The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1909-09-30
MUNICIPAL.
A Letter From the Mayor.


our city along practically all lines
Of trade and industry, it may we'll
be interesting and instructive to
know how the municipality is
keeping up with the rapid march
Of progress. am we'll within
the bounds of truth, l am sure,
when | say that practically all
the growth of Johnson City, city
wards, has been during the past
two or three years. True, before
that time, we had some good
school buildings, some macadam
streets, in a more or less iinper-
feet condition and a very consid-
cradle amount of good granolithic
sidewalk, the first steps usually
taken by a village toward becom-
ing a real city, but all improve
ments had been carried on in a
sort of hap-hazard manner, no
particular system or plan in view.
The city also had electric light
ing, electric car and Water-works
system, none of which, however,
are owned by the city.
In 1907 the city secured the
passage of what is known as "the
abutting property act" and with
the passage of it, creating the
first systematic plan of municipal
improvements, sprang up strong
demand for street paving, of a
permanent nature, and for an ade-
quate sewerage system, and in
September of that year contracts
were let for the construction of a
large amcuntof street paving and
a main sewer through the popu-
lous part of the city and many
connecting laterals, but owing to
the financial panic of that year
these contracts had to be dropped.
In 1908 these matters were taken
in hand seriously, contracts were
let audbefore the dawning of the
present year we had laid without
a hitch 2l,00O square yards OF
high grade brick paving, using
Portsmouth, Ohio, brick, the best
made, and about one and one-hali
miles of main sewer, from IS inch
to "a inch in size, and severa,
miles of lateral sewers and a large
amount of concrete curbing ant
sidewalk, the first start in a sys
tematic design of permanent mu
ricipal improvements, and effect
ing a transformation of "our vii
lage" into a city and lifting tn,
submerged business section out O
a condition of hopeless mud int,
one of stability and efficiency ant
adding many thousands of dollar
to the value of property abuttin,
and adjacent. The cost of paving
curbing and sewers in the pave
district alone, including the mai
sever, was about 100000. TIL
building of lateral sewers an
granolithic sidewalks "goes met
rily on" hardly day during tn
season but what such work is i
progress in various parts of tn
city.
The most important probler
we are now called upon to solv
is that of Sufficient supply &
thepurest water obtainable." Th
voters having authorized the isSt
ance of 100000 in bonds, fc
this purpose, it is now the hone:
and earnest intention of this az
ministration to carry out this pul
pose to the letter and in such
manner that no one can truthful
say that a single dollar wa
wasted or misplaced, and the pr,
liminary steps are now Elm
taken, carefully and guarded,
but surely. There is now undt
option a series of springs in I'm
col county that will furnish
the city a supply of about seve
and a half million gallons pt
day. This IS supply equal
one hundred gallons daily pr
capita for population of $500
souls, a most liberal quantit
The quantity and quality of tn
: water is all that can be desire,
The engineers are now at VOL
/ making surveys and plans, ar
| when these are completed INN
! date steps will be taken to carr