The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1911-11-10
.HILO BELIEVES
IN THE ARTISTIC
Street Plans an Example Which
Set the Standard for the
Whole Territory.

HlLO, November i.-Tho work on
Front street, which was begun this
week, VIII consist not only in the re-
pairing Of that important thorough.
fare, but will mean its entire recon.
strnetion. The completed street will be
one Of considerable beauty and IRE
tensions, and will be more Of boule
ward than any other street in The
Territory. The ugly approach to the
city proper from the wharf has long
been an eyesore and a source OF com
plant, and the county engineer, in
planning the reconstruction of the
street, attempted to not only consider
economy but to show some considera.
ton for the artistic phase Of the prob
lem as well.
The street will be eighty feet wide
with eight foot wide sidewalks of con.
crete ON both sides. 1t had originally.
been Southworth's plan, in order to
save expense for the property owners
who had to build concrete sidewalks
to have such only four feet wide with
grass strip of two feet on each side
as is seen in many other towns, but
the county fathers decided against this
fearing that it might lead to charges
Of discrimination beng made by prop.
erty owners elsewhere, who had been
forced to build concrete sidewalks to
the eight foot width.
The unique feature will, however,
be the division of the street into
two by q "trip of park in the middle
Of the thoroughfare. In other words,
going from the sidewalk, there will
first be strip Of twenty-five feet of
maeadam road, then comes, in the mid
die, a strip Of park, twenty feet wide,
then another strip Of maeadam road
twenty-five feet wide, and finally the
other sidewalk.
The parked strip will be planted in
grass and trees. The county engineer
hopes that the community viii take an
interest in this feature, and is partic.
ularly eager to have the Improvement
club come to his aid. 81 shall be only
teo glad to hear from any one who
has suggestions to offer in the matter
of Identifying the park strips,p said
Southworth last week. eff palms, for
instance, are planted along it all the
way from Waiakea to Hilo, the street
would soon be changed from an eyesore
to thing Of beauty. / hear that yoa
have an Improvement club here, and
/ should be only too pleased to have
that organization cooperate with the
county in carrying out this plan. 1t
would seem to me that it would be
right in its line"
The park strip will be curbed, and
win, Of course, be broken by intersect.
ing streets. 1t will also, where there
is long distance between interesting
streets, be broken at proper intervals
in order 70 facilitate trafic.
Southworth states that he has been
much assisted in carrying out the Font
street improvements by the public.
spirited attitude of those who hold the |
property needed for the widening of
the street. He has seen all of those
involved, except couple who are alb.
sent at present, and every one of them
has agreed to let the county take the
land it needs, while they file merely
a formal protest, IN order that the
work may 60 forward at once, and the
may follow. Owing to
The lack of funds the work will at
present cover only the mauka strip of
.he street. 1t begins at Richardson
street and win be carried on towards
Waiakea.