Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1911-11-03
WINNING BID $4656
Gilman & Son Will Build South.
ern Approach
Three Firms Submitted F~leures-Road
viii BE 23oo Feet Long and % Feet
Wlde-Must Be Finished June l..


A departure from the usual method
of securing new roads in this town was
instituted Wednesday evening, when the
selectmen awarded a contract for the
construction of the proposed new road
at the south entrance of the town from
the end of South Main street to a point
on the Vernon road a few feet south of
Cascade brook. Formerly new roads
have been built by the road commission
er, but as an experiment the selectmen
decided to ask for bids for this work
from contractors. The bids were open
ed Wednesday evening and G.. f.. Gill
man & Son were awarded the contract.
Their bid was $4656.50 for the job. Cros-
by e. Parker entered a bid for $i92l.
Burnett e. Perry put in a bid at
$5620.12.
The specifications call for a road %
feet wide, 1900 feet long and with grades
from 1 to s per cent. The plans and
specifications were made by James Hell
var. They call for a road modern in
every particular, to be completed by
June 1, 1912, and if the road settles at
any point after that date the contractors
are to make the repairs. BY giving
them until June 1 the likelihood of its
settling is done away with to a large
extent. When the specifications were
made it was planned to nave an 1S-foot
roadway, but by advice of State High
way Commissioner c. w. Gates 1t was
decided to make it 90 feet wide, which
allows one foot on each side of the road
for a gutter. To make the greater part
of the road will not be difficult, but at
the southern end a fill about 400 feet in
length will have to be made near the
Cascade brook and just north of this
about S57 cubic yards of stone will have
to be removed. At the Cascade brook a
cement culvert will be built, and a &C.
rnapt retaining wall will no pnnda IN Drp-
vent the new roadway from falling upon
the present Vernon road, just south of
the road that crosses the Hunt fran and
joins Vernon street near the White
River Chair company's plant. The three
roads will join at that point and the
Vernon road will be widened. The fill
near the brook will be fenced on each
side and the specifications call for a
fence with chestnut posts four feet above
the level of the road. six inches in di-
ameter at the top and eight feet apart.
The ratings are to be four inches
square, set with a corner upward in
order to shed the rain and reduce wear,
and the fences are to be painted with
two coats of white paint.
Gilman & Son started a force of men
at work early yesterday morning and
they will continue until the road is COM
pleted. The fill at the southern end is
specified in the contract to be finished
Feb. /, and the entire job tune /. The
contracts were awarded on the construc-
ton in two sections, one section cover
ing dirt work and one rock excavation.
This was done so as to be fair both to
the town and the contractor. At one
point it Is known that there are 81
cubic yards of rock to be removed. This
was taken as a basis from which to
compute the approximate total and the
contractors bid on S57 cubic yards, which
EDpinaar HplVar thinkG will he about
the correct amount. Gilman e Sons bid
on the dirt work was $3371, to which they
added $3.50 a cubic yard for the stone,
making the total for the S57 cubic yards,
$12S5. so. This brought their bid up to
$4656.5O. If there are more than S57 Gu
bic yards of rock to be removed the
town will have to pay $1.50 for each Gu
bic yard. Crosby & Parker bid $3.50 on
the dirt work and 81 for each cubic yard
of rock up to 800 and SO for each cubic
yard above $500. This brought their bid
up to $4921. Burnett & Perry bid
$3691.S7 on the dirt work and s2,25 for
each cubic yard of rock, or $192S So, MAX
ing a total of $500. 70.
Gilman & Sons bid is we'll within the
$4,000 appropriated by the town in a
special meeting in August. According to
State Highway Commissioner C. w.
Gates, who is a recognized authority on
roads and road making, the southern
entrance to this town will be ideal. The
plans drawn by James Helyar are fine
specimens from which to work and the
specifications in the contract call for the
contractors to follow them to the let
ter. Gilman e. Son were pleased to Sc
cure the contract because when the road
Is finished in good condition it will be
a material aid to them in getting flu
ture contracts.