Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-08-04
One Mill to Improve Roads
Leading Into City Would
Yield $1,000
PROPOSITION NOT CONSISTENT
so Thinks Supervisor Keen, Who Does
Not Think County Should Furnish
Money to Be Spent at city's Dirso-
tion-Mayor Cites Law-May Try
Concrete Pavement on Thirteenth.

county board Of supervisors this NOR
ming to ask the board to levy a l.
mill tax on all property of the city
for the purpose of improving the roads
adjacent to the city. The mayor con-
tends that the law provides that the
board may impose this tax. and shall
spend the proceeds under the direc
| ton Of the city council. Supervisor
Keen seems to be in doubt as to
whether this is the case, but the mayor
says he has had advice from the city
attorney on the subject and suggests
to the board that 1t have the county
attorney look up the question, so that
an agreement can be reached and the
levy made, with the resultant improve
ment.
Supervisor Keen thinks that for the
supervisors to levy the tax at its own
Will, and have to spend the money
under instruction from the city coun-
Gil, is hardly consistent. and suggests
the possibility of friction over the
roads that might need Improvement
The situation is one which the mayor
and council would like to have cleared
up so that some Of the roads which
need work done on them can ba at
tended to promptly. The heavy rain
early in the summer, and the wear and
tear on some of the roads, have put
them in q condition that makes them
need attention. The amount raised
by the 1.-mill tax would be about ST.
800.
The mayor called the attention Of the
board to the South Third avenue con-
crete bridge over Linn creek, on which
the mayor says the board has spread
about foot of dirt to keep the con-
crete from wearing out.
'1The Marshall Oil company has gone
to great pains and expense to paint
its property adjacent to the bridge"
said the mayor, "and they and others
In that ,leighborhood feel the effect of
the nuisance that is created by dirt
which comes from that bridge. Traf-
nc across 1t disturbs the dirt and drags
it off on to our paved city streets. It
flies about and causes complaint from
those property owners. Every little
while somebody complains to me about
1t and one firm might mention jumps
onto me about 1t every time they see
me.
Il contend that good concrete
bridge does not need any such dirt
blanket to save wear and tear. Out
in one Of the. cities in Indiana they
have concrete pavement which was
laid thirteen years ago in front OF a
hardware and grocery house where
heavy traffic is constant, and that
pavement is good yet. On the main
street Of IleMars, Iowa. they h We
concrete pavement which wa put
down ton or twelve years ago, and is
still sound. There is no need In my
estimation, for concrete to L. rein
forced by anything to save it-that is,
good concrete. We only sweep our
streets down there about once
month and we cannot we'll get around
to it offener, SO that rain and travel
do good deal in getting the dirt on
that bridge out Of place. Our city
spends $4,000 a year on streets alone.
and we want to keep them in good
condition for that sum-
The board of supervisors has also
under consideration the matter of Its
share in a concrete culvert on Thir-
teenth street. from Main to Summit
the entrance to the soldiers home. The
city council is considering the advis-
ability Of paving that street with con-
crete and doing away with the present
bridge replacing it with a structure
ITO feet long, In the form of concrete,
si1ty-six feet Of this would cost ST.
800 while the city's forty-four feet at
$40 per square foot would come to
about $3.50, in addition to which would
be the cost Of filling, and this would
bring the city's total bill, the mayor
believes, to about $500. The mayor
says the city council is considering the
advisability of sending some Of Its
members to Indiana to look at the
concrete streets there to get evidence
on the prospective concrete work on
Thirteenth street, and this subject may
come before The council ait its meet
ing next Monday night.
The soldiers home is a state insti-
tuition and everybody who comes to
our city wants to visit it," said Mayor
Ingledue. 1--WE ought to have enough
pride TO fix UP Thirteenth street and
make it a credit to the city that would
invite favorable comment and admira-
ton from everybody who travels out
there, especially visitors to the city
from other parts of the state and
Concrete costs now about SO cents |
Or a dollar a square yard and the paw
ing Of Thirteenth street from Main
street to the soldiers home gate would
mean the laying of about 32,400 square 7
feet, which would at 81 a square yard,
cost about $780, the cost of the cul-
vert increasing this sum to the city !
BY possibly $4,000.
The idea which obtains the most
'avor in regard to the Thirteenth
street plan at present seems to be to
give a boulevard effect all the way UP
he street, by giving a full width of
surface where the bridge is.
is we'll as along the other portions OF
he street. A pavement thirty feet
lied out as planned will be one of The
most important street improvements
which have been made in this city in
many Years. The local officials have-a =