The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-04-15
First Warders Gather in Mass Meeting
in Dukes Addition Fire Hall.
Sentiment Unanimous for leveIing and
Crawling Those Muddy Streets.
Will Cost Nine Dollars For Every Sixty
lineaI Feet of the Streets.
Plan For City to Pay One Third and
Property Owners Two Thirds
From Wednesdays Daily.

From Wednesdays Daily.
Residents of Dukes addition are eager
for better streets. Such was clearly the
unanimous sentiment at the mass meet
ing called by Aid. Mckinley to discuss
the question and held last evening in the
Dukes Addition Fire hall on North
Fourth street. Nobody can blame the
property owners of the first ward for
wanting better streets. The mud is a
fright there as in other parts of the
city.
Aid. Mckinley has for some time been
planning to stir up the sentiment of
the people of the first ward in favor of
better streets, and less mud. His scheme
has been to have the streets of Dukes
addition gravelled partly at the expense
or the property owners and partly at
the expense of the city. He recently
preached his plan to the mayor and to
the board of public works. All the Of
ficers to whom he spoke on the subject
agreed with him in every particular. g
The meeting was called to order in
the fire hall last evening by Alder
man Mckinley about eight o'clock
There was good representation of
property owners from various parts of
the first ward. About fifty in all were
there. Fourth street was better rep
resented than all the rest of the streets
combined, about thirty of the men who
were at the meeting being owners and
residents along that street. S. A. Ander
son was elected chairman of the meet
ing and ]. Hampl secretary.
There was no division of sentiment
whatever. All who spoke or manifested
their opinions in any manner were in
favor of better streets. The meeting
was full of enthusiasm and the people
clearly showed that they were tired of
the mud.
There was no doubt at all about the
wishes of the property owners along
Fourth street. They wanted that street
gravelled The meeting declared also
in favor of travelling Fifth, Second and
Third streets as far as these streets
Law in the first ward. Committees were
appointed to see the property owners
along these streets and see whether any
of them had any objections to the gray
cling of these streets as planned.
The committee that will see the Fifth
street property owners consists of Fred
Kiffe, j. Rutland and j. Hampl. The
other committee, which is to interview
the people owning property along North
Second and North Third street, COM
prises S. A. Anderson, Aug Arnaman
and Gus Swenson.
1t was planned at the meeting, and
the scheme met with unanimous ap-
proval, to spend just SO on each sixty
feet of street improved with the gravel.
Of this SO, the city will be asked to pay
So and the owners of the property on
each side of the street So each. 1t Is
thought that SO per sixty lineal feet OF
the streets will be ample to level off
the surface and gravel it. 1t is planned
to haul the gravel from that part of
Thompson's creek that runs through the
Swenson property.
I w a
brought out that the city in its regu-
lar annual dwelling off and draining OF
the streets of the first ward would be
sure to spend about So for every sixty
lineal feet. Now, if, just after being
levelled these streets should be gravel
led according to the plan OF the city
standing one third of the cost of the
improvement, the city would be paying
out no more than the usual amount
paid out for the improvement OF the
streets, and at the same time the i'm
provement would this time be OF per
manent character and would last fol
years and without doubt save the city
a great deal of money in the future.
1t was also brought out that thu
same scheme of the property owners
paving two thirds and the city one thirC
of the cost of such improvement hat
been worked with great success last yea
on Pleasant street, where the people ant
the city for a trifing outlay were en-
ioying very much improved thorough
fare.
Many of the property owners presen
declared their intention of having side
walks laid, boulevards made and tree
planted in front of their homes on Mort
Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth and tn
cross streets, if the good work of leve
ling and travelling these streets shout
be put through.
Another mass meeting on the sam
subject has been called for Friday eve
ming. April %. At this meeting the con
mittees will report and further actio
will be determined upon.