The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-09-01
DISGRACE To CITY
West Eighth Avenue Is in
Frightfnl Condition.
No Steps Yet Taken to RepaVe
the Street.
LITTLE OPPOSITION.
Property Owners Apparently
Favorable to improvement.
Active Movement if Started
Would Be Successful.
LITTLE OPPOSITION.

10 Harrison street has become the
worst in the city. 1t is an eye sore
and would be a disgrace to a village
of 1000 inhabitants. With great holes
showing portions of the pavement en-
tirely worn away revealing the con-
crete base and even this is rapidly
wearing out. it is calculated to give
visitors a false impression of the fair
| est city in Kansas.
Broken stone has been dumped into
some of the holes with the intent to
! lessen the resulting jolts which come
from travelling over the pavement, but
the broken stone if anything, makes
the street more impossible than ever,
and assists in the deterioration.
Ordinarily West Eighth from Har-
rison street to Kansas avenue was the
| most travelled side street in the city,
but the paving has gone so rapidly
from bad to worse, that it is avoided
as If 1T were a plague spot. Hundreds
of people are inconvenience daily
who are forced under the existing con-
dition to use other streets greatly out
of the way to arrive and depart from
the heart of the business section of the
city.
The square about the state house
should display the best paving in the
city and it's maintenance should be on
the same level, civic pride should de-
mand this much.
Instead, the square has exhibited
eight blocks of the worst paving in
Topeka out of all the thirty-dve miles
of paved streets. West Tenth avenue,
the condition of which rivaled West
Eighth is to be repaved with brick
with an asphalt filler. The property
owners without a protest signed
paving petition last year which was
favorably allowed by the city council
and the contract let. Owing to the
l. ild
of paving brick specified this year and
the request that the pavement be not
! torn up until after fair week. made on
the part of property owners, the work
| of paving has been delayed. With the
| new paving brick laid on the concrete
| base and the asphalt filler, the new
| brick pavement on West Tenth avenue
will present the appearance that it
/ should.
Ordinarily the state of Kansas would
pay one-half of the cost of all repaving
/ or paving done about the square on
| which its property fronts, but certain
| members of the legislature have op-
posed every attempt to pay the states
| proportion of the improvement. The
result has been that the city at large
| bears the cost of the one-half of the
| paVement that the state should pay.
| This one-haf of the cost is assumed
| in the case of the repaying of West
Tenth avenue, though another attempt
will be made to secure favorable ac-
ton at the coming session of the
! legislature on behalf of the state.
| The states proportion of the cost
of paving West Tenth avenue from
Harrison street to Jackson street was
| $2.39O.S3.
The cost per lot to the property
| owner for repaving between jackson
and Van Buren, streets ran from $5l
| TO S95 and from Harrison to Van Blu
rem streets. $64 to s104. The high fig
ures are the amount assessed against
! the corner lots.
Approximately the cost of repaving
West Eighth avenue will be the same
as that for West Tenth avenue and the
| cost to the property owners per lot
! will average close to the amounts stat
ed. provided of course the rrpaving is
done with brick.
There is no doubt but what West
Eighth avenue should be repaved,"
said John Rogers. city engineer; Its
| the worst piece of pavement that we
have and it is continually getting
worse. One or two opposed the circu-
lation of a petition for repaving two
j years ago and this blocked the whole
| thing The repaving should be done
next year by all means for the con-
4 crete base is being destroyed
E L. Hindman, who represents the
Il Hindman estate which controls lots
II 74-76 West Eighth avenue; c. E. Jew
ell, representing the Jewell estate
which owns 1880 West Eighth ave-
nue.: and Arthur Capper owner of lots
Il 1911 West Eighth avenue, will all of
them sign a petition for repaving.
Grace Cathedral owner of lots 1888
on West Eighth. according to d. w.
Nells, will object to signing petition.
81 represent the church in the man
agement of the property and though
I am only one, 1 don't think that we
would care to have the street paved
now. 1t might be sold and there are
several other reasons" said he.
In the block between Jackson and
Van Buren, streets the resident proper
ty owners are the Church of Assump-
ton owner of lots 62-72; Mrs. George
P. Morehouse. owner of lots 52-54 and
a portion of Sc; Mrs. T. Saxon, owner
of lot so and a portion of So.
Rev Father Hayden of the Church
of Assumption stated that he would
not oppose the circulation of a petit
ton and though it would represent a
heavy expense he did not feel inclined
to stand in the way of the improve
ment. at certainly needs it, but |
should want brick put down, said he
=. Mrs MorehouSe did not feel inclin-
ed to oppose a circulation of a petit
ton and would sign if others attached
their names. Mrs. Saxon stated that
she did not know what she would do.
at seems to me that the city should
do something" said Mrs. Saxon. They
permitted it, to get in this awful con-
dition and are responsible and 1 think
that the CITY should be made to make
the repairs"
In the block between Harrison and
Ivan Buren, streets; The grand lodge OF
. the Masons owner of lots 1928 and a
portion of lot so. is very anxious to
secure West Eighth repaved. 1--WE
tried to get it paved two years ago, >
said Albert X. Wilson secretary, "but
we were opposed by one man who sue
ceeded in sidetracking it. No, in
deed we will be only too glad to sign
Mrs F. w Mink and Mrs Marion
MulhoIland stated they would dc
whatever the remaining property own
] u, hIccIr rnrO11ld fhirnlr