Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1906-01-04
The DADS / DECIDE
City Council Votes Down 4
Petition to Modify the
Street Grade.
A Pierre and Fort Pierre Street
Car Line Was Also
Considered.

~'A0AsSssy
council was replete in interest. A good
sized crowd OF property owners and
other citizens interested was on hand
to take part in the proceedings by
reason of the grade ordinance relating
to the flat coming up for consideration.
The mayor and six aldermen out of
the eight, BESIDES various city officials,
were also on hand.
An ordinance was presented author
izing the location and laying of tracks
for electric street railways, and operat.
ing the same on certain streets, alleys,
bridges and public places in the city
and granting franchise for such pur-
pose to Frank G.. Fischer, of Fort
Pierre, and Noah Newbanks, of Pierre.
The ordinance provides for the laying
of single or double tracks, the erecting
Of poles, wires, ETC., and the cars will
carry passengers, freight, baggage, and
express. The life of the franchise is
to be thirty years. The proposed tracks
will start from Reed street, just beyond
the Locke hotel, and go east on Dakota
avenue to the Indian school; up Reed
street to Capitol avenue, and out
through East Pierre; out on Pleasant
Drive to the western city limits and up
Grand avenue to the DeWell residence,
thence across to Euclid avenue ana
back to Capitol avenue on that street.
This ordinance was referred to the
proper committee. A copy of it, we
are told. has been presented also to the
: Fort Pierre council. The object seems
to be to connect this city and Fort
Pierre by trolly line over the new
railroad bridge, when completed by
next winter.
The real interest of the council meet
ing, however, conferred in the petition
presented by G. G. Bennett upon behalf
of forty eight property owners, that the
grade established on the flat in 1889 be
modified to the grade of 1885, which is
considerably lower, being almost on the
original level of the bottom land. This
petition called for lot of discussion,
in which various citizens participated
upon behalf Of the property owners on
the fiat, with Mayor Ewert doing most
of the talking for the council and
against the petition. After the talkfest
the following resolutions were passed:
Resolved, That it is the sense of the
council that going back to the grade
established in 1885 is inexpedient and
unwise and will result in damage to
the city that can be avoided by trial
of the condemnation suit now pending,
and
Resolved, That we believe that many
of the signers OF the, petition presented
tonight relating to said grade question,
have signed same under misapprehen
sion of where the grade of 1885 is, anG
that the condemnation proceedings
now pending have been anG are neces-
sary to the ultimate settlement of this
vexed grade question.
Resolved further, That q meeting of
the signers Of this petition as well as
all other property owners of the city is
desirable for the purpose of discussing
the proposition contained in said petit
ton to reduce the grade to that of 1885,
and that the mayor issue public cali
for such meeting.
Chas. L. Hyde and other property
owners petitioned to have outlying real
estate set outside the city limits, which
question was referred to the city attor-
ney.
The mayor called public meeting of
citizeus at the courthouse for next Mon
day evening to discuss the grade propo
sition, after winch the council adjourned
to Tuesday, the 9th.