The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-10-07
Commissioners Decide to Con-
struct Sard0u Avenue Bridge.
Call for Bids VIII Be Issued on
Monday.
STRUCTURE is HIGHER
viii Be Nine Feet Above the Old
One.
Have Funds Now But for One
Bridge.

The board of county commissioners
has decided to rebuild the Sardou ave-
nue. bridge across the Kansas river i'm
mediately. A call for bids will be made
at the meeting next Monday and date
will be set when bids shall be received.
The contract will be let at once in or
der that the work may be carried on
this winter.
The bridge, when rebuilt, will be nine
feet higher than it was originally and
will be four feet above the high water
mark made by the flood of 1908, which
carried the Sardou, and all other coun-
ty bridges over the Kansas river, away.
The Sardou bridge cost ST, 400. The
tubular piers are standing and one span
is in place. Another span, lying short
distance down the river, can be used
and part of a third span will furnish
some material. The commissioners
bridge and raising it nine feet, with
the tubular piers in position and one
span in place and other material from
the old bridge available. will be about
$13 900. The commissioners now have
Sill, 800 available in the bridge fund.
No levy for bridge building was made
this year. The last levy was made in
1908 and the last of the taxes of 1908
were paid into the county treasury in
June. About 81, 900 more of back taxes,
which will go into the bridge fund, will
be paid in by December and the COM
missionerS will have about enough in
the fund to build the Sardou bridge If
there is any shortage the amount will
be borrowed from the general fund
and will be replaced when the next
bridge levy is made.
There has been considerable demand
for the rebuilding of five of the county
bridges across the Kansas river since
they were carried away but the COM
missioners decided that they would re-
no h 6er0C w
sufficient funds in the treasury to do
so and that the county would not go
in debt for the bridges by issuing
bridge script. The commissioners long
ago decided to get Shawnee county free
from it's bonded debt as quickly as pos
sible and not to incur any more debts.
The commissioners are planning TO
take UP all Shawnee county bonds as
plan $193, 900 worth of bonds must be
taken up by June 1. 1907. The bonds
making that amount are:
K. N. & D. r. r. bonds due July !,
1906, bearing per cent interest.
Amount $74 600.
c. K. & N. R. R. bonds due June l,
1907, bearing 51z per cent interest.
The commissioners have made a total
levy for bond and sinking funds of .424
mills which raises about $4,000 a year.
At present the total interest paid each
year amounts to $24 900. When the K. N.
& D. bonds are paid the annual interest
will be 81, 400 g. year less. The money
left, after the interest is paid, this year
will be $4,000 and the same sum Will
be left as a balance next year which
will be sufficient to take up the K. N.
& D. bonds in 1906 and leave a surplus
in the sinking fund for the taking up of
the c. K. e N. bonds the year following.
The total bonded debt of Shawnee coun-
ty is now $4S9, 900. The next bonds due
for the county to take up will be $780,
900 worth of Shawnee county funding
bonds due July /, 1909. With the amount
of interest to be paid each year lessened
81 900 by June 1, 1907, and then leaving