The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-08-25
CITIZENS CLAMOR
FOR SIDEWALKS
Something Must Be Done to
COnCiIiate People of
Fourth Ward.

In order to secure any substantial sup
port in the Fourth ward at the coming
city election the council ''reformers"
realize that they must devise some way
to show some signs of activity in com
plotting sidewalk extension SO, the con-
tract for which was awarded in 1905 to
| the Utah EtreprOofing company.
The citizens in the territory bounded
| by Brigham street and Third avenue and
A street and Federal Heights are up in
arms against the prospect that they will
| probably have to wait another year for
their sidewalks and the city attorney is
| trying to devise some means to escape
| the muddle into which the council and
| the board of public works have partici-
pdted the city.
The Utah FireprOOfing company COM
pleted about five miles of the twenty
miles of sidewalk In this extension and
then was released from doing any more
work by the council last April. 1t was
then decided to readvertise for bids for
the uncompleted portion of the work but
the council found itself confronted with
the new law passed by the last legisla-
ture for the protection of the public in
the prosecution of municipal Improve
ments. and after two months jangling it
was decided to readvertise this work IN
der the old law as the assessment has
been levied in 1905 and it, was contended
that because of this the new law would
not apply as it covers the prosecution of
Another Contract Void.
The city attorney gave his solemn &C
quiescence to this and s. Birch was award
ed the contract July %, for SIS, 13404
about so per cent higher than the original
bid of the Utah Fireproofing company.
The contract was sent to the council
and held up because it was let under the
old law and the city attorney changed his
mind and told the council engineering
committee that its action was correct.
Now the work must be advertised for
again to the great and lasting benefit of
the party organ, which publishes these
advertisements at its own rates. In or
der to comply with the new law the
plans and specifications of the city engi-
neer must be exact and the SlipshOd
methods under the old law are done
away with This means that it will be
at least October l before the plans viii
be ready and 1t will be the middle of that
month before the contract can be let
again Some of the work might be COM
pleted between that time and the end of
| the year, but even the engineer doubts
whether it viii amount to much.
The property owners in the meantime
are facing the prospect of wading through
mud for another winter, although many
| of them paid their assessment two years
ago, and the money has been in the city
| treasury eyer since. Hardly council
meeting passes without several petitions
| from these people asking that they be
| allowed to lay their own walks. These
DetltlOnS are always denied anu the re-
| corder instructed to inform the petition
| ers that the city will do the work in due
/ time and to their satisfaction.
Another Difficulty.
In the matter of assessments there is
| another difficulty which has not as yet
| been passed. The money that has been
| paid in comes for the most part from
those in front of whose property there
are no improvements. 1t, together with
| the money paid by those who have side
walks, has gone to pay the Utah Fire
! proOfing company and there Is only a
small balance in the fund. The council
will undoubtedly endeavor to annul the
| assessment and order a refund of the
money, but if this is done II will soon be
discovered that there is nothing to re-
fund.
There are still more complications which
enter into this problem which the coun-
| ell is trying to solve, but the situation
at present offers but little hope for the
| aggrieved citizens.