt to extend the present boundar-
les of improved streets except on petition,
and even then not without assuring itself
that none of the property owners Will be
unnecessarily squeezed by the operation.
With regard to the suggestion made by
some people that the new Strong law Will
result in the laying of many cross streets
with brick instead of asphalt in order TO
bring the assessment within the % Der cent.
limit, Mr.. Moore said that he did not think
such would be the case. Speaking for him.
self. he said that, while he was not an
asphalt man, he would not lend his sup
port to any plan to change the material now
in use on the most of the streets merely
in order to get the best of the law, as
he thought that would be like man buy
ing something he didn't want simply be-
cause il was cheap"
In conclusion he said that there was no
way Of estimating the amount of street i'm
provements which would be made this year,
but that so far as the board was con-
cerned, no extensive work would be under
taken and the total amount would depend
largely on the number and strength of the
petitions sent in by the citizens themselves.