The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-09-20
BOTH SIDEWALKS
WILL Be RAISED
Main Street Catch Basins
Opposite POstOffice to
Be Enlarged
|SELECTMEN NOT YET
READY FOR RETREAT
Would Cost Bulk of $4,000 to Put in
New Drain Pipe, Which They Think
Would Not Remedy Trouble With No
Cutters to Hold Water.

Since work was begun on the Main
street sidewalk improvements opposite
the federal building there have been
numerous queries as to Just how the
| plans of the selectmen are to in any
way relieve the flooded conditions which
have prevailed during heavy storms in
the past.
Some townsmcn have pronounced it
absolute folly to rip up perfectly good
walk ON the east side of the street when
the west side should first be given at
tention. They argue that children on
the way to school use that walk and are
Obliged under present conditions to
wade, sometimes, through six or eight
inches of water and then sit in school
all day with wet feet
Complaints have poured into the of
flee of the sclectmen from persons not
influenced by idle gossip on the street
but IN most instances after the entire
Isituation has been explained townsmen
have departed satisfied that members of
the board are not quite ready TO b. com
mitted to the Retreat
During past years private property on
the east side Of Main street in that sec
tion has suffered heavily from water
flooding cellars, damaging gardens, etc.
In one instance it was known to be four
feet deep in cellar after heavy
storm. The Congregational church and
parish house also had their share of
trouble from miniature floods.
After the selectmen made a thorough
survey of the situation they deemed that
the wisest course TO take in the first
place was to raise the sidewalk in or
der to build a gutter and offer suitable
resistance to the water from the street
1t IS their intention also 10 enlarge
the receiving basins and put in bigger
CRATES on each side of the thoroughfare
more readily. There are at present three
: CRATES on each side OF the thodoughfare
and after the improvements are com
ipleted II is believed that all trouble vii
be overcome Should it become neces
sary III the future a drain pipe will be
laid all the way to the river, but as that
: work, with the present cost of pipe
would eat a big hole in - 600 the sc
= lectmen do not want to put in new pipe
until il has been determined that tn,
. water cannot be taken care of in some
! other way. They believe that if large
\ pipe was laid the trouble would con
. tinue just the same because the vol
= ume of water after some of the storm
! Is so large and comes 50 quickly tha
le no matter how large the pipes wer
ONE of it would run over the walk. Civi
= Engineer James T. Helyar and Stree
~ Commissioner A. A. Wallace supper
'r them i'll this view.
Y AS soon as this work is completed il
~ the intention of the board to do simila
~ work on the west side of Main stree
3 as they have gone over the town g,
'e chequer and find they can spare tn
money. Hence il is their firm belle
Is that everybody viii be satisfied.
1h With a short time it is planned
Il begin another piece of work which man
81 think needs attention, and that is I'll
IN , widening and Strengthening of Hig
no street on south side of Manley Brother:
~ new garage. In the first place the r
tanning wall will be set back few fe
''e so as to be on a line with the new bull
" ing. Manley Brothers are willing
no contribute land for this purpose. Th
.'n will leave excellent space for an eigh
81 :, foot sidewalk and give wider roadwa
an just what is to be done directly ut Il
'e3 corner has not been determined as VI
eh- and nothing will be attempted there tn
!; year.
10y Work at the corner of Elliot al
~ J. Church streets, removing the SIN;
on grass plot and regarding, has been COZ
Dry pleted so that a great deal more room
afforded for teams to pass.