The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1915-05-20
COMMERCIAL CLUB
BUSINESS MEETING
CITY BOOSTERS GET TOGETHER
FRIDAY TO DISCUSS
CITY AFFAIRS
PAVING COMES IN FOR MUCH DISCUSSION
And Good Roads Also Has a Long In
ming During Evening-Mayor Math-
eWs Asks Members for Advice

The monthly business meeting of
the Commercial Club was held in the
assembly hall Friday evening. Presi-
dent Carlisle called the meeting about
eight-thirty, with a good crowd of
members present.
Chairman Hall of the committee APP
pointed to investigate the paving ques-
ton, read a letter from G. H. Atkinson,
a resident of Bookings, who is presi-
dent of a Watertown cement and paw
ing company. Mr.. Atkinson has handl-
ed some big paving contracts at Sioux
Falls, Mitchell, Watertown and other
cities and is probably the best posted
nan on this question in the state. His
letter is as follows:
81 regret very much my inability to
be present at your meeting this even
ing in response to your kind invitation
of some weeks ago.
81 understand you are now consider
ing the matter of paving in Brookings
and especially on Main and 9Th
streets. The entire city would be
greatly benefited by such an improve
ment and especially properties directly
fronting on the streets paved. In ad-
dition to identifying the streets and
homes and affording you a clean and
smooth driveway at any and all times
of the year, the advantage of such an
improvement as an advertising med
ium should not be overlooked.
"Brookings has many visitors from
all over the state, within the course of
a year and these visitors see us, our
homes, and especially the conditions
of our streets and then go back to
their friends and advertise us. How
ever, I assume that you have already
most carefully weighed the beneficial
side of this question and with your
kind permission l wish to make a few
suggestions as to the pavement itself;
kinds of pavements, width and cost.
81 do not hesitate to say that there
are a number of different kinds of
pavement, anyone of which will make
a good and permanent street, but in
considering cost, durability, appear
ance and general utility, I would I'M
hesitatingly recommend the use of as
phalt or the building of an asphaltic
pavement. This pavement has a five
inch base of cement concrete, over
which is laid two inches of a~sphaltic
concrete. This asphaltic concrete is
composed of stone and sand with an
asphalt binder instead of a cement
binder. 1t makes a permanent and
durable wearing surface, it's color is
good, being nearly black, it is less
dusty than most other pavements. 1t
is soft and more resilient than any
other pavement laid. This class of
pavement is very popular throughout
the United States, it being extensively
used in the cities of the Pacific Coast,
the South and the East. New York
CITY alone laid one hundred four (104)
miles of this class of pavement in
1912. Iowa is now laying more as
phalt than all other kinds Of pavement
put together. Cities of Minnesota are
many of them laying asphaltic con-
crete streets. Rochester paved its most
beautiful residence street with asphalt
in 1913, and has let contracts for more
of the same in 1915. Watertown,
South Dakota, laid fifty-two thousand
yards of asphatic concrete in 1913 and
1914. Sioux Falls laid one hundred
thirteen thousand yards in 1914 and
has let contracts for nearly as much
more in 1915. The cost of asphaltic
concrete streets varies with the cost
of materials in each particular locality
but it is fair to say that the range
would be from $3.50 to $1.75 per square
yard. If for example 9Th street should
be paved with this material, say thirty
feet wide. which is wide enough, at a
cost of $40 per square yard, 1t would
cost each foot of frontage on both
sides of the streets $2.85 or $142.5 so for
a fifty foot front. This price includes
ex~cavating. grading, concrete base and
asphalt top.
my second choice of pavement,
price and durability considered, would
be reinforced concrete. This class Of
pavement is composed of six or seven
inches of cement concrete. reinforced
with heavy woven wire mesh to pre-
vent its cracking. This style of pave
ment should have an expansion joint