Imperial Valley press., 1921-06-09
CON TRACTOR
IS PAVING
AGA|NS
C(JRbS
Good Work Being Laid Over
Bad in West Main Street
Job. City Employs Special
Inspectors.

The faulty curbing that is being
LAID by Contractor Oswald on num-
Der Of ri Centre streets, particularly
| West Main and SandalWood is to be-
carefully surveyed and inspected be
fore the bad" work in the curbing is
covered up and additional loss incurred
when it is torn out and done over.
The city council at a special meet
ING held at the city hall last night
passed q resolution instructing w. +.
Van Way, superintendent Of streets, to
employ Don Wells and Elmer Leonard
as experts to examine and report ON
the work already done.
The two experts, who are we'll quaii-
fled, it is said, to pass upon the work,
arc to make report of their findings to
the street superintendent and if it is
an adverse report on the quality Of tn,
work, the street superintendent is IN
Structed by the same resolution t.
notify Contractor Oswald that no WORK
done by him that is not in accordancr
with the specifications of his contract
will be accepted or paid for, until the
faults in the same are remedied.
1t was to City Councilman Charles
E. PitZer that Contractor Oswald at
the beginning of his job in FL Centre,
stated that the material he had on
hand for the CurbiNg work was not
up to standard, but that he could &c,
no other at the time and would nave
20 use this poor material. Mr.. Pltzcr
according to a statement made 10 The
Press, Informed the contractor IN eff
feet, that while he could not prevent
him from using poor material, The
contractor would use it on his own
responsibility and subject to all til"
terms and penalties Of his contrat,.
Gradually the wrinkles in the PAVING
scandal are being ironcd out and u."rc
IS but little doubt that Il great dcAl
Of the present work Will have 20 br
done over and III a workmanlike man
ner before it is accepted and paid for
by the council. The fact has been az
parent from the start, it is said, that
the work being done by Oswald Bros.
was not up to the specifications Of III,
contract, and the members of the city
council have been gathering infoun@-
ton and checking up on the work, but
because of the queer provisions of the
law under which the work is being
done, the council was iiguratively
hog tied" and helpless in the matter,
until the work is completed
To the lay mind of the taxpayer,
who is to pay the bills, this peculiar
condition raises the question if the con-
tract and specifications cannot be en-
forced under the law, just what is the
use of plans and specifications and
contracts.
1t is stated that the contractor is
now laying pavement against the curb
ing admitted to be bad and that these
faulty curbs can only be taken out by
damaging a portion of the pavement
which IS admittedly according to spe-
cifications. This raises another ques-
ton in the minds Of the taxpayers and
! that is why the contractor is putting
down good work against bad, if he eX-
poets TO tear it out and do it all over
when it is completed? The logical an
swer is that he does not.
1t is also stated in this connection
that in a portion of the curling, which
it is charged is poor, the material used
/ in accordance with specification but
the method of work and treatment was
poor and the work went bad after il
was put in.
1t is believed, however, that The
matter will be adjusted in the prope,
way, but the taxpayer does not want
any compromise in the matter like the
West Main street paving job of some
years ago, in which a compromise
price was paid for at the rate of 81
cents on the dollar, when it really wa!
not worth 30 cents, and which ha.
since cost the city of FL Centre son,
$4,000 to repair and keep in shap?.