The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-02-13
TOWN BOARD TO STAND ALONE
Hearing Before Highway Commission
on Saturday Brings Many Arguments
in Favor of Continuing improvements
Started in Former Season.

IF the arguments presented before
the highway commission carry any
weight the Improvement of South
Park avenue by the building of con-
crete road will be continued under the
direction Of the state commission for
at the hearing held at the court house
on Saturday afternoon nearly all of
the arguments were in favor of the
improvement of the road. Commits
sioner HazleWood gave NO Indication
of the coming decision of the commits
sion and declared that the evidence
given and the arguments made would
be presented to the full commission at
an early date and that a decision
would be handed down in plenty of
time to permit the work of i'm
provement to continue this season if
it was decided that the resolution of
the county board to remove the road
from the county system should not be
Eapproved.
The fight against the road was put
up entirely by the members of the
town board of Pleasant Prairie, the
arguments being made by Chairman
Up. III. Tobin and side supervisor, j. j.
Mahoney. They held that it would be
unfair to improve two parallel roads
within mile of each other and in
sisted that the Sheridan road should
be improved. No other members of
the county board spoke in favor of
the dropping of the South Park avenue
road, although nearly every member
of the board was present at the hear
| ing. District Attorney Drury attend
ed the hearing as a representative of
! the county board, but he took no part
| in the argument.
| The property owners were represent
Led by Hastings and Clarkson and
Judge Clarkson presented their side of
the controversy. He held that the
/ property owners on this road had been
the first to demand state aid under
the new law and that they had paid
their money to the town treasurer in
good faith and insisted on the state
and county carrying out the plan
Mayor Dan 0. Head appeared for the
city and the Kenosha Automobile Club
and he insisted that the money had
been raised in good faith and that the
work should go forward. He held that
as the city had paid road taxes to the
amount of more than $4,000 this year
that the city should have some weight
in the determination Of the roads to
be improved. He stated that the city
would insist on the improvement OF
land avenue road. Attorney Henry j
Hastings discussed the legal problem
involved and declared that the fact
that the state had already consented
to have work done on the road and
the further fact that money had beer
accepted and a tax levied for the i'm
provement Of the road would prevent
any change in the system at this time
Commissioner Hazlewood in response
to this argument claimed that the
state law clearly gave the commission
the right to drop a portion of county
road system following action Of tile
county board and that the fact that the
state had expended money on the road
would not affect the question. Charles
! Hastings and John T. Yule were other
speakers in protest against the change
in the system.
The point was made that If one OF
the other roads must be dropped from
the. system that the Ashland avenue
road should be considered last. I'll
was held that the South Park avenue
road when improved to the junction
to what is now known as the Sheri
dan road would offer the most direct
way into the business portion Of the
city of Kenosha. The fact that there
was no electric railway on this en-
trance to the city was also strongly
urged.
Chairman Shuart of the county
board was at the hearing and he was
given chance to speak, but he did
not offer any suggestions to the com
mission. It was alleged that the ac
ton of the board was taken without
giving notice to any of the property
owners interested.
| Another feature at the hearing wa;
a petition signed by a large number
of the prominent business men of the
city which was filed as a part of the
/ evidence in the hearing.
i President Wilson may go into Office