Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1908-02-27
filling TIDELANDS
is NOW The Absorbing TOPIC
IN ABERDEEN.
Several Meetings Are Held by Prop.
erty Owners Affected, and Large
Najorify Oppose Present Plan. To
Fill Unused Property and Omit
Busy Streets Not BuSine SSIike.

The scheme cf filing The tdelands pro-
posed by the city council, has absor bed
the attention OF the citizens OF Aberdeen.
almost to the exclusion of city politics
this week, and discussion Of the plan
reveals large opposition, based upon
objections that are unanswerable. In
fact, the scheme appears to be on a par
with the plan evolved last summer 10
grade the hill district, which provided
for cement curbs on new filled land cost
ing $7S 900, and IS inches of river gravel.
Meetings were held Monday night in
the city hall, and in Hits hall, to discuss
this subject. The HERALD representa-
tive vas present at the city hall meeting.
which was attended by between so and
100 owners in the district north OF Heron
street, and the project was denounced'hy 10y
the unanimous adoption Of the following
resolution:
Whereas, On the 2Sth day OF August,
1907, the city council of Aberdeen passed
resolution providing for the filing of
certain streets and lots on the tidelands
of the city; now therefore,
Be it Resolved, That it is the sense OF
this meeting that the plan proposed be
abandoned, for the reason thu ..ects
a part OF the city but thinlv settled,
largely by people OF limited means, who
are not in position to bear the expense,
and where the street traffic does not
Justify the experiment OF starting ,o
build permanent streets.
Be it Further Resolved, That we favor
the speedy tilling of the streets mos
used by traffic, such as Hume, Heron,
Wishkah, Market. F. q and II, for such
distances as the property owners may
desire.
The other meeting, representing prop
perty south OF Heron street. developed a
strong opposition, Notwithstanding the
presence and strenuous york Of bunch
whose advocacy Of the measure is open
to suspicion, owing to the small interest
they have in the district, and move.
ment is on foot to hold another meeting
next Monday night.
The reasons expressed by property
owners are, that q great number OF the
lots affected are owned by people Of linn
tied means, many Of whom are paying
for Il cir hon o. by installmente-which
t,ey finl difficulty in meeting-wl.os ose
little all they fear will be jeopardized
many favor filling the streets, leaving
the lots to be filled as the owners are
able. They all realize that the filline
does not end the cost, but that the streets
must be graveled and sidewalked before
they can be used. which will probably be
done on the immediate payment plan.
But, aside from the direct objections o
property owners who will be Immediately
affected, there are more serious reasons,
that concern the entire city, reasons that
are sufficient alone to condemn the
proposition, as it is framed at this time,
the chief of which, is the matter OF re.
grading the streets on the It. AS the
grades now stand the fat is on dead
level, which, with plank streets, does
not matter, but, with the building ol
permanent streets, the problem Of dis.
posing of 80 or 80 inches of rainfall each
year confronts us.
Aberdeen is admirably situated for
natural drainage, three ways, to the
Wishkah river on the easi; the Chehalie
on the south. and to Fry creek on the
west. To lower the grade at the Cheha-
lis river one foot. and raise it a foot at
Second street would give fall of two
feet, sufficient to drain the storm water
on all north and south streets between
F and Division streets. Similar grades
can be had east and west, and without
such arrangement, the streets must be
torn up to lay an expensive system OF
storm water sewers and culverts about
the time the people begin to imagine
they have finished streets.
Again, it is noted, that great portion
of the area of the proposed fill is not
served with water and sewer pipes, and
we submit that good business policy
would suggest laying those mains be.
fore making the fill, and saving the cost
of digging later.
One OF the mysteries Of this plan-to
the uninitiated layman-is that it seeks
to build streets where there is little-and
in some cases no-traffic, while the bust.
ness part of the city, that is able and
willing to pay for streets, is omitted. 1t
is safe to cay that project to fill Hume,
Heron, Wishkah and Market streets
from Broadway--or further west-to the
Wishkah river would be hailed with de-
light by 90 per cent. OF the resident own
ers OF abutting property, yet this entire
section is LETT out OF the scheme proposed
by the city council