The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-07-01
MAYOR WINS AT LAST.
Twelfth Street Won't Be Paved This
Year.

Friends of the Twelfth street paving
project came to Mayor Bergundthal
this morning and surrendered. They
said they were willing to allow the
pavement to go over until 1905, provid-
ed the mayor would allow the contracts
to be let at the council meeting this
evening. That sort of compromise
just suited the mayor, for it conceded
exactly the point he has been fighting
about.
The compromise was arranged by ].
w. Gleed, who also called at the city
| OFFICES and notified the city officials of
what had happened. When the contract
| for paving West Twelfth street is let
this evening, the council will stipulate
| that the work is not to be done until
1Se5. This method of letting contracts
for the ensuing year has been adopted
in numerous instances. Some pavement
| is being laid this year which was let
| in 1903, with the understanding that it
should be laid over a year.
Mayor Bergundthars successful fight
on the construction of pavement this
year mas aroused a good deal of opposi-
! ton, not only among the people who
wanted pavement, but among the menu
| berS of the city council who represent
those people. The mayor took the posi-
! ton that as the city at large has to
| pay about 40 per cent of the cost of all
pavement, the council should lay only
a limited amount of pavement, and
| thus hold down the expenses of the
city, and reduce the tax levy. There
| was the usual big rush of paving petit
lions at the beginning of the year. The
mayor allowed the long strip of pave
ment to the cemetery, and one or two
other shorter pavements, but when he
went that far he shut down and said
he would veto any further paving con-
tracts which might be let. Then the
council threatened to pass the contracts
over his veto, but four of the mayors
friends in the council came to his
rescue. and with those four votes back
of him, he was safe. Nothing could
be showed in over his veto.
This morning Mayor Bergundthal
said: 1.-THE people who are backing
the West Twelfth street pavement
came to me this morning and said
they were willing to have the paving
laid over till next year if 1 would not
oppose the matter any further, but
would sign the contracts with the
1905 proviso. To this consented, be-
cause 1 have no objection to the con-
struction of this pavement next year
What I have been trying to do is to
hold the amount of pavement in any
year down to a small sum, so that
the city can reduce it's bonded debt
and interest charge.
This compromise applies to both
East Twelfth and West Twelfth.
Neither one will be laid this year
They will be put in shape to be laid
first next season.
Contracts for paving West Twelfth.
East Twelfth and the alley in North
Topeka will be let by the council this
evening. John Richie, Charles Ram
sey, John Maxwell and the other bid
ders were busy figuring on the work
today. 1t is regarded as probable
that the bids will be pretty close to
the estimate. The Topeka PAYERS
seem to have been patching up their
difficulties of late. This will be the
second time that bids have been
opened for paving the alley in North
Topeka. The other times both bid
ders were so close to the limit that
the council suspected collision, and
rejected both bids.
Ramsey & Ramsey today filed with
the city clerk an application for an
extention of 80 days more on the
time for completing their last years
paving contrac cts. The limit on the
first extension was July 1. In their
communication. which will come be-
fore the council tonight, they state
that the bad weather during May has
caused the delay in their work. and
that they have been unable to COM
plete Fourth street from Topeka ave-
nue. to Western avenue, Eleventh
street from Quincy to Van Buren,,
Seventh street from Monroe to Madi-
son and Fillmore street from Thir-
teenth to Fourteenth. Some work has
been done on all of these streets. how
ever. and with 80 days of good wealth
er they can be completed.