The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-04-05
ARGUED LONG OVER
NEW SIDEWALK
PROPOSAL
Trustees Divided as to the Use
of Funds
VILLAGE OFFICERS APPOINTED
Street Commissioner A. r. Dunn and
Chief of Police Patrick Brazil
for Another Year

The first meeting of the village
board of trustees for the present year
was held last evening. The new
members of the board, J. p. Norris
sey in ward /, z. H. Holden in ward
2, Arthur E. HOLSTER in ward 5 and
L. H. Buss (re-elected) in ward s,
took the oath of Office and the meet
ing opened with all the members OF
the board present President Fred c.
Martin presiding, Clerk w. p. Hogan
and Village Attorney Ernest d. Bar
Der in attendance.
The session was an unusually long
one, made so by the prolonged dis
cussion over a resolution introduced
by Trustee Holden relating to the
building of new sidewalks, and 1t
would have been even longer had not
the temperature dropped to point
that made the room uninhabitable.
The resolution of Trustee Holden
was prefaced with remarks touching
upon the deplorable condition of the
sidewalks in Bennington and read
as follows: Resolved, That there
be appropriated from the highway
fund the sum of $1,000 which sum
with the moneys received from assess
ments to be made pursuant to section
SO of the village charter shall be ex-
pended in the construction and re-
pair OF such sidewalks as the board
may hereafter designate"
The resolution was vigorously OPP
posed by Trustees Buss and Nash of
the street committee who stated that
the highway fund was not large
enough to carry out the work of that
department They called attention to
the proposal of the Berkshire Street
Railway company to raise its tracks
through certain streets of the village
during the coming year which would
necessitate regarding in the same To-
cality
Trustee Holden insisted that, even
with the $1,000 taken from the high
way fund there would still be as much
money left for street purposes as had
been used during some previous
years The village was doing three
times as much for the horses as it
was for the people who travelled on
foot.
Trustee Nash insisted that it would
be crime to take a thousand dollars
out of the highway fund.
Trustee Holden replied that it
would be no more of a crime than to
leave the walks in the village in their
present condition.
Trustees HOLSTER and Kelly were
of the opinion that something should
be done with the sidewalks Trustee
Kelly called the attention of the
board to the condition of the walks
on the east side of North street where
the water gathers in ankle deep pud
dies after every rain.
Trustee Davenport raised the ques
ton whether or not money could be
diverted from the highway fund fol-
the purpose of building sidewalks
Trustee Holden gave it as his opin
ion that everything between the fen
ces belonged in the highway
The discussion was prolonged, Trus
tee Holden arguing for the resolu
ton and Trustees Nash and Busl
holding out vigorously against an!
reduction of the highway fund. TIL,
resolution was about to be put Il
vote when Trustee Holden asked TO
the ayes and nays. This started tn,
discussion again. Finally TRUSTEE
Holden stated that he did not wisl
to take an arbitrary position and ask
ed that the resolution be laid on tn
table temporarily.
With the opening Of the meetin
President Martin announced hi
standing committees for the comm
year as follows:
Finance-T. A. Davenport, Arthu
e. HOLSTER, John H. Kelly.
Streets--L H. Buss, John Nash,
q. Hollister.
Fire Department-Kelly. Davenpol
J. P. Morrissey.
Lights-Morrlssey Kelly, Davel
port.
Sewers-Hollister, Buss, Nash.
Continued on fourth pagel