Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-09-13
BOARD OF ALDERMEN.
West Main Street Property Owners Had Another Hearing Last Night.

MeSsrs Yob1n, Bergen, Murray, Hur- ley, Plling,k Beach, Hewitt and CaIlan. An opinion was. received from the city attorney relative to the power of the assessors to employ outsiders to take the military enrolment, the city to pay the bills 1t confirmed the po- | sition the assessors have always taken on this matter, that they have such power and are within their rights in exercising it. The communication was ordered on file. All the recommends. tions of the board of public works, printed herein before, including the placing of six new lights at the green. authorizing the establishment of a building line on Hillside avenue and ] the laying of crosswalk at Chapel street, Waterville, and walk at Holmes avenue, near Grove street were adopted. Several petitions for new work were referred to the depart. ment of public works. she report of the bureau of assessment on the mat. ter of benefits and damages arising from the establishment of building lines on North Willow street from Johnson street to Hillside avenue, and on the grade and layout of Hawkins street and the establishment of build. ing lines on the Watertown road. 1 showed that the board had not beeu able to find enough benefits to offset the damages on the WatertOwn road l matter In the other two cases things came out all right and the reports were approved and the recommends tions of the board of public works hav- 1 ing reference to these projects were I approved. The Watertown road mat ter will have to be taken up again if the people want a building line. It was first tried at fifteen feet and lost and then they made a try for a ten. foot line, but couldn't make it go.
 The bureau of assessment made 1 second report on the question of bene, fits and damages arising from tue widening of West Main street from the Naugatuck road to the car barns The only change made from the one submitted in August was the raising of the damages awarded to Wilbur E. l Tomlinson from $264 to $40O.
 John Gilmouf, one of the aggrieved parties, said that he was not there to talk damages for the sake of dam ages. What he wanted to make plain I to the board was that the $500 award ed to him was far below what he is en- titled to. He simply wished to reiter- ate now what he said when the mat ter came up before the other boards, that if the city took six feet from him in front he wanted to be moved back that distance and his building left in as good shape with reference to the grade of the street as the city found it. If they would do that Mir Gilmour wouldn't have a word to say about damages.
 In answer to question from Alder man Beach as to what it would cost to do such work as he thinks the situ- alton demands, Mir GilmOur said $2% 300.
 Louis Archambault, another proper ty owner along the line, didn't think the bureau of assessment put the prices right They awarded a dollar foot for the six feet deep strip taken while in his opinion it was worth at least $20 or $25 per foot He contend ed that such improvements as are con- templated there weN not being made I for the special benefit of the abutting property owners and that it was man. I ifestly unfair to saddle the expense on l them.
 Alderman Filling. who is 8 member of the board of assessment, said that he had given the matter a great deal of attention and that he had not met a man with the exception of the par- ties directly concerned who thought they had not been treated right 1 Mir Blakeslee said it was evident that the bureau of assessment and tho property owners could not agree and that as the latter had the right of ap- N peal to the courts it was but fair to assume that justice would be done both sides there.
 I MT Murray took the ground that the people had not received their due. T don't think" said the alderman from the fourth, "that this board should make practice of forcing private clti- zens into the courts to protect them selves. MT Filling claims they are benefited by the taking of six feet of l land from them and bringing their buildings clear up to the street line. Indirectly the end in view is to widen the street so that the trolley company and others may have more room. To be sure the trolley paid fabulous sum to met this expense. The board of public works fixed their portion of l the cost at $750. An effort was made in this board to raise the figure to $l.- 800, but a majority thought this too high and cut it down to $1,00O. So far as I know most of the property owners I directly concerned in this change ara poor men >and to my mind it is not right to take anything from them with out paying them what it is worth, and they should not be compelled to go to 1 law about it either"
 MT Filling said that he hadn't mel anybody else that looked at the mat ter from MT Murray's standpoint, and the chain remarked that he was not aware that the trolley company was paying fabulous sums for anything
 Alderman Callan said he believed l that the people down there are not get ting what they are entitled to, but the question was to know what to do with it. The work had te be done and this matter had to be adjusted be. fore operations could be commenced .Mr Beach moved that the report Of I the bureau be adopted. 1t was put but the chair claimed to be in doubt as to the result and called for a rising T vote. Before the second effort was made Alderman Beach and Mir Filling had hurried consultation at the close of which Mir Beach suggested that the matter lie on the table for a week