Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-04-07
PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS
City Officials Busy Looking After
 StFeetS and Sewers.


 peop.e are so much taken up Wlph | the tlvMey strike that they pa1oLhs have time to read about anytAlng elso. and for this reason lots ot good seun that many ought to know about IS brushed aside to make room Tor nae- ters of less Importance. hnthuslas0io packers of the trolley company nase got the notion into the peoples hea.l0 that the city officials are doing noIn- irlg but helping them, while as q nseit- ter of fact the affairs of the city are being attended to just the same as II nothing unusual was going on between organized labor and the trolley mag mates. Yesterday afternoon Mayor Kflduff and the board of public WorKs toured the city and wherever uney went they found some public improve ment being pushed and plans TOT QUIT CTS we'll under way.
 For example, in the north end ohe would scarcely know which job to mention first. A sewer Is being con structed dn North Willow street ana another in George street Storm Wa ter drains are being 1aid in half a doz- en streets in that district and the su- perintendent of streets is engaged Ill still hunt after property owners dn the vicinity of the Webster school with view to having them comply with the order of the city government to lay sidewalks in front of their property. The laying of curbing on North Nam street is one of the best pieces of puD- lie improvements that has been done in Waterbury in years and yet you don't hear anybody say a word about it, though some people claim that in time residents of that district will erect bronze statue to Commissioner Whit ing in recognition of all the work he has succeeded in getting done for them since he became connected with the city government. Contractor P1d- geon Is endeavoring to make public way out of Ashley street. 1t is a mon strous undertak king, but after few weeks the place will look much differ ent to what it does to-day and before next fall the people themselves will hardly recognize 1t. The Walsh schoo1 building fronts on this street and while many think 1t should have been plan ned to look the other way, stdll 1t IS an imposing structure no matter what. way 1t turns its head, and after the grounds are graded and fenced In it IS doubtful if the building will have an equal in Waterbury, The same thing might be said with reference to the Driggs school building and the streets in that neighborhood, the whole dis- trfct showing evidence of progress and close attention on the part of the city. It Is an expensive district and while some may say that improve 1 memts are not moving fast enough to | suit; others feel that they certainly are gefting their share of the money \ appropriated for use on the public streets. Tl1e soil is sandy and unless streets are protected by curblng and l gutteTs 1t is almost the same as throw 1 ing money away to do anything with I them, for the least little rain storm I rips them to pieces. It costs more than twice as much to keep the streets in the north end in repair than In any other part of the city.
 One often hears it said that the, city l does nothing in the south end. This 1 Is mistake. There is no part of Wa terbury so we'll equipped with sewers, sidewalks and electric lights clear out to the old city line as that part of the | town. With the exception of three streets and these have but few houses, the whole district has everything 1t needs in the way of public improve
 ments, and thas is more than can be said of any other part of Waterbury, not excepting the north end. Addi-
 tions have been made to the Washing
 ton school until 1t was deemed llnwise
 to collect any more children into that
 building, and in order. to meet the de
 mands for the increase in the number
 of school children a new tWelYe-room
 building is being erected on the Tracy
 property south of Luke street, a DOT
 ton of which will be ready for occu pancy this fall. A handsome wall has
 been constructed along the Mad river
 at Mih street and a sidewalk laid or
 the same street running the entire
 length of the wall. Tn addition tt
 this, curbing has been laid there iron
 a point opposite the clock shop to Lib
 ervty street, and two erosswalks or
 dered, one at Dover street and another
 at Liberty street. Tf1s sotl tn tha
 whole district ,apsorbs surface water
 so that the cost Of maintaining tht
 streets is far less thar In other places
 When Father Curtin gets his ehurcl and rectory built the south end will bt
 abreast of the procession and peopl'
 who have been saying that the city ha
 not been using them right will want t apologize for their lack of appreciation The Brooklyn district Is a costl. spot. Surface water cuts the street l into ruts and the expense of keeping them in proper condition is a constan
 drain upon the city government. Dur ) ing the past few years vast amour : J of money has been spent there in mak ! ing storm water condufts and th l work is still being pushed.
 Commissioner Mahaney thinks ther : is nothing too good for Brooklyn an, to his persistent advocacy of it's need
 may be credited many of the publi
 improvements that have been made i
 that part of the town within the pas , four or five years. Very few knoy
 the amount of work performed i
 Brooklyn, and especially in the vicir , ity of the Bernard school since MT Ma | h9nnv ihh11 mo Q r1pnoha1s oP +hn os4