Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1920-03-24
Public Forum

space IN your paper to answer the ar
ticle in last weeks issue on the Ques-
ton, rs New Road Extravaganza!
Let me say at the beginning that
this article is prepared for the sole
purpose Of giving the people of Lam
caster the facts regarding the GEM
etery road, and not for the purpose
OF stirring up a controversy or find
ing fault with the author of the article
in last weeks issue. The people are
entitled to the facts and there is no
desire on the part Of the City Coun-
Gil to put one over or cover anything
UP.
Ii there is any road in the city that
needs fixing it is the cemetery road.
1t has been in bad condition for years
and the people have repeatedly asked
the council to fix it. Promises were
made year after year but nothing done
but to dump few loads of rock each
year into the mud without any prep
aration or any plan. 1t was a waste of
time and money. The contracts have
been signed and the contractors have
entered upon the work. The grad
ing is more than half done and part
ly paid for. Would you, Mr.. Voter,
be in favor of the city repudiating its
contracts? We believe you are more
of a business man than that and have
more common sense and honor than
to ask that it be done.
The budget calls for $4,000 for
cemetery road and instead of it cost
ing more than that amount it will cost
less. The surplus will remain in the
city treasury for other purposes. 1t
will not be wasted. We do not know
where the author got his figures as
to the cost of the road. He may be
right as to the cost of cement roads
in Illinois, but he has not the facts
on what the road in question will cost.
Let us see what the facts are as to
the cost of the cemetery road. The
survey. plans and specifications for
this road were prepared by an engin-
eer from the State Highway Commits
sions office. All grading and paving
will be done in accordance with state
specifications.
This looks like good business iudg
ment on the part of the city council
instead of going at this work blindly.
The survey calls for grading Sta
ton l to Station Al, $3.50 cubic yards.
surfacing 5467 square yards, guard
rail 53S feet The specifications pre-
pared by the state engineer call for
an eighteen foot road: the contract as
let by the city council calls for a
twelve foot road hence the amount
of surfacing is reduced one-third or
to less than 1000 square yards of sur
face to be covered with concrete. The
grading and erard rail will be the
same as cal'nd for by the survey.
AT the council meeting held Sep
tembe~ 20, 1919 bids were submitted
by various contractors on the grad
ing. surfacing and the erection of the
guard rail. The following bids on
gradipg were received:
C. f. Rich e. Co. 94c per Gu. yd
for dirt and $1.70 for rock; guard rail
COO ne" foot:
VIM Mcmahon, eXcavating and grad
ing SO per Gu vd. for dirt and S1.65
for rock and soc per foot for guard
rail- ezra work cost plus Is pei. cent.
Nv WoNahons bid was accepted.
"But Mr. Voter I hear Won say
Glow 20 you know what is dirt and
what is rock?"
TTnder our contract state specif-
cations shall govern and if necessity
renuiree we can call in an eneineer
from the state highway commission
to dete"mine for us what is dirt and
what is rock This as I understand
. it, will he without charge.
At tho same meeting the following
bids we've received:
A DUBUQUE contractor (name to the
writar unknown mt in the follow
inc bid on the paving or surfacine:
81 20 per square yard for macadam;
81 90 ner sorare yard for cement
Tarvia penetration; soc per foot for
guard rail
G e. Rich e. Co nut in a bid Of
1So per square ward for concrete s
inches thick at the edge and inches
thick at the crown or S1S2 nar
scuare ward if inches thick at the
edoa and z inches thick at the crown
VIM Mcmahon put in bid of 1924
PEI suuare ward for copcrete
The bid of c. E. Rich & Co. for 81 80
per square yard was accented and a
contract drawn to that effect. The
CITY furnishes the rock for the road
al the bins in the rock quarry. Nor.
Mr.. Voter, what difference will it
make to the tax payer of Lancaster
if the price of labor and the price of
cement does go up, and what differ
ence does it make about freight on
sand and gravel and why WORRY about
the hauling of materials? c. E. Rich
& Co. have agreed to put in that paw
ing for $1.S2 per square yard and fur
nish all materials but the rock: that
is furnished by the city at the bins
and they have given bond to the
city to indemnify the citv if they fail
to do the work Can they increase
the number of square yards of sur
face in that road? The road will be
paved from Madison street to the city
limits. 1t will be twelve feet wide.
Can the contractor stretch it? No.
In passing. let me call your atten-
ton to the relative costs per square
ward as shown by the lowest bids
submitted. macadam $3.50, Tarvia
penetration $1.70 and concrete S1.S2
and $1.S9. A difference of zoe be-
tween macadam and tarvia and sc
between macadam and concrete. and
pc between tarvia and cement. If
there are 1000 square yards to be sur
faced the macadam would have cost
the city $4,000. the tarvia $500 and