The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-10-18
NOT SATISFACTORY
South Second Street Property
Owners Object.
Claim Street Was Not Improved Accord.
irg to Petition or Contract, and
Will Not Pay For 1t.
From Saturdays. Daily,

From SATURDAYS. Daily,
The hearing on the South Second
street Improvement has been set for
Monday afternoon by the board of
public works, and the property owners
are preparing to object en- masse to the
making of the assessment for the i'm
provement. A remonstrance against
making an assessment will be present.
ed to the board, signed by nearly every
owner of property facing on the elm
proved /" portion of the street. w. N.
Plymat and B. c. Taylor will also
appear before the board and represent
property owners who object to be as
sessed.
The remonstrance alleges that the
improvement has not been made in &C.
cordance with the petition of the pro-
perty owners, nor in accordance with
the contract.
The property owners have several
grievances which they will bring to
the notice of the board of public
works. They claim that coarse river
gravel, such as was contemplated in
the petition, was not used; that the
Indian lake gravel that was used was
not the "real thing" being only red
colored sand; that six inches of dirt
was not taken from the surface of the
street at all points, only three and
half and four being taken Off in some
places; that the gravel was not rolled
down in layers of two inches, as
called for in the petition; that three
inches of river gravel and three of In
dian lake gravel, as petitioned for,
was not used; and that the gravel has
not been thoroughly rolled down.
Practically all of the property own
ers have signed the remonstrance or
are expected to do SO.
Some of the property owners have
special grievance, as in the case of
DR.. J. w. Andrews and DR.. w. w.
Eberhart, whose lots lie along Second
street the long way, having very
small frontage on the cross streets.
1t is understood that if the board of
public works confirms the assessment
for the improvement of the street, the
city will probably have to have re-
course to the courts in order to collect
the assessments.
The board of public works late Mon
day confirmed the assessment for
the improvement of South Second
street, by unanimous vote.
The only property owners who ap-
peared in person to protest were W.
N. Plymat and DR.. J. W. Andrews.
Several written objections were read.
DR.. Andrews objected to paying the
entire assessment on the frontage of
his corner lot, as he only owned the A
feet next to Second street. He asked
the board to reconsider this assessment,
so as not to compel him to take the
matter into court.
DR.. W. W. Eberhsrt objected to
paying an assessment for 1916 feet when
he owned only the east 81 feet, adjoin-
ing Second street. He said that the
work was not done according to the
specifications, and ought to be paid for
out of the general fund. He stood
ready to pay his pro rata share.
Dr.J.H. James objected because fine
river gravel was used from Bryon to Lib
erty streets, whereas coarse river gravel
was to be used, as had been done from
Cherry to Liberty streets. Fine Indi
an lake gravel, mixed with sand and
clay, had been used. The contractor
had not fulfilled the contract, and for
this reason he objected and not because
of the amount of the assessment.
When he bought hay he paid for hay
and not for straw.
The general protest, signed by all
but four of the property owners, was
the last read, and Mr.. Plymat appear
ed for all of the signers and addressed
the board. He said that the property
owners had not gotten what they had
expected. He had been told that the
dirt had not been rolled. The dirt had
been scooped out and sand had been
thrown in hit or miss, and generally
missed. Coarse river gravel had not
been used, but fine white sand had
been substituted, not much different
from quicksand. Instead of Indian
lake gravel, sand, clay and mud had
been used, because it was nearer the
city and more convenient. The pro-
perty owners were not willing to pay
for hauling in mud that was not as
good as that which was hauled out.
1t is claimed that the street was not
rolled. The property owners
are satisfied with the curbing and
and are willing to pay for
it.
Judge Porter said that five persons
whose names are on the protest had
within the past ten days stated per-
sonally to him that they would like to
come and pay their assessment, as they
had their moneys worth.
City Engineer Thompson said that
only once had any property owners
come to him with criticism of the
work, and that was when forty loads
of gravel taken from a cellar on Rock