The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1910-03-11
indefinitely.


tack Of it a max, de- or prescott needs
effect. Nothing temporary, nothing to
OF altered that would have the appear
ance of a pat ,ne1 job in plan Of
CT lnpleteness. Something just as
good is unknown TO engineers.
Much could be said along the line of
the subject assigned me which is en-
titled Our Present Situation
when the original townsits build
ers laid out Walla Waila they lotted
and blocked the original so acres ex-
tending from a few feet west of Sixth
street easterly one-aalf mile to point
about 200 feet westerly from Spokane
street. Sumach, Rose, Main, Alder and
part of Poplar and Birch streets were
laid out diagonaily across this original
80 acres using the wagon road which
in Idaho as a base.
Partly because at that time there
was no dream on the part of it's found
ers, that Wal]a Walla would be what
it is today, and partly because property
values then were not such as to war
rant a perfect system of grading OF it's
thoroughfares, all streets were laid out
on temporary grades and this grade
was made to conform as nearly as pos
sible to the natural lay of the ground
in each block No account was then
taken of the future needs of the city.
No provision was made for the meet
ing of the grade coming into these
streets from others opened by the lay
ing out of new Auditors adjoining.
LAS new additions were added the
streets in the new part were also
placed on temporary grades, the grades
being fixed with no reference to the
grades in the original town and in
bringing them together at the street
intersections they were made to fit as
nearly as possible, foot or two MAX
ing no difference in the drop or fall of
either street. On these temporary
gardes the property owners laid their
cement walks in many places with the
consent of the council. Now when the
permanently improved paved district
comes along and takes in several
blocks of streets, the grade line must
be fixed as to the whole improvement,
one block with the other, and in trying
to make this grade conform as nearly
as possible to these old cement walks,
either the new grade must disregard
those old walks where they are below
Improvement or else the new grade
must be broken to meet them and if
this is done a very unsightly grade is
produced.
mo cement walk as permanent i'm
provement should go ahead on these
temporary grades until the general
grade for the entire Improvement of
the street is fixed No blame can be
|
attached to any one at this time for
the present condition, for the reason
that the same conditions prevail in
most all of the towns which have
grown beyond the original plan. No
one in the past contemplated Walla
Walla of today and no provisions were
tin of expansion.
But Walla Wal:a of today should
determine to deal intelligently with the
trouble and in the future all grades on
our streets should be established per-
manently with reference to thorough
street improvement.
| "Walla Walla is fast becoming what
nature intended she should be, the
Garden City of the west and the dis
tributing point for the Columbia river
basin.
1 MEN at the head of our municipal
affairs must have ideals; high ideals,
optimistic views for identifying and
making here a beautiful city. And in
this connection would it not be we'll for
each and every property owner to take
a little more than passive interest in
the doings of those who have been
chosen to represent him in the city's
affairs; would it not be best as has
been suggested by some to know the
plan of action; to learn in advance
what improvements are contemplated
and then help to secure the best re
, suits. In truth and fact, let us hav
, more of the publicity idea. Let u
have made public in advance what /
, | to be done and then let us help do il
I "a writer in the Pacific Bulletin an
: Engineer, western publication, says
Y 1.-the masses were as jealous c
publicity at the beginning of tn
: Christian era as they are now; but fo
the lack of mediums it took much long