Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1912-12-11
opIDCE CONTRACT VOID

Road Committee Exceed
Authority.
It the adjourned annual meet
,,aof the county board held on
MEMBER 3rd, the bill of the
psnneDin Bridge Company, Gov
.r;oo the cost of the construction
of6Te bridges, was laid over by
he hoard, it having developed
| - the satisfaction of the board
hat the contract was void on
several different points.
The. bridges in question were
Instructed under a contract
Jsfed August II, 1912, signed
5r The Hennepin Bridge Com
osnv BIZ Burt Russell, agent;
he County of Villas by IT. Mem
scbeck chairman, Peter Hedeen
,poervisor, G. H. Jackson high
way commissioner"
Four Of the bridges are at
different points on the Eagle
River to State Line highway, as
aIIows: One across Twin creek
below ConOver; one across Musk
RAT creek at Couover; one across
H9rmeadow creek at Rummeles
and the other across the Wiscon-
Sin river above Rummeles. The
i fifth bridge is across Twin creek
IN section "A, town Al, range 10
on the Eagle River to Hacklev
highway.
. The contract price for the five
!. bridges was agreed to be 81, 500.
The State Line highway was
laid out by order of the county
board, dated October 4, 1912.
Therefore the contract was en-
tered into to build these bridges
IS DAYS before any road was
laid out and building had been
in progress some time before the
hoard met IN October. The
bridges were completed the fore
part of November.
District Attorney George E.
0'Connor appeared before the
county board and informed the
members that he first learned of
the bridge contract from the
county clerk, who had asked his
opinion ae-tO what he should do
upon the completion of the work.
lir O'COnn0r wrote Mr.. TOrkel-
son, bridge engineer of the State
Highway Commission, sending
nm the plans and specifications
rs submitted By the bridge com
Pany and asking his opinion as
to the probable cost of such
bridges. MIR. TOrkelson, in reply.
SAID that the five bridges could
be built tor $4,000, but not
moving the conditions fully
would place his estimate at
$500 $4,000 less than the
contract price. J He further wrote
that as plans and specifications
bad not been submitted to the
state highway commission as
per request they (the commits
SOM would have nothing what
ever to do with the matter.
Inauother letter Mr.. TorkelsOn
I bad written that the bridges
we're not up to specifications of
'ae Wisconsin highway commits
SION although it was agreed on
'ae part OF the bridge company
mat. would comply with the
Wisconsin specifications,
leo. Il Jackson, the highway
commissioner, told the board
mat Air. Russell had agreed to
Tnd him a copy of the plans and
sPsHhcat'ons which he was to
'orward to the state highway
commission. This Mr.. Russell
ldied 20 do and because of this
neglect the state refused to have
ANYTHING to do with the matter.
1t developed during the discus
won that bids were not adver-
used tor, but the contract was
gwen the Hennepin Bridge COM
Pany upon its furnishing the re-
4a'Ted bond. Further, while it
was evidently intended that the
contract was to be signed bv the
road committee and the high
way commissioner. only two of
Tie Com rl7sF+ao -I 4L,a 49,, -, X,