The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1914-02-04
The Boosters of Winona.

| SIS oOOoICTS OF "InOnd.
The boosters of Winona, Mimi, have
done something. They have raised
money enough by popular subscrip
ton to start their county to building
sixteen miles of paved road out OF
| their city and now the state has big
road fund for state aid with a law
which assesses the cost of good road
one-half to the state, one-fourth to
the county and one-fourth to the farm
farm land benefited, giving everybody
ten years in which to pay the bill and
the prospects are that the state high
way commission will extend this
paved road all over Winona county
as an object lesson to the rest of the
state. At least that is what the boost
ers of Mankato fear and they are hard
at it to get movement started for
100 miles of paved roads in their own
county.
Under the ElWell law in Minnesota
the state would pay one-half the cost
of paved road, the county one-fourth
and the remaining one-fourth was to
be assessed to the lands near the
road, but the supreme court had prev
iously gone on record with decision
holding that road improvement was
a public Improvement and not priv
ate benefit, hence there was fear that
assessments against the property
could be resisted in the courts. To
overcome this difficulty the boosters
of WinOna started out to raise the
property portion by public subscrip-
ton.
At first seven miles We're planned
and the one-fourth raised, but there
were three out of the five county COM
missioners who couldn't see anything
in it for their districts so five more
miles We're included to interest an
other member and One-fourth the cost
of this was raised as before. But still
it was impossible to get past the coun-
ty board until four more miles in an
other commissioners district was add
ed to the plan.
BY tins time the boosters OF Winona
had raised $4,000 in donations and
had about exhausted their field so
they struck out for the country where
the farmers were to be most benefited
by the four miles Of added pavement.
Here it was found comparatively easy
to raise $1,000 by Systematically ap-
portiOning the cost and asking farm
ers adjoining the road for $l.2o per
acre and so cents per acre from those
short ways back from the road. The
county could issue ten year bonds for
all the cost, hence this gave subscrib-
ers ten years in which to pay.
Bids were then asked for on an all
macadam road sixteen feet wide, but
were rejected because the price was
considered too high. The Winona
boosters then raised some more mon
ey and took the county commission
ers in body to Detroit to see those
famous concrete roads of Wayne coun-
ty. They came back enthusiastic for
a concrete pavement eight feet wide
in the center with limestone macad-
am on each side six feet wide and the
bids on this twenty foot road were &C
tually cheaper than had been received
for the all macadam road. 1t is being
built now at cost of $1,000 per mile.
The contractors are using tractors
and trains of dump cars for hauling
their material.
Since this project started Minneso
ia has adopted l mill state levy for
the eighty-six counties not less than
l per cent and not more than per
cent to each county. Again the boost
ers of WinOna saw their opening and
took it for they have applied for the
maximum Of per cent of state mon
ey. which will be enough to add
eighty miles more of concrete roads
to their county and the state highway
is considering seriously
granting the request for the sake of
the object lesson it will be to the rest
Of the state. The assessment against
especially benefited has also
been upheld by the courts.
Here in Iowa the automobile license
money is fast growing up to the pro-
portions Of a l mill levy. Were it to
be handled by the state as state aid
fund as Minnesota uses her l mill,
were the counties empowered to issue
road bonds for twenty-five years and
we're portion of the cost to BE- as,
sessed by law to the lands benefited |
within district as lands are now as
'essed for drainage, the boosters of |
Fort Dodge and of Marshalltown could |
build Winona roads over the major
portion of all their county road system
md the county road levies of today
would not need to be increased to pay
he bill-Nonpareil.