The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-04-20
SCORES ACTION
 OF WILS0N ON
 BRIDGE MATTER
Charles D.. Davis, Chairman of City Plan Commission,
 Wants Reason.
PEOPLE OUGHT TO
 KNOW" HE DECLARES
Bridge Commissions Secret
 Sessions and "Expedi- ency" Excise Get Wallop

Charles D. Davis. chairman of the City Plan commission, handed Mayor c. B. Wilson and the Stratford avenue bridge commission a neat waHop last evening when he addressed the mem bers of the Get-Together club of the Washington Park M. B. church. MT. Davis did it gently but nevertheless effectively.
 That Bridgeport citizens will be pay ing for the new Stratford avenue bridge about 18 years after it has been worn out, was the deduction of Chair man Davis last night when he figured that the city will be paying for the bridge for the next 50 years, if the plans of the bridge commission are carried out
 That one of the side issues, in con- nection with the bridge commissions "expediency'i plan-widening Stratford avenue on the north side-win cost more than it would cost to build the entire bridge according to the City Plan commission proposal was brought out by MT. Davis.
 That Mayor Wilson and the bridge commission were discourteous, to say, the least, after the Plan commission had worked two years in the interests of the city and had made their recon mendations, to cast aside the report Of the commission without much scrutiny and then neglect. to even ask the opin- I ions of the members of the commits sion. was intdmated by MT. Davis
 ssThis is a chance that comes once in lifetime Ndeclared Mr. Davis. It would seem to me that 1t would be courteous to at least give a reason for not considering the report. It's the peoples business. They ought to have something to say If this new plan is best, all right, but some reason should be given.
 'sIt has been said by the mayor that | ah with this new plan. Under the plan of Etes City Plan commission, the new bridge could be built while the old is being used, and thus no time will be I lost ''k
 Mir Davis startled the audience with the following:
 Several prominent engineers whom I I have consulted have given me the opinion that the project of the bridge commission will cost very, very much more than the City Plan Aconmission lproject. A shorter and less expensive bridge would be built by our plan, the engineers tell me-
 MT. Davis told the members of the club that/if the bridge is built accord ing to the bridge commission plans, il pro bab1y wont last any longer than the present Stratford avenue bridge Il 27 years. At that rate, he calculated Bridgeport will be paying for the bridge about 13 years after the struc- r ture is worn out and the city has beer bonded for another one.
 Experts like John Nolen and Fred erick Olmstead, who are known al T over the world, should be given some consideration. Their ideas are surely worthy of thought. They haven's spent two years figuring out the best layout for a new bridge in the ekpectation O. having their report reJected,'' said he
 MT. Davis declared that when tht tCity Plan commission recommended that the railroad station be placed Isouth of Fairfield avenue and nortl of State street, 1t wasn't with the ex- fpectation of having it done immedi 1 ately. but he said, it is a thing of the future In fact, he declared, a con I struction engineer of the New Haver road told him it is very likely the rail road station will be built there wher a new one is needed. t'SympathetiC negotiations" he declared, twill bring about the improvements desired from the railroad
 sStereopticon slides were shown. MT Davis declared that that part of tht city in the neighborhood of Willard and Reflley streets, south of the rail road tracks, has passed the dange line for crowded conditions. He saic it will soon be 6s1um. if it cannot b, considered that already.
 A boost for commission governmen was made by MT. Davis He told hoy he. had wanted to get something don, , through the department of publi. works and it took him six months t, get any attention at all He was al ways referred to the other fellow , It took him three months thereafte . to get the desired action