The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1920-11-11

Leading Citizens Express Themselves Favorng Street Improve
ment Indicating Strong General Sentiment in Favor of
Immediate and Definite Action

IPAo'Su ny auCqudlC VI dlhttSC ait
paving if the town expects to con
tinue to grow, and these improve
, ments must be made at the very
earliest possible moment.
This is the consensus cf opinion
expressed by members of commit.
tee of the Commercial Club, appoint
ed to confer with Councilman Whit
ten regarding these needed improve
ments, and number of citizens who
met with Mr.. Whitten and the COM
mite Tuesday afternoon.
The question is not can we afford
to make these improveme but can
we afford not to make them" said NJ.
c. Price. Mrs. M. A. Meadow, prob
ably the towns largest property hold
er and the one person who would pay
more than any other for improve
ments, expressed herself as heartily
in favor of going ahead with them at
the earliest possible moment. 1--WE
have reached point in development
where something must be done if we
expect to continue to grow. We are
now at the turning point and must
go either backward or forward"
said Mrs. Meadow. F. NJ. Cooper.
another citizen who is largely inter
ested in the town and whose Judge
ment is considered sound, expressed
himself in fewer but no less posi-
/ tive words. Il am for it and will
advocate improvements, said Mr..
Cooper. Others present expressed
themselves emphatically as in favor
of installation of a system of storm
sewers and paving the towns princi-
pal streets, including Retta Espla-
made, Sullivan street, Cross street,
Goldstein street, and a number of
Others connecting Marian avenue and
Olympia avenue, as we'll as any others
where the need demands improve
ment.
w. M. Whitten, chairman of the
Street Committee of the Town Coun-
Gil, who has made a thorough study
and survey of the towns needs, made
a strong talk for improvement. Mr..
Whitten said, in part:
What must Punta Gorda do if
she expects to secure her due pro-
portion OF the prosperity that is COM
ing to South Florida within the next
few years, and become city of three
or five thousand inha bitants and at
tract tourists and winter visitors?"
Roads that have been built and
that we expect will be built at the |
expense of the district will help us,
the big bridge, when it is completed |
will help us, our golf course will help |
us. our hotels will help us, the
court house we confidently expect to
have soon will help us, the best and
healthiest climate in the United
States will help us, our matchless
bayfront will help us, *"* but all of
these added to our fishing, bathing,
trucking, agricultural and numerous
other interests will be of little avail
UNLESS WE HELP OURSELVES
BY IMPROVING OUR STREETS.
Then the questions arise:
First. What streets must we i'm
prove?
Second. When must they be i'm {
proved?
Third. How must or can these ,
be made? :
ITO the first question, a tentative +
.nswer would be that, with the ex-
option of the portions of Marian G
venue and Taylor street that have 7
lready been improved, IMPROVE
TENTS MUST BE MADE to PRAC-
'ICALLY ALL OTHER RESIDENT
ND BUSINESS STREETS of the
lty; the character of improvement i
differ as location demands =
An answer to the second question i,
WHEN must they be improved? u
wolves the question of financing the u
'ork and it cannot be expected that u
II streets will be improved at once, .
ut it is very evident that the town
several years behind time in this II
ork and should get busy AT ONCE. q
nd the question arises, what streets '
lall we improve Immediately? p
Property owners on the following u
reefs have petitioned the council
'r improvements on the said streets ia
ith the understanding that the en- ST
re cost of the Improvements be as a.
'ssed to abutting property: King W
rect from Virginia avenue to A. C. |
depot; Retta .Espanade from W
aylor street to Berry street; Cross al
rect from Retta Esplanade to A. c. OF
railway; Durrance street from tn
eta Esplanade to Marian avenue. m
ick of bids for making these i'm tn
ovements, due to various causes, di
1t principally to war conditions, pl
I've held up these improvements. at
lie improvement of other streets, "!
'tably Olympia avenue and Virginia of
enue, has been agitated. *** 1t to
1uld seem that at least parts of M
ese avenues should be improved. CT
The improvement of Nesbit street th
pm the foot of the bridge to Marian to