The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-05-13
REPORT OF SPECIAL COMMIT
TEE OF SELECT COUNCIL ON
ASPHALT REPAIRS.


city, beg to make the following report.
Since the year 1886 there has been
laid upon the streets in the central,
business and residence portion Of this
city about 100000 square yards of as
phalt pave, all at cost of about $685.
900. exclusive of the cost of curbing and
footwalks. All of this work was paid
for by the abutting property holders.
During the Ave years guarantee period
which each and every contractor gives
upon all asphalt pave laid here, the
pavements were kept In good condition
and repair. Since the expiration of this
guarantee period on the several streets,
but slight expenditures have been made
for their maintenance, and as result
of this neglect of them the older pave
ments, ranging from twelve years
down, have become very much broken
and out of repair. so much as to at
tract the very serious attention of this
body over year ago. At that time Il
special committee was appointed for
the purpose of devising some plan
whereby the pave might be repaired
and the city saved the expense for pos
sible accidents which were likely to
occur owing to their bad condition. AS
n result of the labors of that commit
tee a plan was devised whereby the
city should on its part make q contract
with some responsible paving firm for
the repair and maintenance of the
streets in good condition for a period
of ten years, and to this end an ordi-
nance was passed by the two councils
authorizing the proper officers of the
city government to advertise for and
receive bids and enter into contract for
this service. Bids were received from
| four competing companies. The sched-
ule of these bids was published in the
city engineers report, and shows that
| the contract was awarded to the Bar
| Der Asphalt Paving company, the low
| est bidder by a very considerable
amount, and the contract was awarded
| and entered into by the city officials
with that company Subsequently the
| question was raised by competitors and
a few of the citizens of this city, ques-
| tioning the power of the city to enter
into such a contract, and the opposi-
| tion to this action eliminated in a suit
| filed in courts, asking that the officials
| of the city be enjoined from entering
| into such q contract. The question was
| thoroughly tried on both sides, and the
| court decided that the city had ample
! power to make such a contract. and
the contract was again a second time
entered into with that company to per-
| form the work of repairs to the asphalt
pave.
During the closing weeks OF the last
councils the committee of the two
bodies inserted an item In the appro.
| priation ordinance for the sum of ST.,
$40 for the payment Of the service oi
repairs to the asphalt pave during tht
present fiscal year. in discharge Of thr
obligation which the city had take,
upon itself in executing the contrac
for that work, and that ordinanc,
passed both branches of the council
and went to the mayor, who, in hi
misjudged zeal to perform a public ser
vice for the community, vetoed the item
in question.
So it would seem that the city gov
ernment is in the position of havinl
entered into an obligation to pay
certain sum of money for the perform
ance of a certain class of work-repai
of asphalt pave-and is without tn
funds to discharge this obligation.
A great deal has been published i,
public print, and a great deal of tall
has been INDUCED in in regard to tn
amount of money which the city ha
promised to pay for the performance o
. the work Of placing all the asphal
pave in the city in good substanta
condition. When the bids were receive
by this council for the work in ques
ton, offers came in from four differen
companies, whose interests, develop
meuts afterwards showed, were antaG
onistic to each other, and 1t is fair t
presume that the price bid and at whic
) the contract was let, was the mos
favorable one that could be procure
from any responsible asphalt pawn
company doing business in the Unite
States. With the bid of the successfl
contractor for this work came a lette
explaining the manner and method
which they proposed TO undertake an
carry on this repair work. They sa
that they will undertake to place III
pave Of this city in good repair and |
perfect order at an expenditure of owe
100000 within the period of two year
| What do We find in this proposition
1t Is. that this reputable firm propose
to furnish in advance to the city
Scranton a sufficient amount of capt.;
: to place the streets in perfect ordt
| within that time and then maintai
|
for a period of ten years, and then r,
ceive from the city in annual install
ments the capital which they advance
e to do the work. This is undoubted
d the most advantageous propositiC
= that the city of Scranton has ever r
e ceived from anyone in the execution
It public works, particularly so when '
i find ourselves without means to accor
| liGI ha m IA
,r A computation of the expense of T
le pairs shows that it is only per Ger
If upon the original capital invested
T. laying the pave; whereas the cost
IS maintenance OF railroads, machiner
Is mining plants and other works is
Ie per cent. or more. These figures u
le doubtedly show that it will cost le
IS TO maintain the asphalt pave, bas
N upon the original cost of the improv
st ment, than any surface improvement
" in the city. of Scranton.
is Viewing the matter as your comm
ID tee does, we believe that the proI
sition which is embraced in the contra
"a between this city and the Barber \
lg phalt Paving company for the repa
I'd and maintenance of the pave for
Of next ten years-which practically fl
Ir. nishes new pave for from $4,000 to 10
C. 900 yards, and keeps them in thorou
repair for the next ten years, is m
advantageous proposition, and grea
D. subserves the interests of the city a
property holders.
", Respectfully submitted,
r. II. c. Melvin, chairman
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