The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-08-05
STRATFORD OUT
ODISCUSSNEW
ASSESSMENTS
Especial to The Times.)

me mDer OF the SCTatIOrd 6OarQ Oh |!
Sewer Commissi present at the .
public hearing which was held in the /
town hall last evening before the |
committee which was appointed a |
short time ago to make an investiga-
ton of the books OF the sewer COM |
rnissioners more than 100 of the tax |
payers of the town assembled in the
hall and hurled questions at the lone
c. mini ssioner which would have stag !
gered a man long since a past mast +
er Of sewer engineering. Commits
sioner Edward H Beers who was !
the lone representative of the sewer |
commission e present notwithstanding !
htir short time as asmember of the |,
commission answered every question |
satisfactory to those present, all of |
whom left the meeting much more |
enlightened as regards the Stratford |
sewer construction than ever before. |
Property owners, most of whom re- |
side in the HOLSTER Heights district, |
presented grievance to the meeting |
which will be taken up with the sew |
er commissioners whose books Mr.. !
Beers stated could be seen at any |
time by anyone interested in the |
Stratford sewer construction. Thorn |
as G. Coughlin, chairman of the spe-
cial committee, in opening the meet !
ing invited discussion from those |
present relative to the sewers, also
asking for information which would
enlighten. the committee as to the
mistakes, If any had been made, by
the sewer commissioners Hardly |
had Mr.. -Coughlin taken his seat
when several were on their feet at
once, Henry Jacoby being the first
recognized, stated that he owned
three lots with frontage of $50 feet
on Glover street, and that the sewer
had been laid on two of these lots.
He said that he had been assessed
for sewers being laid on all three
of the lots and that he did not see
why he should be compelled to pay
an assessment on the lot without the
sewer service. Peter Mango aIs~
snid he had been assessed for 81 IL
feet of sewer and that his lot had
only a SO foot frontage. Digmond
Steronski, who owns a lot with 48
feet frontage, according to his state |
ment, was assessed for 66 feet of
sewer. Andrew Bosko, with rs feet |
of sewer service in front of his prop |
erty,. said he was charged with LIT
feet of the service. These with 9TH |
or similar complaints, will be taken |
up with the board of sewer commits |
siofiefs in theHnear future, William |
Bradley told > the" meeting that when |
the contractors were laying the sew
ers in front of his residence that |
blasts had undermined his front YER
anda, shaken his windows until the |
putty fell out, doing damage ac-
cording to his figures to the amount |
of $35 and that he had presented |
bill for this amount to the contrac-
tors who, up to the present time, had
not reimbursed him.
Andrew Stervinski startled the
meeting when he said that if the
people had been assessed for more
front footage than according to their
deeds they really owned, they should
take the property, .-,
At this point in the meeting Town
Clerk Harold c. Lowell took the floor
in defense of the sewer commission
ers, also claiming that there was no
redress for the taxpayers but to pay
Tire bills for the sewers. Mr.. Lowell
told of the serious financial condition
oehthe- stcSeH ands stated that if these
sewer bills were not paid Stratford
would be ruined. He asked if the
men the investigating committee
were capable men to handle the sit
uation; he also said that the members
of the sewer board had done their
best Tor the interest OF the town and
that the only thing for the property
owners to do was to pay the bills like
men. Mr.. Lowell told of how he had
been assessed $500 for sewers and how
at the present time the town was pay
ing nearly 500 per day interest on
the short time notes issued for the
sewer construction. He also stated
that he was opposed to the appoint
ment of the investigating committee.
Al this point Chairman Coughlin
asked Mr. Lowell if he was not pres
ert at the time the committee was
?,opo nted, the answer being in the af-
firnative. Mr.. Coughlin said, That
was the time you should have made.
your kick, but you said nothing The
chairman then asked Mr.. Lowell if he
had paid his $500 assessment, the an
swer being in the negative. Mr..
Coughlin said, You are a good citi-
zen like those you referred to- Mr..
Coughiin told Mr.. Lowell that at the
present time the town was being run
different than when he CMr. LovelD
ard his friends were running 1t and
that it was his friend, b. c. Warner,
who asked that the committee be APP
pointed to make this investisa ton.
so. said Mr.. Coughlin, there is no rea-
son for his getting so excited
Commissioner Beers, who then en-
tered the hall. was called to the II ont
before he had time to realize he was
in tho hall and given a severe Cruel
ling by the members of the committee
and others present. Mr.. Beers stated
that in his opinion the engineers in
charge of the sewer construction were
competent men and that he had every
confidence in Paul T. Gooden, who
1-os assistant to Engineer Potts, who
was in charge of the work. Relative
to the salaries of the officials. Mr..
Beers said that Raymond Beardsley,
who is inspector of house connections
was rece:vilg 500 per week and that
Mr.. Goodell was being pad SIS
month for the clerical. work he does
for the board of sewer commissioners.
Mr.. Beers said that the commissioners
handled no money and that the en-
sineers were not paid by the commits
sion.
Robert Brandt a member of the in
Eestigating committee highly praised
Mr.. Goodell for the work he was do
ing and told the meeting of several
Instances where TIE contractors had
tried to aut something over but Mr..