Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1919-06-20
BRIDGE WOULDCOST
COUNTY sS4,O00.OO
Galena's Plan to Bridge Spring River
Entails an Enormous and
Needless Expanse to
Taxpayers


crete road reaching from the city OF
Galena ON the east to the so-called
"Hoover Road" distance Of IL miles
This road would run three miles north
of Baxter Springs and would connect
with the "Hoover Road" north into
Columbus and south 10 the Kansas
Oklahoma state line, one mile west OF
the Picher road.
To build this road on direct west
ern line between Galen and the
Hoover Road" would necessitate the
construction Of bridge across Spring
River at q point near the Riverton
plant of the Empire District Electric
company, or at point where the river
is approximately at its widest because
of the Riverton dam.
To construct this bridge, it is un-
derstood, would cost a total of $685.
600, of which nearly one-hah ould be
paid by taxes directly assessed against
property owners.
In constructing a concrete road, in
cluding the bridges, it is the present
plan throughout this county and other
Kansas counties to obtain 80 per cent
federal aid. OF the remaining 80 per
cent of the cost, one-fourth is borne
by the county, One-eighth by the
township and one-eighth by the land
owners within the benefit road dis
trict.
To construct the bridge across
Spring river at Riverton, therefore,
would cost the county in taxes one
fourth of $1Ss,O0O, or $4,000. 1t
would cost Garden township, wherein
the bridge is located, $2S,50O in direct
taxes. The remaining one-eighth OF
the BRIDGES cost or $2S,5OO would be
borne by the Joplin good road special
fund, provided that fund was obtained
for that purpose The farmers Ut
Garden township would have to pay
in taxes one-eighth Of the bridges
cost, or $500, and also pay their
share of the one-fourth cost the coun-
ty must stand. The Joplin good road
fund does not take care Of the farm
ers' taxes, even of those living within
the benefit district.
AS originally intended, the concrete
road would be built via Galena, Lowell
and Baxter Springs to the state line
at Picher. This eliminates the cost
of bridge over Spring River, as there
are bridges already provided across
that stream at both Lowell and Bax-
ter, excellent bridges that are now
maintained by the county and that will
have to be maintained even II the
bridge should be built at Riverton.
The cost Of the bridge alone, there
fore, greatly increaseA the tax that
would have to be paid by both the
farmers Of Garden township and those
" Iae ~ ~. S',",.a toIIou,ad IN buiId
UtlS'~. -. Ia .."S ,,;o Towell to Ray
tne t S.;..'.s SU~s .ha +.v ON the farmers of
Garden township would be practically
nothing and that paid by the farmers
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crease sne 49,: !, :,.o-sts ,oads The es-
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.lmase u S-Io'.Os, - n p.,,ts, .orcyete
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