The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-02-23
AT DELAY.
People Grow Impatient About
Granville Bridge.
They Think That Counties
Should Agree.

Inc RESIDENTS OF oakland ana tuS
farmers along the Kansas river below
Oakland are determined to have the
Granville bridge rebuilt at once if it is
possible for the Jefferson and Shawnee
boards of county commissioners to
agree on the proportion of cost that
shall be borne by the two counties.
The Shawnee commissioners and the
Jefferson commissioners have been
pickering over the bridge question ever
since the flood. The Jefferson commits
siOnerS first asked that the counties
pay according to the assessed valua-
tion of the property in the two coun-
ties. The assessed valuation in Jeffer-
son is $4,230000 and in Shawnee ST, ,700,-
600. This would mean that Shawnee
would pay about three-fourths of the
cost of the building of the new bridge
across the Kansas river at Granville.
| The Shawnee commissioners have
wanted the two counties to share
equally. At the special session of the
/ legislature in 1908, when flood legisla-
tion was the object of the session, =
! bill was introduced providing for the
rebuilding of the Granville bridge, and
providing that the two counties should
/ bear the expense equally. The COM
1 misSionerS and interested parties from
both counties agreed to the bill. but
| just before it was passed the provision
for the counties to share equally was
stricken out. and under the old law, SO
/ the Jefferson commissioners claim, the
| sharing should be on the basis of the
assessed valuation.
/ A half dozen years ago the legis-
/ lature changed the Shawnee county
| boundary so as to give to jefferson
county about an acre of land, formerly
| belonging to Shawnee county, on the
north side of the river. This was done
/ In order that the bridge might be be-
tween the two counties and so that
Jefferson county could aid in the build
/ ing of the bridge. When the bridge
was built the spans of the old bridge
removed from the present site of the
Melan arch bridge were given by the
city of Topeka to be used in the Grant
vile bridge. w. A. L. Thompson and
! w. l. Miller, who own farms in Jeffer-
son county, gave SO, 900. Jefferson coun-
! ty gave 81 600 and Shawnee county
gave $1,000, and Kaw township, in JEFF
/ ferson county, gave $4,000. These same
| persons can not now be expected to
duplicate their donations and the coun-
| ties must bear the expense of rebuild
l ing the bridge.
After the Shawnee commissioners de-
| clined to agree to the Jefferson county
/ proposition to share on the basis of the
assessed valuation, the Jefferson COM
! missioners submitted proposition that
| Shawnee county bear 81 900 more than
| half the cost. This the Shawnee COM
miSsioners declined and stuck to the
equal sharing proposition.
The matter has hung fire for months
but the property owners who were ben
| Gifted by the bridge are now making
a decided effort to have it rebuilt and
they urge that the Shawnee commits
sfoners agree to any reasonable propo-
| sition. Attorney General Coleman gave
as his opinion that in the rebuilding of
the bridge that the counties should
apportion the cost between the counties
on the basis of the assessed valuation.
This morning the Jefferson commits
efoners agreed that the assessed valu-
alton of Jefferson county should be fig
! ured at $4,000, 900 as in making the as
sessed valuations the personal property
! in Jefferson is taken at one third its
value while in Shawnee it is taken at
one half it's value. The commissioners
also agreed that the average value ofland
| in Jefferson county should be reckon
ed at S12 an acre, instead of $3.50 as
heretofore, which would bring the land
value I'D to what it is in Shawnee
county.
IF we share equally" said Chairman
| Patterson Of the Jefferson board of
| commissioners this morning, '-the tax
payers of Jefferson county, with an as
! sessed valuation of one third
of what Shawnee county has,
| would have to pay SO to every 81 paid
| by a taxpayer in Shawnee county,"
If the apportionment of the cost is
made on the assessed valuation in the
two counties" said Commissioner
Sterne, Shawnee county will have to
pay three times as much as Jefferson
whereas Jefferson is to receive the
greatest benefit"
THE benefit that Jefferson county re-
ceives," said Chairman Patterson of the
Jefferson board, will be to give the
residents of the county a better chance
to come to Topeka to trade at the To-
peka stores. It will be a detriment
financially to Jefferson county but will
be convenience to it's residents
One reason urged for the rebuilding
of the bridge at once is that many farm
ers and nurserymen, who live on the
south side of the river in Shawnee coun-
ty, have farms and nurseries in Shaw
nee county and also in Jefferson county
and that without the bridge they have
to drive is miles by way of the Kansas
| avenue bridge to cross from one farm
or nursery to the other. 1t was after
| the Granville bridge was briItf that
the farmers and nurserymen began.
farming on both sides of the river.