The Penn's Grove record., 1914-06-19
PEHNs GROVE HUsf BUILD OWN ROAD
Only Part of Cove Dane Accepted by
County

The June Injecting (of the Board o
Freeholders was held at\the Court House
Salem, on the 10th. All the members
being present except Vsnneman and
burk. Director Gray presided.
Mr.. Powers, for the Cor1mittee on Dis
charge of Prisoners, reported in favor Of
the discharge from custody of Samuel
Fisher and James M. Robinson, which
was ordered, the county to pay the costs.
MI. Griscom, for the Committee OH
Supplies to County Jail, reported ten
prisoners in confinement, five white and
live colored, at a cost Of $40.45 for main
%tenance OR an average of lag cents per
day.
A petition from citizens in Penns Grove
has been before the Board of FreehOlders
for some years asking that Broad Street
and Maple Avenue be made a county
road, because it is a main connecting
link between the county roads to the
north and south edge of the Borough
limit. When the roads, for which pre-
vious petitions had been presented, were
built citizens OF Penns Grove were hope
full that the County would take control
and build the connecting link, altho the
county road supervisor said for some
years the county would never do it.
Delegations at different times waited
upon State Road Commissioner Stevens
and returned with favorable impressions
that state aid could be had and that the
improved road should be built.
The Board of Freeholders gave no offer
OF aid until last year when an agreement
was sent to the Borough Council for sig
nature that the Board would accept
Maple Avenue from the southern borough
limit to Broad Street to be a county i'm
proved road upon payment Of $500. The
Mayor and Council continued hopeful
and held out for all or none.
The matter was finally settled at the
June meeting of the Board of Freeholdesr
by the State Commissioner taking a view
OF the Freeholders. Instead OF the
County taking charge of the 1877 feet
from the Borough limit to Broad Street,
Ills are accepted from the Borough limit
to the railroad crossing, one-third less
than the County agreed to take last
year. The part which the County &C.
| cepts has farm land OH each side and will
not be likely to need water nor gas for
many years.
Col. Stevens letter to the Board was as
follows:
STATE DEPARTMENT
OF PUBLIC ROADS,
Trenton, June 9, 1914
Mr.. HARRY P. GRAY,
Director Board of t~reenolders.
My Dear Sir: There nave been nu-
merous requests made upon this depart
ment for the improvement of the road
connecting the Penns CONGRATULATIONS
road with the Penrs GrOve-Salem road,
thru the Borough of Penns Grove. There
is unquestionably a strong feeling in the
borough that the county should do some
thing for them III the matter. There is
also no questiun but that the improve
ment of the road in question would be a
great public benefit. not only for the
people of Penns Grove, but to the
travelling public generally.
l am further advised that the county
OF Salem has adopted the policy of build
ing II road i'll each borough and to
limiting its work within the boroughs to
one piece of construction.
The county has already bdilt a road
leading from the ferry to Biddle Creek,
which runs thru the borough. 1t is to
my mind a very wise policy for the
county to adopt some definite rule as to
construction which it will undertake.
The counties have proceeded hereto
fore OH the policy that they would build
no roads in boroughs or cities. These
counties after very careful consideration
of the subject, have determined that for
this purpose they would consider the
borough not as the municipal line, but
as beginning at the point where automo-
bile speeds by law are limited to twelve
miles an hour. In other words, the
built up portion of the settlement. The
rule in such case you will see would ap-
ply equally we'll to townships, cities and
other municipalities as we'll as boroughs,
and it seems to me to be based upOh good
public reasons. Ii the Board feels that
such a statement as this would fairly
represent its views of policy, l would
suggest that it would be we'll to take up
the matter with the Borough of Penns
Grove, aud upon their undertaking to
improve the portion of the road in ques-
ton within the thickly settled portion OF
the township, the county might under
take that portion lying between the bor-
ough lines and the point at which the
borough would begin work.
l am entirely willing to extend State
aid to both the county and borough in
this work, the only Limitation being the
amount OF funds available to meet the
States share. This condition would
probably render it necessary to defer the
approval OF contracts until Nov. LIST. 1t
will, however, take you almost that much
time to do surveying and to comply with
the other requirements OF the law.
Very truly yours,
E. A. STEVENS
CouncilAen A. F. Naylor and V. S.
Holman appeared before the Board and
made pleas to have the County accept
Maple Avenue to Broad Street. Mr..
VtiCuVOtl HlC5CuUC0 q ACoOAuOlOu III dC
cordance with their request, but it was
defeated Z to 2. Three were absent and
Mr.. May did not vote. The Board then
voted 9 to l to build the road to the
railroad crossing. Three were absent.
Engineer Keasbey was authorized to
| proceed with the survey.
On motion of Mr.. Powers, of the COM
mittee on the Covered Bridge at Salem,
the insurance policy for $4,000 on the
| bridge, with the Farmers Mutual Fire
Insurance Company, was ordered re-
newed.
MI. Lounsbury asked for a committee
oil bridge OIL road from Quinton to Acton
Station, which was granted. Commit
tee-Lounsbury, Pierson and CARL.