The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1907-05-02
Northwestern Asked to Take Up
New Plan for Paving West
Main st. and About Depot
THE TRACK GRADE TO REMAIN
Company May Agree to Pay Half the
Cost of Paving and Sewers as City
May Demand If the Track
Grade Is Unmo1ested

Mayor German as the represent
alive of the city has gone after the
Northwestern Railway Company IN
regard to the paving of West Main
street and the cleaning up of the old
mud hole along the railway tracks.
Mayor German and w, D. Cantil1ion.
| the Master of Construction for the
company, have held many conferences
in regard to the matter and there is
reason to believe that the railway peo-
pie may finally agree to do something
for the city.
The plan that is now proposed does
not consider the building of an added
switch track across Grand avenue
but IN return for the paving of the
streets IN question the company will
ask that the city pass an ordinance
which will remove the necessity of
the company changing the grades Of
their main tracks between Middle
street and Elizabeth street. 1t is ad-
| mitted that these tracks are slightly
above the grade of the street and
there has been some disposition on
| the part Of some people who are
against the railway to demand that
these tracks be brought down to abso-
Lutte grade. Such thing would be
Of little benefit to the city and at the
same time it would cost the company
sum Of money almost as great as the
amount that they will expend for
paving and sewers.
This matter was first taken up by
Mayor German when the work of
making the street improvements was
commenced last year, and the officials
OF the company came to Kenosha in
special train gand went over the
ground. Several visits have been
made since and the formal PROPOSE
ton has been verbally made to Mayor
German and it will be submitted to
the Council in writing probably at the
next regular meeting of the Council.
When the matter of paving West
Main street was first taken up the
company W. ). asked to pay one-half of
the paving cost, 1t being understood
that the street was to be paved from
Prairie to Grand avenue. Now the
demand Of the city is that the street
be paved from Elizabeth street to
Middle street. Added to the increase
in paving the city has demanded that
the company agree to pay one-ha1f of
the cost of the sewer to be laid in the
Tho ~o~o~0csAS1~a ~
company by the Mayor is to pave one
half of the street for the distance de-
manded by the city, to pay one-half of
| the cost of the sewer and to pull out
| the small parks on the east side of the
railway station and pave the space
occupied by them.
| In return for this work, which will
cost the company in the neighborhood
of $35, 900, it is expected that the COM
pany will ask only that the present
grade of the track is left unmolested.
Should the city demand a change in
the grade there is no doubt but that
| the city would be forced to face a
long fight IN the courts, and the rail-
| way company has stated that it would
fight such change in grades.
1t is possible that the city could
sustain such an action, but it could
only be sustained at great cost to the
property owners, and there is some
doubt as to whether the result at
tanned would be of any great and
lasting value. The tracks to be in
Guided in the grade proposition are
simply the main tracks of the com
pany through the city, and the other
tracks which are not in keeping with
the city grades will have to be rem
edied, and it is thought that the com
pany will meet this demand from the
city without bubble.
The West Main street mudhole has
long been disgrace to the city, ard
it is the plan of Mayor German to
have it cleaned up once and for all,
before the close of the present year.
The company will be asked to agree
to do this work at any time that the
property owners are ready for the
coming of the improvements. The
property owners on West Main street
between Prairie and Grand avenues
are ready to have the work done at
once.
Why Meerschaum CoIors.