The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-06-17
MEETS WITH APPROVAL
Action Of the Council in Ordering Sew
eraI Streets Improved.
Combined Asphalt and Brick Pavement
Obviates Alt Objections.
Twelve Foot Brick Cutters Will Per
nit Street Excavations.
Property and Retail Interests on West
Side of Front Street Benefited.
From Wednesdays Daily.

From Wednesdays Daily.
The width of Front street between the
curbing is fifty-six feet, and if an as
phalt pavement thirtytwo feet wide is
laid in the center of the street, as or
dered by the council last night, it will
leave room for twelve foot cutters on
each side of brick paving. This will
make a very handsome street, while OBJ
waiting all of the objections to an as
phalt or brick pavement and allowing
all of the advantages of both. The brick
cutters will be so wide that the sewer
and water and gas pipes can be reached
without having to distrub the asphalt
pavement. Teams standing at the side
of the street will also stand entirely on
| the brick, and the traffic will be mainly
on the asphalt, which will prevent the
noise of full brick pavement. The as
phalt will be laid two inches thick, or
half an inch thicker than on Broad
street.
h The proposed pavement will give a
Fsplendid street surface, and will put
Mankato from the rearmost to we'll to-
ward the front rank in this respect
among cities of its size. The combined
brick and asphalt pavement is used in
many large cities and gives the best sat-
Fisfaction On business streets, although on
Residence streets straight asphalt is gen
trally considered the best.
There were good many expressions
of approval on the streets today when
the action of the council last night be-
came known. One well known gentle
man and taxpayer remarked: 81 am
glad of it. Mankato will now lift itself
out of the mud. 1t is time that this
city threw off its lethargy in the mat
ter of street improvements. It will be
a general benefit to have the streets in
the center CT tIs city paveu. 1t is OF no
particular benefit to anyone to have
just one street paved, but the rea. 5ene-
fit comes when the entire section is paw
ed"
A gentleman, in talking of the paving
of Front street, said: 81 have not no.
ticed that rents have been lowered on
that street any ON account of real or
imaginary hard times. The people who
draw an income from property there do
not feel the varying times, as their in
come is fixed, and they can as we'll afford
to pay for paving at one time as an
other. 1t is recognized fact that at
present that the west side of the street
is not popular with shoppers, and there
fore stores there are not in much de-
mand for retail purposes. This ought not
be so, for that side does not get the hot
afternoon sun during the hours that
shoppers are out. There can be only
;one reason why it is avoided, and that is
the fact that the muddy street discour-
ages the ladies from crossing. They have
to go to slippery crossing now and
wait their chance to dodge between
teams, whereas if the street was paved
they could cross at any point and not
be under the necessity of lodging across
on a two foot pathway If they could
get across readily they would natural
ly seek that side of the street in sum.
mer to avoid the heat of the afternoon
sun. Retailers and property owners on
that side who oppose paving the street
do not seem to grasp their own in.
terests, nor do they show much con.
lsideration for their patrons"