Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1914-05-15
MORRIS STREETS
WILL Be PAVED
PRELIMINARY WORK
NECESSARY
Commission Has the Support Of
Business Men in Planning for
Paving Water and Sewer
Connection Must Be Made
First.


The city of Morris is going to have
paved streets-not this year. because
a lot of preliminary work must be
done before paving can be put in. but
plans are being made now which
will ripen into paved streets in year
or two.
There are two things this spring
which have demonstrated the necees-
sity of paved streets. one is the ex-
pense of dragging and maintaining the
dirt roads after every rain and the
other is the inability Of dirt road
to Withstand protracted spell Of
bad weather.
The city has been to the expense of
running the road grader and road
drags over every street in the city
four times this spring. The work of
rounding up the streets would hardly
be completed before a few days of
wet weather would put them in the
same condition as before and the work
would have to be done over again.
The amount of money already spent
would have paid the interest. on many
thousand dullars worth of paving
bonds, and were the streets paved
this money now spent for maintain
ance would be annually available for
the payment of interest.
. The second consideration is that
dirt and gravel streets cannot with
stand the exactions of heavy automo.
bile and wagon travel during a long
continued rainy spell. Dirt streets
can withstand and during the past
few years the streets Of Morris have
been put in condition where they do
withstand heavy rain which comes
and is gone, but drizziing rain COM
pined3 with continuous travel will
soften the best dirt and gravel road,
and only continuous maintenance will
prevent such road from becoming
utterly impossible.
But paving cannot be done all at
once. Not only must modest begin
nings be made, but the street must be
prepared in other ways. Streets
which are to be paved must be
brought to grade, and sewer connec-
tions and durable lead water pipes
must he laid to avoid the must greater
expense of making these connections
after the paving is put down. DUR
ing the past few years. great deal
of fine work has been done in grading
and rounding up the streets and there
is comparatively little of grading to
be done, but there will be great
many sewer and water connections to
be made before the paving is put
down.
Mayor E. ]. Jones have been in.
terviewing business men and property
owners during the past week and has
found the sentiment practically un-
animous for paving the business dis
trict as a starter.
OF course it will be expensive.
and a few are bit conservative for
this reason, but all are pleased with
the prospect of permanent streets
which can Withstand any kind of
weather and which will have practi.
calIy no expense for maintainance.
Paving is ordinarily paid for by q
plan similar to the way sewers are
built. The expense is assessed against
the abutting property and the pay
ments are strung out over a period of
six years and the expense to any one
person is hardly noticed.
| What kind of paving will be put
down and what streets will be paved
Iare questions to be settled definitely
later. Cement paving is now much in
1 favor on account of its cheapness and
durabiity.e Under ordinary conditions.
it costs about $1.OOa a square yard.
and would probably not cost more than
that here.
/ But the immediate thing to do
now is to get ready for paving especi-
ally with water and sewer connec-
tions. If these can be put in this
year, the first important step will
have been taken.