The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-02-21
COMMISSIONER R TO
WORKfOR WHOLE
TOWNSHIP
Recommended By Enthusiastic
KOad Meeting
Al 0 MORE MONEY FOR ROADS
Large Attendance and Interesting
Discussion at Courthouse Tues
day Evening.

The road meeting last evening TO
try to make progress toward securing
better roads in Bennington was a
success beyond all expectations both
in attendance and spirit shown
The courthouse was we'll filled by
citizens who are interested in road
improvement and most of them
stayed through the hour and half
which the meeting lasted
w. II. Wills called the meeting to
order and on his motion E. c. Ben
nett was elected chairman. The gath
ering then made Mr. Wills secretary
and there was a lull waiting for some
body to get UP courage TO speak
Finally County Supervisor J. L. Davis
was called on and he told few things
that the town ought to know even
though they we're not very encourag-
in.
miles of road in Bennington outside
the three incorporated villages and
about $2300 tax money voted to build
and care for these n miles OF road.
| This is an average OF about S29 per
mile-not enough to take care of a
road after it is built, to say nothing
OF building ii.
4 He said that it was plainly evident
J from this that ii the town OF Benning
/ ton wanted better roads it viii have
TO vote more money and a lot more
money No road Improvement is pos
sible without money TO pay the bills.
IL costs not less than $1,000 10 S2500 a
mile to build a gravel road ON a
drained foundation: $4,000 a mile to
| build road OF crushed stone on a ma
| tural foundation and more If on a
/ stone foundation; $4,000 mile to
build a nile of macadam road and SO
/ forward up to $4,000 a mile or more
I for a brick road laid in cement
There are II miles OF selected road,
often called state road, in the town Of
Bennington. This includes the main
roads through the town north and
south and east and west and the road
| between Bennington and North Ben
! nington. Calling this state road"
! said Mr.. Davis. doesn't mean that the
state has taken charge OF these II
miles of road, but that the state CON
| sidels these roads the most import
ant in the town for general traffic and
| that the state will help little in
building and maintaining them when
| the town gets ready to do the biggest
| part of the work.
Mr. Davis advised the patrol sys-
TEN, but says it costs at least 500 "A
! mile and that Bennington cannot eX-
pect to have much road patrolled at
| 500 a mile when the town votes only
! $29 a mile. He further said that it
costs about 5000 mile to oil roads 16
feet wide twice during season.
People who want dustless roads
should bear this in mind.
Earl W. Williams spoke briefly. He
said that Mr.. Davis, figures were
rather staggering, but that he
thought that the users Of
roads wanted Improvement even
if 1t costs more money. He
thought it was just as important for
the farmer as for the automobile own
er and most important of all to in
crease the value CT real estate. Good
roads always largely increase the
value of farm property on those
roads.
A. S. Payne spoke in favor of better
roads even if the cost was large. He
urged particularly the need of rebuild
ing the road between Bennington and
North Bennington e. j. Hall, George
B. yelling, E. E, Larrabee, r. E.
Healy, Perry B. Gardner e. Wheeler
Rice. Rev. Thornton f. Turner, Ralph
II. White, F. e. Howe and others.
e. ]. Hall thought that the village
should take steps to take care of
drainage as preliminary to road i'm
provement. r. +. Healy urged the
Importance of action at the coming
town meeting and thought that as
long as the village has $3.50 per mile
for streets while the town has only
$29 per mile for roads the village
should do something toward improv-
ing the roads in the town. F.E. Howe
thought that the present way of hav
ing five road commissioners in the
town of Bennington, none of them
trained in the work and changing fire.
quently is not efficient or desirable
and that the town should install bet
ter business system before voting
more money. Mr.. Howe offered the
following resolution
Resolved that 1t is the sentiment
of this meeting that Town Representa-
tive Root be requested to introduce in
to the legislature a bill constituting
the town and village of Bennington a