Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1917-03-14
STREET PROBLEM
is CONSIDERED.
Attended. Little Excitement.
Village Meeting Last Evening Well
List of Officers.

Village meeting passed into history
last evening with little excitement.
Only one contest developed. Over the
election of a treasurer two names
were presented, Miss Fanny May and
F. D. Pierce Mr.. Pierce was elected
the vote being Al to 20. The other
officers elected were: E. w. Barron,
moderator; L. M. Hubbard, clerk; G.
E. jennings, collector; F. D. Thomp
son, attorney; Homer Rushford, chief
engineer, and F. E. Richmond and E.
R. Cook, assistants. The board of
auditor remain the same and are as
follows: Trustees, C. A. Barrows,
F. w. Cutting and E. w. Barron;
water commissioners, A. A. Larabee,
E. G. Collision and J. F. Batchelder;
auditors, G.. E. Hamblet. G. S. Web
ster and F. A. Hunt.
The sum of $275 was voted the
band and 5000 was voted the library.
The pay of the firemen remains the
same, rs cents for attendance at roll
calls and SO cents per hour for work
at fires. The trustees were author
lied to construct storehouse or shed
on land already purchased on High
street for a new, freproof substation,
and to purchase a safe suitable for
the books and papers of the village.
The same tax as last year was raised.
It was voted not to pay any road
money into the town.
The article to consider the repair
ing or rebuilding of the streets about
the square and leading therefrom to
the so-called Brown bridge on Glover
street, and Main street to the sta
l,4 ,4o4o
the trustees which resulted in pass
ing a vote asking the trustees to in
vestigate thoroughly the cost of con-
structihg these streets of cement and
report at a later meeting. 1t was
also thought wise to secure the right
from the present legislature to bond
for the work if necessary.
The statement regarding the street
situation from the trustees was made
by Mr.. Cutting and the Monitor is
pleased to make liberal extracts from
his remarks.
"For some time, your trustees
have felt that the money expended
streets was not giving satisfactory
results. Attempts have been made
to make a good road by the use of
gravel, but on account of the poor
quality of gravel at hand and the
very large increase in the number of
automobiles that pass over our
streets, as well as the heavy traffic
on some of them, it has been found
impossible to keep them in good or
der with the material that we are
using. The number of automobiles
in this country has more than doub-
led in three years, and there is every
prospect that it will double again
within the next three. Vermont has
as many as any of the states, ac-
cording to the population. Many
roads that were suitable for the traf-
fic few years ago, are not suitable
at the present.
"With these facts in mind, we had
a meeting some time ago at which
Mr. Bates, state highway commits
sioner, and Mr.. Cobleigh, Orleans
County highway commissioner, were
present. We went over this matter
of roads quite carefully with the
view of determining what would be
the best course for us to adopt in con-
nection with main street and the
street leading to Glover. Mr.. Bates
advised that some sort of pavement
on these two streets, in his opinion,
would be more practical than the
present gravel or macadam.
Speaking of his attendance upon
the convention of the American
Road Builders Association in Bos-
ton, Mr.. Cutting went on to say:
II had the opportunity of talking
with one of the members of the
and with the representative
of the United States government.
Our street conditions in Barton village
were explained to each of these
gentlemen as carefully as possible,
and they were asked what kind of
road, in their opinion, would be the
best suited to our requirements.
They both thought that a concrete
road or pavement would be suited |
for the place, and finished by saying
that it would serve our purpose |
better and give us more service for |
the money expended than any other |
we could build.
"In all the lectures and discus
sions, at the meeting in Boston, one 7
IF the strongest points made, was
that no road or pavement however
we'll built, would stand unless proper
were made, and the sub
soil thoroughly drained. In our vii |.
age, IL WOuIu Uo necessary 10 90 a
more thorough job of draining than
$ necessary in many other places,
because our main street is so situat-
I'd that the water from the bank
above would naturally keep it wet
md the nature of the ground is
such that the water would stay in it
much longer than in some other
places. Then too, the matter of
training and foundation work needs
% be thoroughly done on account of
he very cold weather which we have. !,
"Upon careful investigation, the
rustees find that the annual expense
or maintaining a concrete road, con-
idering the first cost, maintenance,
md providing funds for rebuilding
When the road wears out, is about
light cents ($.08) per square yard;
While the cost of water bound maca-