Omaha daily bee., 1909-07-24
INTERSECTION FUND SHORT
Local Paving Campaign Likely to Be
Much Curtailed.
DOWN TOWN STREETS COME FIRST
city Engineer says Business Thor
Oughfnres VIII Get Attention In
List of streets TO he
Cared For,

Eds have been invited on pavement on
many streets which can not be paved this
year on account of the condition of the
city funds, is the opinion Of City Engineer
Craig. and, according to City Clerk But
Ter, none Of the advertised streets can be
paved this year IL the council next Tues
day night returns to the bidders their bids
on pavement and instructs the clerk to re-
advertise.
The engineer rays that II would take to
pave the intersections in all the streets
advertised about S5, 900 more than the city
has In the intersection fund, and the city
clerk says that to readvertise, proceedings
would have to be begun at the very bottom
again, and that with all speed three
months would elapse before contracts could
be signed.
1T has been our intention to pave only
those streets in the down town business
district, mostly within a radius Of $3.50
feet Of the city hail." said City Engineer
Craig. THE new charter gives us power
to do this paving without the property
owners petitioning for the improvement.
We have about $4,000 in the intersection
fund. The down town pavement will cost
ABOUT NhItVW lOI lHltIb6CllOlls AbOuA
SO, 900 would be required to pave the in
tersections in the twenty-one paving dis
tricts advertised, and we have not the
money"
Butler states His Case.
City Clerk Butler says he has not over
stepped his powers in advertising for paw.
ing bids and says that it is not necessary
for the council to pass a resolution to in
5000 H., 90 al,va-NfeA Thfg enGNrt,rffpp
he says, is contained in the ordinances
creating paving districts and inviting bids
on various paving material. Contained in
the title of all these ordinances is this
portion of a sentences: land directing the
city clerk TO advertise for bids upon as
phalt, stone, vitrified brick, vitrified brick
block, artificial stone and macadam." Mr.
Butler says hat Councilman Johnson EVIL
IDENTIFY confused other kinds of advertising
which requires a resolution directing tho
clerk to advertise.
1T would take about three months to
get contracts on paving IL the council re-
jects at the next meeting the bids / have
advertised for" says City Clerk Butler.
The council cannot simply readvertise for
bids on the old ordinances creating the
paving districts and include in that adver-
tisement proposals for .creosoted wooden
block pavement, for creosoted wooden
blocks Is not mentioned in the ordinances.
New ordinances recreatlng the districts
and mentioning creosote blocks together
with other kind of pavements would have
to be passed. This will take two weeks.
Then fifteen days will be lost in advertis-
ing the new ordinances and for bids. The
bids received would be referred to the city
| engineer for tabulation and this would take
another week. Still another week would
be lost in. advertising these bids. Then the
property owners would nave thirty days
in which to select the kind of pavement.
Their petition would then go to the city
attorney and that department is allowed
two weeks or possibly longer in which to
make return. When the city attorney re-
ports back another two weeks would be
consumed in passing the contract ordinances
and a third week in securing the approval
of the mayor.
After all this is done we would find our
selves away along in the fall OF the year,
and 1t would then be too late to do any
paving this year."
Streets Affected.
OF the twenty-one streets advertised by
the city clerk. ten are in the residence
districts. The streets advertised, showing
the dates on winch the pelllOnS were Tiled
and when the ordinances creating the dis
tricts and instructing the clerk to adver-
tise were passed are as follows:
Howard Street From Seventeenth Street
to Twentieth S~treet-First petition filed
February q, 1909. Ordinance creating dis
trict and ordering clerk to advertise passed
May II, 1909. Approved May IA, 1903.
Patrick Avenue From Twenty-fourth
Street to Twenty-seventh Street-First
petition filed February "a, 1909. Ordinance
creating district and directing clerk to ad-
vertlse passed May 4, 1909. Approved May
10, 1903.
Hickory Street From Twenty-fourth
Street to Twenty-sixth Street-First petit
ton filed March s, 1909. Ordinance creating
district and directing clerk to advertise
passed May Is. 1909. Approved May 20, 1903.
Alley Between Dodge and Davenport