The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-01-07
SUMMIT RESIDENTS
OF|GHT JUDGMENT
Thfty-nine Property Owners
Object to Street I'M
provement

Thirty-nine persons have signified
their intention of fighting the assess
ment for resurfacing and crawling
Summit avenue, from Dale street to
Cleveland avenue, having filed in the
district court petitions asking that the
application of the city for judgments
against them be denied
In a general way all the suits follow
the same lines, holding that the board
of public works had no authority to
make the improvement, in that the
final order passed by the city council
did not property describe the improve
ment. This is the basis of all the suits,
but there are numerous other and Spe-
chic allegations to the effect that other
necessary legal forms were not carried
out in detail.
1t is alleged that the board of public
works, in distributing the assessments,
levied against all the property on the
street. at so much per front foot, with
out taking into consideration the shape
ofathe land, the improvements, the as
sessed valuation, or other features that
would be supposed to bear upon the
question of the benefits accruing from
the Improvement One feature of this
alleged faulty method is cited, it being
charged that the board did not assess
according to the number of square feet
of land.
Other Accusations
The work has not been completed, it
is charged, and the contractors are ac-
cused of having violated the condi-
tons of the specifications under. which
they were working, without being call
ed to task. So fiagrantly were the
specifications violated, it is charged, in
some of the petitions, that the inn
provement is worthless, and a detri-
ment instead of a benefit to the prop
erty abutting on Summit avenue. The
city is charged with having wrong
fully extended the time in which the
work was to be completed for period
of eight months, thereby Inconvenience
ing and damaging the property owners.
In the petition of Alfred Wharton
this statement is made: THE district
is too small and the shape, area and
general proportions thereof, with ref
erence to the position of said improve
ment on the earth's surface, rendered
the assessment actually made in con-
formity with such district, unfair, un>
equal, arbitrary, fanciful and absurd
In this petition particular stress is
laid upon the fact that all property, no
! matter its value, is assessed at the
same ratio as more valuable land
List of Protestants
IHoSe protesting against judgment
being awarded the city are: Alexan-
| der Ramsey estate, Hanson L. With
ers, ST. Paul Title and Trust compa-
ny, as corporation and as trustee;
| Wilhelmina F. Phelps, John A. Stees,
Louis Arbogast, Edward c. Mitchell,
A. G. Jackson, J. Edwin largo, Re-
serve Loan, Investment and Improves
| ment company, Florence G. Won
! Schwerfn, Michael p. Ryan, H. G.
| Hackett, Clifford S. Cowles, Henry M.
| Smith, Edward Feldhausef, North
western Trust company, as receiver;
! Mary S. Hodgson, Frank H Piiling,
| William c. Smith, Provident Life and
| Trust company, Ellen G. Wann, Thorn
| as G.. Sullivan, Mary B. Cummings,
w. c. Doble, Katherine A. Kingsland,
Lurzi LORNA, Willis j. Callahan, Will
( liam III. Buckler, John D. Ludden,
Paul G.. Stewart, Manchester college,
| George H. Koeh1er, William e. How
! ard, Margaret w. Willis, Alfred Whar-
| ton and John A. Lagerman.
This suit has been expected for some
| time. It has been known that the
Summit avenue property owners were
| not satisfied with the character of
| surfacing and crawling done on the
/ avenue and that they were very much
| dissatisfied with the delay But q
| small portion of the work was COM
i pleted before winter set in, resulting
! in the clay bed of the surfacing being
I cut to pieces. 1t is claimed by the
/ property owners generally that the
T condition of the street is now much
/ less satisfactory than it was before
| the so-called Improvement was made.