The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1916-12-28
During the Year Now Closing Eli
cit Favorable Comment
GOOD STREETS AND ROADS
In Connection With the Great
Bridge that Will Span the
Harbor Put this City Abreast
of the Times - Paving Here
Pronounced Best Anywhere.

The New Year finds Punta Cor
da looking very much different
from what it looked at the begin
ming of 1916, considering chiefly
the physical appearance of the
town. The change is due largely
to the street improvements made
here during the year that is now
closing, and Punta Gordans gen.
orally feel boastful about what has
been accomplished in this line.
In addition to several miles OF
sidewalk that had previously been
laid in the city, more than eleven
miles Of new walks have been put
down, and these new sidewalks
are amongst the best to be found
in the State. They were construct
ed by Contractor G. L. Porter and
lie along all streets of the central
residential and business district,
reaching out in some cases almost
to the city limits.
This is an Improvement that has
been carried out under the state
law authorizing incorporated
towns to construct pavements and
sidewalks and issue certificates a.
!. gainst the property adjacent, to
kprovide the necessary funds, the
sproperty owners having the privi-
flege of paying off the certificates
in ten equal annual installments.
1t is one of the tasks of most con-
sequence accomplished by the city
administration, that went out of
office on the first Tuesday in De-
Scember. 1t should be mentioned
that the members of the city coun-
Gcil up to that date, who handled
sthis project, were: S. +. j. Ira
'bue, w. M. Whitten, S. L. Fries,
Adam Silcox and G. A. Waltmire.
The city authorities, while the
building of sidewalks has been un-
der way, have co-operated with
Hon. VIM. Whitten, county COM
missioner from this district, and
with the bond trustees and officials
of the special road district, with
the result that the two principal
streets of the town have been paw
ed with sheet asphalt. In the ere
alton of the Punta Gorda Special
Road and Bridge District, the
hard-surfacing of Marian avenue
and TavIo~ street, as parts Of the |
roads passing through the city,
was provided for, the width to be !
twenty feet. Through the ar !
rangements effected by city and
district officials, these two streets
have been paved to greater
width, concrete curbing construct
ed along both sides as far as the
paving reaches and storm sewers
put in as needed, the city bearing
its proportion of the cost and is
suing certificates against the ad-
jacent property in the same man.
ner as was done to pay for the
sidewalks. Secretary Tucker Of
the bond trustees, the other two
members of the board being Fl. r.
Dreggors and G. NJ. Carrier, has
had an important part in The spec
ial districts S work on these streets.
The final estimate for the 4
paving through Punta Gorda has
been submitted to the county COM
and settlement made ;
with the Cornwall Construction
Co. for the work. Check for some
thing over 100000, the final pay /
ment, was issued Saturday, De- /
cember 23rd.
The sheet asphalt is laid two
inches thick on a SPECIAL founda- ]
tion of mari that was put down
to a good depth and packed with S
heavy rollers; and by many who I
have made a thorough inspection
of it, it has been pronounced one /
of the best pieces of street paving {
of this kind in the state. A COM t
mite of gentlemen from st.
Cloud, some being officials of that l
city, were here recently looking Z
over the work with a view to gain
ing information that would guide |