The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1913-11-14
PROPOSE GRAVEL ROAD
FOR VIENNA STREET
OPPOSITION SHOWN TO CONCRETE
BY MANY TAXPAYERS
Frank Rockafellow and H. F Bodine
Reply Interestingly to
M. c. Doyle.

Bitter discussion was aroused last
week by M. c. Doyle's interview on
paving Vienna street. Comment on
both sides of the question was freely
made, nearly every business man on
the street and a number of the resi-
dents Of the village expressing them
selves one way or another.
Concrete pavement is too ex-
pensive and is unnecessary,
said Frank Rockafellow, tax
payer, in commenting on Mr..
Doyle's expression of views. Con
crete cutters eight feet wide with
an oiled gravel center will be as
good as the more expensive type OF
road and believe better. This type
of road is used for the main street
in Fenton and has been found highly
satisfactory. Such a street could
be made for about $4,000.
,"I don't believe that those who
voted against paving are against inn
proving Vienna street, Of course, the
condition of the street is a disgrace
to the village. But why not get
better type of pavement than the one
proposed at a much lower price?
"There are many reasons for fav-
oring oil,d gray& with ooncS
pavement there would arise
necessity of employing white W
or flushing the street every night.
the time comes when there is a.
water works system in the village
the tearing up of concrete pavement
for the laying Of mains would be an
expensive proposition.
"The cost of repairing the gravel
road would be next to nothing. A
hole could be filed with a load OF
gravel. Then IL the village ever be-
came rich enough to build concrete,
asphalt, creosote block or other type
of pavement, it would have it's eight
foot cutters for nice starter.
"Why not go about the thing in
sane, conservative way. / know
of at least forty taxpayers who
would vote down concrete and at the
same time vote for the gravel road.
That would carry the proposition
and we wouldn't be left another two
years with the Vienna street mud. !"
Here's what Herbert f. Bodine,
druggist, wrote the Messenger on
the subject: 1.-THE most of the peo-
pie who voted down the pavement
are for good roads and always have
been. Mr.. Doyle seemed to imply that
all those whov oted against the pave
ment were opposed to good roads
and perfectly willing to wallow in
the mud and filth.
was lost by 'fiuke.' Who was to
blame for that 'fuke'? Were the
voters or was it blunder of the
village council? The voters had no
choice in the matter--it was cement
paving or nothing. We were given
to understand that $7,300.00, the
amount to be bonded for, would pay
for the job, but on inquiry it leaked
out that the $7,300.OO was the limit
that the law would allow and that
the rest of the five or six thousand
was to be raised By direct taxation.
If that isn't so WY did the council
raise an extra Ss,oOO.OO this very
year? f
"I am pleased to- inform Brotl
Doyle that there is a petition of
voters and taxpayers on file with
village clerk asking them to pV
a good gravel street at the ea
possible opportunity. wv
state, county and townsh
soaring, /, for one, am not w
cast my vote to mortgage th
property of this village for
Of years just to put in a ~
of pavement. why didn't
Gil give the voters the fig gtyllslI =
asphalt, brick, cement and gravel,
then let them take their choice? If
you were to go into store to pur-
chase a new coat would yout axe
a $500 garment, run in debt for
it for term of years, just because
the dealer would not show you a
cheaper article that you could pay
for and that would answer the same
purpose? 1t just seems to me If
our council would quit spending good
money fighting hog ordinances and
trying to force }streets where it is
not necessary, that the great major
ity of the voters}of this village would
be much betterl satisfied and would