The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1912-07-18
CO. ROAD WORK IS
UNSATISFACTORY
Commission Says So in
Lette rs to Co. Board
Says that County Money is
Being Illegally Spent on
Co. Road Work.

A special meeting of the county
board of Bayfield, county was held at
the court house in this city Tuesday,
the meeting having been called for
the purpose of ratifying the county
bond sale, but the purchasers of the
bond issue were not ready to submit
their proposal at this meeting and
other matters were taken up.
As is usually the case at every
meeting the long bridge question,
which has been before the board at
every meeting for the past few years,
again was brought to the attention
of the members. At the spring
meeting of the board it was voted to
abandon the long bridge route but
residents of the town of Barksdale,
backed by the city of Ashland, took
the matter up before the Wisconsin
Highway commission with the result
that the County Board was ordered
not to abandon the road. The
county board members did not like
this action of the Commission in try
ing to force them to put through
this road and some of the members
did not hesitate in saying SO. 1t was
planned to let the matter rest for the
time being and nothing will be done
in the matter.
That The State Highway Commits
sion is highly displeased with the
county road work being done in Bay
field county was evidenced by two
letters which were read at the meet
ing. On July 5th the Highway
Commission held a meeting at Madi-
son and decided to withhold the Bay
field county state aid money amount
ing to $3.50 for the reason that plans
and specifications of the work to be
undertaken had not been submitted
to them for approval.
In this letter the Commission stat
ed that it was their opinion that all
money now being spent on road work
either out of the general fund or out
of the proceeds of the bond issue,
was being spent illegally, and thai
Mr.. Olson, the present highway COM
missioner or other persons in charge
of the work were legally liable foi
such expenditures since they are not
made in compliance with the terms
of the law under which the expendi-
lures were authorized.
In this same letter the Commission
says that they have exhausted every
reasonable effort to comply with the
law but have been unable to do so
owing to the lack of cooperation on
the part of the officials of Bayfield,
county.
In another letter whic h was rea6
before the county board the High
way Commission stated that the
character of the work being done OF
the county roads in Bayfield, county
varied from highly unsatisfactory tt
moderately unsatisfactory. We give
this letter below in part:
To the County Board Of Bayfield, County
| Gentlemen
On ourKvisit to your county on May
3lst we travelled over considerable mum
Der of your roads. We think your coun
ty is to be congratulated on going aheac
in an energetic manner to raise money FOL
the purpose of-building roads to develop
your county. The member. of the Com.
mission who travelled over your county
were very much pleased with the re
sources and the evident fact that the sol
and general conditions of Bayfield, count,
lare such that it will unquestionable de
velop into one of the important agricul
ituralcounties of the state. and we thinl
that the building of good roads canno
help but bring the settlers to make thei
homes with YOU.
The Commission feels. however. tha
there has been some mistaks made il
the building of such roads as have al
ready been undertaken and wishes t.
offer some suggestions with regard t
future work. These suggestions are no
offered in any other spirit than to b
helpful to the taxpayers of Bayfield, coun
ty and to conserve their interests in ever.
possible way. That you may appreciate
the reason for making these suggestion