New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1921-01-19
6 IMPROVEMENTS
PETITIONED FOR
BUSY SESSION OF BOARD OF
PUBLIC WORKS is HELD
FRIDAY EVENING.
SEWER PROJECTS
ON 7 STREETS. WATER.
REQUESTS FAIL.

| One OF the busiest sessions held by
the board Of public works of New
Ulm for many years took place in the
council chamber at the municipal
building, Friday evening, when nine
petitions for public Improvements in
different parts Of the city, mostly in the
north end, occupied the boards at
tention. The room was filed to ca
pacity with interested property owners,
OF whom there were over so present.
Six improvements Asked For.
Petitions asking for six different I'M
provements, involving work on nine
of the city's streets, had been referred
to the board by the city council The
largest Of these projects is the laying
OF sewers on Washington street, between
Fourth and Eighth North streets; on
State street and Broadway, between
Sixth and Eighth North, and on Eighth
North Street, between Washington
street and Broadway. Three other
sewers were petitioned for, as follows:
On Minnesota street, between Sixth
and Tenth North streets; on the same
street, between Fifth and Eighth
South, and on Washinton street, be-
tween Center and First North. The
| latter Improvement is the smallest one
in the list.
Another petition called for the lay
ing Of watermains on Minnesota street,
between Eighth and Twelfth North
streets, while the proposed like inn
provement on Washington street, be-
tween Eighth and Twelfth North, was
effectively stepped by a counter
/ petiticn opposing it sI's,aae sec2z
favoring this project had Il Sig Rels.
while 36 signatures were attached to
opposing petition. AS a result, the
former request was rejected. All other
improvements petitioned for found the
approval of the board and were favor
ably recommended to the city council.
Inquire About Assessments.
Some of the interested property
owners present, among them members
Of a committee recently appointed for
this purpose by the New Ulm Central
Labor Union, inquired OF the board
members why change had been made
in the method of assessing the cost Of
public improvements against the abut-
ting property. In the past it has been
customary for the city to bear one
third of the expense of certain improve
ments, while one-third was assessed
against the property on either side of
the street. At the instigntion of the
finance committee, the city council
4 decided to change this method, by
assessing the entire cost of these inn
provements against the benefited pro-
perty.
City Short OF Funds.
! This was done, so Chairman Ferdi-
nand Crone Of the board of public
works Informed those present at the
meeting, Friday evening, because the
city is short of funds and, therefore.
could not continue to pay portion
| Of certain public Improvements out of
| the city treasury. Still, he main
tanned, the net cost to the property
owners would not be very much
greater under the new method than it
was in the past, as the city pays for
| improvements done at street inter-
sections and on connecting, or side
| streets, and, in the case OF sewers, bears
4 the cost of constructing the necessary
manholes, ETC., at the street inter-
sections.
I Failed to Explain.
One Of those present desired to know
why this change had been inaugurated,
/ if, as is claimed, the difference in the
cost to the abutting property owner
4 is but slight in view of the added
! burden shouldered by the city. This
question was not satisfactorily an
: sWered by the board members and it
was not pressed by the inquirer.
Will Levy Assessments.
i The board of public works, consisting
OF Chairman Ferdinand Crone, C. II.
I Dirks and ]: A. Ochs, will meet again
: at the city clerks Office in the NUM-
! cipal building, Friday evening, January
: e, at 7:3O o'clock. for the purpose OF
: leyying assessments against the abut-
: ting property for the grading, gravel
ing and bouleyarding Of Front street
between. Center and Sixth North
Y streets, as well as for the construction
: OF sanitary and storm sewers on Valley
6 street, between Center and Fourth
& South streets. Interested property
owners NAV aDDear at this time 4