The log cabin Democrat. [volume] (Conway, Ark.) 1901-1982, 1914-01-08
SIDEWALKS AND STREETS.

In the residence districts of the city
of Conway there have been built with
in recent years about Is miles of con-
crete sidewalks, varying in width
from four to six feet. Most of these
walks have been laid in compliance
with ordinances by the city council
and the cost of all of them has been
borne by the individual property own
ers, without assistance from the city.
Assuming that the average cost of
concrete sidewalks has been II cents
per square foot and the average width
five feet, the walks have cost in the
neighborhood of go cents per running
foot, or $3,168 per mile.
Now $4,000 per mile will build a
good macadam road. 1t would not be
sufficient to surface with stone the en-
tire width of the average graded
street, but it would doubtless cover
the cost of macadam pavement at
least 20 feet wide, which would be am
pie for the present needs of the resi-
dence streets.
Our property have borne
with little complaint the burden of
laying concrete sidewalks. Not only
have they paid the entire cost Of the
work Individually, but they have had
to pay it all at once, as soon as the
contractor completed the job.
BY building macadam streets under
the improvement district system the
burden upon the property-owners will
be a great deal lighter than it was in
case of the sidewalks. In the first
place, if the street can be paved with
macadam at about the same cost per
running foot as the average concrete
sidewalk, the cost to each property
owner would be cut in half, since the
property on both sides of the street
would share the cost.
In the second pace, large portion
Of the total cost of street improve
ment should be borne by the city out
of it's general revenue. The light and
water plants are now on a self-sup
porting basis and instead of requiring
appropriations will soon begin to turn
revenue into the city general fund.
Conway's municipal revenue, outside
of water and light receipts, will ag
gregate annually about $500. Five
thousand dollars of this amount is de-
In the third place, the cost, whatev-
er it is, would be distributed over a
term of several years, probably 10 or
Is, instead of having to be paid all at
once, as has been the case with side
walks. The money for such an i'm
provement could be borrowed at six
per cent, cheaper rate than proper
ty-owners acting individually could
be able to secure.
In the face of these facts, why
should we hesitate longer to begin the
work of constructing permanent
streets? Even now the time is short
for an organization to be effected and
completed so that construction work
could be started during the spring
and summer months, the most favora-
BILE season.
What are we going to do about it?
rived from the tive-mill city tax; an
other 81 900 from the city's share of
the three-mill road tax; another ST.
600 is collected from those liable to
street duty, and at least $500 is receiv-
ed from fines and licenses each year.
The actual and necessary expenses of
the city government is at present only
about 81 800 per year. Setting aside
1000 for other necessary expenses
and 81 900 for the city's contribution
to the business street paving district
already organized, there should be left
at least $4,000 which could be paid an
nualy toward the cost of making per-
manent streets. This amount would
represent from one third to one-half
the annual payments for the street
Improvement, depending upon the
amount of streets selected for i'm
provement. 1t would mean a still
greater lessening of the burden upon
individual property as COM
pared with the cost of laying side
walks.