The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-02-01
Commissioners Decide Scio-
to River Matter.
COST IS FAR TOO GREAT
Means a Saving of About
$4,000.
County Surveyor is Now Busy Maxi
ing the Assessment on the Lands
Which will be Improved by the
Work.

A decision was reached by the
county commissioners yesterday after.
noon not to improve the Little Scioto
River above the Hillman ford bridge
and the county surveyor, Ed. s. Ault
was ordered to proceed with the as
sessments for the construction of the
Improvement from the Hillman ford
TO the point where the crooked river
empties into the Big Scioto river.
Mr.. Ault is today at work making
the assessments. This is gigantic
task when 1t is realized that there are
1000 acres that drain into the river
The commissioners ordered the sur
veyor only to make assessments on
that property which drains directly
into the river. thus leaving out the
property owners along Honey run and
Rocky Fork creek. An opinion render
ed by Prosecutor Justice is to the ef-
feet that the supreme court has held
recently in similar case that lands
having drainage into a stream that Is
tributary to q larger one may not be
assessed for an Improvement to the
latter.
The Improvement will be the great
est one of it's kind ever made in Ma.
rion county. 1t will cost approx
mately $65,000, will give better drain
age TO 10000 acres, and will reclaim
more than 1000 acres of land. Assess
ments for the Improvement will be
made upon over 5000 lots in the city
of Marion but on account of the large
territory benefited by the improve
ment the assessments on each lot will
be very nominal.
BY cutting off the Improvement at
the Hillman ford there will be saw
ling of exactly $4,000 The high cost
above the Hillman tord is because II
would be necessary to take out a
great amount of solid rock and the
expense would be all out of proper
tion to the benefits to be derived. The
Improvement south Of the ford will
give those landowners located above
the ford all the relief they desire and
with only a nominal expenditure.
The surveyors plans call for an
average width at the bottom of 81
feet where the Little Scioto river
flows into the Big Scioto. The average
width at the Hlllman ford will be 20
feet and the average width on the
bottom along the whole course will bi
l27 1-2 feet. '"e1
The average width at the top will
be about 100 feet where the smaller
river enters the larger one. This will
taper down to about 60 feet at the
Hllman ford. Many OF the intricate
Iwindings of the river will be eliminat.
ed and II will be shortened over two
and one half miles between the Hill
man ford and the Big Scioto.
This will give a sufficient outlet and
except in times of unusual floods and
Ifreshets none of the land along the
river should be under water and the
water at such times would do no par
ticular damage while at present tn,
slightest freshet does much damags
and for many months i'm the year
hundreds of acres are under water
and in the summer are UNIT to be
titled. d.
The commissioners will hold their
final hearing on the Improvement
March l. 1t is expected that over $780,
900 in damage claims will be present.
ed at that time. All claims will be
considered and some, where there Is
actual damage, will be compensated
for the same, but the damages to be
allowed will be very small. 1t Is ex-
pected that the final hearing will last
several days but the commissioners
are planning to experiate the business
as much as possible.
| At the final hearing the surveyor
will present the assessments and argu-
ments and objections will be made at
that time. Until that time he win
not make public any OF the assess
ments. After the hearing. IL the inn
provement is granted by the commits
sioners the engineer will advertise for
bigs and eventually let the contract.
1t is hoped that it will be possible to
begin the construction work by the
last of May.
1