The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1903-03-17
concernina Street Improvement.
communicated

A few reasons why plan NO. D.
which provides for grass plat be
tween the roadway and sidewalk
should be adopted.
All three of the city papers have
to a limited extent Endorsed plan No.
2. which provides for grass plat be-
tween the sidewalk and the property
line: but the writer is constrained to
believe that the conclusions of the
several editors were arrived at hastl-
" and without giving the matter the
deliberate consideration which its i'm
pCrtance warrants.
The writer is entirely too modest
to place his judgment in opposition
to that of the combined editorial
force of the Guy; but in sneaklng
apologize way he would like to call
attention to some of the merits OF
plan No. 8. and give his reasons why
that plan should be adopted in prefer
ence to any of the others suggeste1.
On account of the expense involved
in carving it into effect, 1T is safe
TO say that plan No. !, which pro-
yides for a grass plat on each slde
of the sidewalk. will receive but few
votes. and that the contest at the
ballot box will be between plan No.
and plan No. 3.
In discussing the merits of these
two plans. it is proper to keep the
main purpose in submitting these
questions in view, viz: Ine adoption
of uniform plan of street improve
ment, the fixing of the width of the
roadway and the width of the park
ing, so that the city may proceed
with the grading and parking of the
roadways, but not necessarily with
the planting of trees or the building
of lawns. The parking is merely in
cidental to the more important work
of fixing up the roadways; but it is
important before proceeding to repair
and build up the roadways that the
general nature of the parking be
settled. so that all work which may
be done on the roadways shall be of
permanent character and not be
subjected to the hazard Of future
diminution or extension laterally.
Again. it is important that the lot
owner should be informed at the
earliest moment just what space is
reserved for lawn purposes, so II ne
sees fit to establish a curb and pro-
coed to plant trees he may do so
without even waiting for the city to
improve the street abutting his lot.
Now then, having these two main
points in view, what are the advan-
tages of plan No. over plan No. 2?
Briefly the advantages may be enum-
Grated as follows: First, greater
beauty; second, greater economy, and
third. greater pracucability and feast
bility.
Should plan No. 2 be adopted, the
sidewalk will be placed next to the
roadway. A person looking down
one of the avenues from the center
of given crossing, or driving down
the avenue in a conveyance, his eyes
instead of resting upon nicelv
graded roadway with a strip of green
on each side, backed by row OF
shade trees, would be confronted
with roadway thirty feet wide
fianked by unsghtly wooden side
walks in place of the green park line
that under plan No. 3 would relieve
the barren effect of the roadway.
Again, under this plan No. 2 the
pedestrian would be forced to walk
alongside of the narrow roadway
and, being so close to passing vehi
cles, would get ne benefit of the
dust before it had chance to rise
high enough to be waited away.
Again, if plan No. 2 is adopted, al
chance to plant trees between the
sidewalk and the roadway will be
gone forever, and the result will be
that one side of each sidewalk must
eternally' remain without shade; il
other words. the sidewalk on tht
west side of the avenue must Away.
be fully exposed to the sun during
one-half of the day, and the Sidewalk
on the east side of the avenue mus
be exposed to the sun during tn
other half of the day, and durin.
the middle of the day both sides will
be exposed.
Again, If plan No. is adopted
property owners will be put to TIL
expense of removing the presen
sidewalks, and the city will be pu
to the expense of removing an
changing the street crossings.
1t has been argued by advocates c
plan No. . that this expense does nc
amount to much but they are mi.
taken. So far as the labor is COZ
cerned. it will cost more to move tn
sidewalks than it would to build ne
ones
If plan No. 3 is adopted this unne