Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1920-03-10
GREAT MEE1NG,
CALLED BY MAYOR
Response to Mayor Buclxhell's Ihvi.
tation to Meet Up ON Creek
Question Brought Out Big
Crowd Citizens.
DRY RUN is GOING
TO BE CURBED
Matter Will be Taken Up by the CITY
Authorities at Once and Push.
ed to Head.

| eu 10 Head.
one or the most enthusiastic
meetings held in Decorah in years
TOOK place at the court house in the
large court room Monday evening,
when our people assembled there at
the call of Mayor Bucknell to ex.
press their sentiment regarding the
curbing of Dry Run, subject that
has confrunted our people for many
years. Mayor Bucknell has been
working on this matter, more or
less for the past year in conjunction
with Engineer Coffeen Some of the
plats, drawings and surveys were not
ready few months ago, or the mat
ter would have been taken up soon-
er.
The response to the Mayors inviI
tation for. public meeting showed
plainly how interested our people
are in the matter by the big crowd
Present. The meeting was opened by
Mayor Bucknell in a forceable talk,
in which he explained the nature of
the meeting and said he stood ready
with the city council to do every
thing in his power to curb the dan
gers of the creek, and his words met
with hearty applause. The Mayor
said he had lived in the flooded area
himself and he knew the. situation
Thoroughly and consequently was
ready to do anything and everything
possible to remedy the existing con-
ditions.
! Several speakers addressed the
audience. Geo. Johnson, was one of
the first ones and he gave his views
on the matter in such way that no
person in the audience could fail to
see the benefit derived from fixing
Dry Run. Mr.. Johnson had number
of pictures taken some time ago,
different views from the mouth of
the creek up as far as the stockyards
showing the condition of the creek
bed now, and these We're passed
through the audience so all could
see the condition existing along the
route. In some places in the south
part of town the creek bed is entire
ly filled up, leaving no channel to
speak Of 1t is condition that
showed plainly that it needs atten-
tion at once.
]. City Engineer Coffeen, who mad q
the maps and plats of the creek last
year, under the instruction OF the
I firm of Chicago engineers hired by
the city, had large map displayed
in front of the audience, and he
went into quite a detailed account OF
the creek situation from an engineers
standpoint. He read extracts from the
Chicago engineers report, which had
lseveral plans of remedying the
situation. One was large dam to be
built above the Milwaukee, stock
yards, but this plan was not thought
much Of, and another thing the ex-
pense would be almost prohibitiye
The most feasible plan deriyed was
to clean the creek bed thoroughly
straighten out the bends and widen
in places, where needed, etc. 0f
course no particular plans have been
definitely decide on yet.
Another speaker was Atty. N. WI
lett, who gave a very fine and ap-
preciative talk on the subject, and
it was composed of mighty good
common sense. Mr.. Willett has lived
a short distance from-the banks OF
Dry Run all his life. practically. and
he knows whereof he talks.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Willet's
talk the audience knew that he had
said something of vital interest to
Everybody, and had voiced the senti'
ment in plain language that the
creek should be fixed, and tile people
agr'eed with him to unit.
AT the conclusion of the address
Mayor Buckneu asked all those IN
the audience Mho we're in favor ot
the city going ahead and fixing the
creek to stand up. and practicaily
every person in the room jumped tc
their feet Immediately. 1t was Ger
tainly an enthusiastic meeting and
showed plainly how deeply the peo-
pie were interested in the subject.
i The law limits the assessment on
property to take care of this kind q
improvement to % per cent OF the
|. assessed valuation of the property
vlaffected. And also there is<a Ave mil
llassessanent placed on all propert!
loutside the flooded area. In this CASE
the FIVE per cent might amount t