Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-05-06

count have been small being practi-
cally confined to the commissioners
salary. However, l believe the de-
partment has grown sufficiently large
to warrant the purchase of suitable
filling equipment and office appliances
for caring for the public records.
Equipment.
In order to obtain a true value OF
equipment continuous account
should be kept and each year such
tools as have become useless charged
To CONDEMNED" account and to charge
a fixed rate of depreciation, both OF
which when deducted from the cost OF
equipment will show more nearly the
true value of same which may be con-
sidered an asset of the department
Highway Service.
The results accomplished under this
service have been divided to suit ap-
propriations. into General, Special and
State Aid Highway
Practically all of the work charged
To Western District General has been
maintenance work, that is the ordl-
nary repairs upon our streets ana
country highways. including the re-
surfacing of some sections with
gravel. also fall street cleaning and
clearing of culverts preparatory for
autumn rains and the melting SHOWS
of spring. Under this account also
has been charged all sidewalk con-
struction.
The construction upon village streets
has consisted of laying 1879 square
yards of concrete sidewalks, 25o
square yards of granolithic walk,
travelling Washington street, Laurel
hill. Crosby street, Bennett street, Grove
street. and Hillcrest street, the repair
ing of Water street macadam, filling
of johnson street. shaping of Lincoln
and Pike streets and other smaller
pieces of construction.
For the coming year l recommend
the organization of patrol gang con-
sisting of four men with team at its
disposal to devote its entire time to
maintenance work. 1t will also be
possible for two of this gang to ac-
company the rubbish team each week
Furthermore during and after each
storm it shall be their duty to see that
all catch basins are in proper condi-
ton to receive the flow of water. The
remainder of the crew to be organized
into one or more construction gangs.
Regarding work under this service
to be done, the coming year, there is
SO much that one can see which needs
attention that it is hard to determine
the point of beginning and will leave
this matter for committee delibera-
tons.
However, there are two matters
which might easily escape our notice
to which l will call attention. They
are the relaying of the retaining walls
at the north end of Water street south
of Bond brook and also on the west
side of Northern avenue above Q. j,
Cote's store.
Recapitulation Of Highway General
Rural districts. =. ..,...,. .s293l.22
City proper. -. .......' $4,000
Total. =. ..... -. ........ $7677.s9
We have in the Western district
IS miles of roads and from the above
total expenditures, IL uniformly dis
tributed, an average of $77.25 per mile
would result.
II must also be remembered that
this report only covers the period be-
ginning July 1st. All expenditures be-
fore that time being made under the
direction of my predecessor.
In adopting a policy in handling our
country roads ! would make the fol-
lowing suggestions: First that we di-
vide our country road system into
three general classes.
Glass A to include all of our main
thoroughfares and roads connecting
with adjoining towns and over which
probably the greater portion of traffic
passes. We have, I believe, about
TN miles of road to be classified
thus.
Glass B to include secondary or
feeder roads to the main highways and
which also may be cross roads and
accommodate local traffic. We have
about Is miles of this class.
Glass C covering the remainder OF
the system, which is about 5 miles in
extent, over which there passes very
little traffic and need merely to be
kept in passable condition.
According to our State Highway law
an average expenditure of $4,000 per
mile is provided for maintenance and
find this amount to be generally
adopted for maintenance work.
Therefore considering our Glass A Of
this type of road / would recommend
an expenditure of $50 per mile for
upon this class.
Glass B having less travel would
require less maintenance
and for this class would recommend
$40 per mile.
Glass C simply to be repaired when
occasion required.
II this method had been in practice
this past year the result would have
been Glass A maintenance, $1,000;
Glass B maintenance, $500; Glass G
(estimated), $50; total,
$500, leaving a balance of s916.14
based upon expenditures as per table,
to be devoted to construction work. II
can readily be seen that this amount
if distributed throughout the Western
district would result in practically no
construction work bur IL confined to