Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-05-28
Plenty OF Work to be Done but
There Are No Funds
Available.
PRIEST. A. FRED WEYS VIEWS
SAYS Public Must be Aroused 60 salt
Lakes Opportunities Before
Anything Is Accomplished.

I
beautiful city until the interest Of the
public Is aroused more Thoroughly in
] ifs Identification. and the handicap
OF the present laws Is removed and the
appropriation Of money for park pur-
poses made freor."
This is the opinion Of A. Fred Wey.
chairman of the board OF park commits
| hioners. and he is supported In this be-
| lief by the other members Of the city
| board
| With an It's abundance Of opportun-
! tiles for the conversion Of beauty spots
/ In Us canyons. parks, foothill boule-
/ wards and foliage shaded thorough
/ fares. and with a park commission
| composed Of men forward In the move
ment and who volunteed their services
| Salt Lake is under the one handicap
| OF not being permitted to secure suf-
| hcient funds 10 make even a begin
| ming upon the extensive schemes and
| plans that would make the city beaut-
| ful At present the work OF the park
commission consists mainly In main
| tanning and improving as well rs pos
| iblc with limited mean the existing
/ parks and planning what can be done
| when legislation will make funds avail
able.
salt Lake has well organized
under a city ordinance In July 1907. Its
| members are A. Fred Wey. chairman.
| q. II. Griffin, Heber NJ Wells. r. p.
| Morris and b. = Redman. all appoint
ed by the mayor.
POWERS OF THE BOARD.
Under the ordinance 1T is the duty
| OF the board to regulate the planting
| Of trees. shrubs and plants in the pub
| Tic places. streets sidewalks avenues
ana public grounds In Salt Lake City.
| and IN order that a uniform system
| Of planting be carried on they shall de-
| tcrmlno the class Of trees TO be used In
tree planting and parking districts"
| The board also has the power 20 con-
| denim and cause TO be removed "ali
| dead. decayed. unsightly or diseased
/ trees an the expense of the abutting
property owners"
! Al present tho city has but two pub
| lie parks Liberty and Pioneer. Under
| the meager appropriation permissible.
! $4,000 for last year and an apportion-
mont estimated at S2l $50 under the
| budget for 1910, there has been barely
| sufficient 10 cover the actual expenses
| In the maintenance and care OF the
| parks with few improvements Al
| though the city council recently set
| aside the tract along Canyon road be-
! tween Second and Fifth avenues
| created through the conduiting OF city
| creek, for public park purposes. It's i'm
! provemcnt and conversion into a park
! Is dependent upon when money will be
available for that purpose
| The council anticipates that an ap-
| propriation viii be available for park
| purposes in July Derhaps. and - eAsre
| is sufficient some portion Of thi wi be
used 10 begin work upon tho can-on
| road park. The work Of parking Sew
| cnth and Twelfth East streets, recent
| ~ authorized by the council will be
| undertaken by the superintendent OF
| parks. Nicholas Byhower. as soon as
the street department completes the
| work N lev cling. which is now under
| way.
The situation in which the park COM
| missiOners find themselves was sum
/ med up by Chairman Wey in. I'VE
/ can't do what we would like TO do"
The park commission" he said. lis
| doing everything IN its power to build
| up a beautiful parking system. but we
! can't do WHIT we want. The council
| has promlsel liberal assistance for
! such schemes as we feel could be car
! ried ont at this time but even then the
| council can not do all 70 would like 10.
! We are Handicapped by the existing
/ Jaws.
GREATEST NEED.
"The first great need In the crea-
] tion of parking system is revision
!
/ should enact "a park law, which would
| provide for the levying OF special as
sessments for park purposes. In this.
] respect 10 should be similar 10 the
/ school law.
IF one stops 10 think OF the possi-
| bilitics We have here for making Salt
/ Lake beautiful. IL must be admitted
/ that the city is FAR from being beauti-
] ful We have magnificent oppOrtuni-
/ ties for the establishment OF boulevards
/ and parks. and the streets and thor
I oughfares could be made avenues Of
] admirable beauty city Creek canyon,
/ Emigration canyon and others should
| be- turned into boulevards. with parks
I scattered here and there along the
| roadway wherever convenient spot
/ was found. Imagine what a magnih-
/ cent driveway could be made out Of a
/ boulevard extending through City
l Greek canyon and circllng the foot
| hills around by Fort Douglas
I'VE have not only been lax IN pro-
| viding parks and boulevards within
| the city but we have neglected 20 OBJ
! tain what other places have secured.
| Pressure ought 70 be brought 10 secure
] the establishment Of a parking system
az Fort Douglas. Tho government has
/ spent thousands Of dollars In beautify-
/ ing the Preside az San Francisco. Fort
/ sheridan at Chicago. Fort Russell in
] Wyoming and other forts throughout
/ the country. while here, where we have
/ several thousand acres embraced in
/ the reservation It is nothing but a
/ barren waste.
CITY CREEK CANYON.
81 think that city Creek canyon
/ could be made the beauty spot OF the
/ country AS soon as we have funds
| available work viii be- begun on the
/ park and parkway at the entrance 20
] the canyon and we hope that our wish
/ es in this respect viii be realized In the
/ very near future one thing we would
/ like 20 see at once though-that Is the
i prohibition of wagons hauling gravel
and sand on the Canyon road II Is
| nothing short of decoration Another
road should be provided for these
wagons 20 the gravel pit and the Can
| Won road left for the people O. enjoy
/ Il. The road is being ruined with
| that traflc and until II is stopped Il
/ rs difficult TO do much In the way OF
| roadmaklng or beautifylng the path
] way.
AT Liberty park we have succeeded
| IN making some improvements that we
think Will be noticeable, but there. too.
we were unable 20 do all we wanted
l 10 accomplish We have doubled the
/ size OF the lake. and / think heightened
| the effect OF It's beauty by building an
Island New roads have been built
I and there viii be "a general improve