The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1916-10-17
PARKING CAUSED
A FIERY DEBATE
D. M. Denton Protests Against
Narrowing ShOShOne
ASHER b. WILSON LEADS DISCUS
SION FOR PETITIONERS.
Council Ignores Protest and Calls
Election Special Meeting on City
Hall Friday Night.

The council meeting last night was
enlivened by a protest against the
parking of Shoshone street where new
paving is to be put in, accompanied by
the statement of d. M Denton, who
filed the protests that those opposed
to the parking would meet it's advo-
Gates at the polls at the bond election
called for November 25, to vote on a
proposition for $4,000 bonds for a
city hall; $4,000 for paving intersec-
tions on Shoshone street, and $4,000
for other improvements and intersec-
tion paving. The bond election was
called on the date named after the de-
bate was over.
The debate opened when Mayor F.
NJ Sweeley asked whether there was
any objection on the part of taxpayers
to the assessment of property owners
for the paving of Shoshone street. Mr..
Denton arose and filed a protest sign
ed by number of citizens against the
paving, giving five grounds for OBJ
lection, all of which had to do with the
parking of the center of the street.
The first objection was that two great
thoroughfares ninety feet wide had
been left for the accommodation of
people entering the city, and that this
parking at the end of one of these
would impede traffic; the second was
that the care of this parking at the
expense of the city would be a burden
which should not be imposed on tax
payers in general the third was that
the Identification of this street in the
manner proposed would virtually
change a fine street into two alleys;
the fourth related still further to bur-
dens imposed by the upkeep, and the
fifth emphasized the effect which the
narrowness of the street would have
on those hauling loads back and forth,
when private auto owners would have
their machines parked along the sides.
The charge was made that this would
result in increasing the danger to chill
dren who would go to play in the park
ing and then run back and forth in
front of passing cars.
Mr.. Denton urged the necessity of
laying the foundation for big city
and spoke of the value of doing all
possible to encourage farm trade. He
declared that under the conditions pro-
posed in the bond ordinance, the traf-
fic would be greatly interfered with
should we grow to be a big city as
everyone predicted that we would. Mr..
Denton said that the case OF Idaho
Falls was being cited by friends of the
paving but this city was not nearly as
large as this city and never would be.
Mr.. Denton suggested that there was
plenty of cheap labor to be had in the
city during the winter, when men were
inclined to congregate in the big cit
les. Last winter the commissioners
hired men for two dollars a day on the
Shoshone grade and had more than
they could use. If the city would
grade and gravel in a modern way
during these months, much good could
be done in the way of improving the
city While he would object to the
idea of narrowing the street in any
event, he would object less if the peo-
? pie interested would pay for the up
keep of the parking. He would like to
2 see the street paved clear across with
: out parking.
= Asher B. Wilson contended that peo-
: pie protesting, with the exception of
z Mr. Denton, did not live in or have in
terest in the proposed district and
would only be affected by the general
levy for intersections. The cost OF up
keep would be small The people di.
rectly interested wanted parking. The
twenty-five feet on each side still left
would be sufficient to take care of
| traffic. and the division in the center
would prevent collisions and make for
. expedition on the part of farmers. The
parking would be a protection to chill
r dren who would not have so far to
run and who would watch for the cars.
The roadway on each side of the park
ing in the Idaho Falls streets was but
! eighteen feet wide and there was no
trouble. The streets on each side of
> the cars parked in the center of town
; now were but eighteen feet wide and
there never would be more traffic at
; the point under contention than new
5 exists in the middle of the city Any
c how, should the time ever come when
the place occupied by the parking was
7 needed, it could be replaced by paving.
o c. M. Booth followed along the same
o general line, speaking as a taxpayer
Il outside the district He said that he
Z favored the paving and ridiculed the
u idea that the children would be hurt
e j. Clyde Lindsey, Robert McCollum
IS George ID. Aiken, ]. p. Johnston
Messrs. Smith and Brown and George