The Glenwood post., 1923-02-22
Commissioners Thought Protest of Car.
bonda|e Committee on Ground of
Economy Not Justified
DESIRED ROAD MORE EXPENSIVE

How would you like to be county
commissioner, and listen to advice
from everybody you met as to what
you should do and how you should do
it? Well, that what county commits
sioners are for, to listen to, advise and
counsel with their constituents as to
what they should do, and the best and
most advantageous way of accomplish
ing a certain thing, and then go ahead
and do the work in accordance with
their best judgment, that judgment
sometimes modified by the advice of
others.
That seems to be just what happened
last Monday when the county commits
sioners met in adjourned session to re-
ceive and consider bids for the re-
construction of the Hardwick bridge
across the Roaring Fork at the Rigney
ranch five miles south of Glenwood.
A committee composed of W. D.
Moore, Frank Smith, Pat Ansbro, Dan
Flynn and Harry Blue, selected last
Friday by a meeting of Carbondale
Taxpayers, appeared before the board
to protest against the rebuilding of
the bridge which recently collapsed
under heavy load of cattle, and to
ask that instead of the bridge, a road
be constructed on the west side of the
river from Carbondale, through Car
diff and down to the cemetery bridge.
Mr.. Moore, in behalf of the protest
ants, said the objection was made pure
" in behalf of economy and because
it was believed by the committee and
the people the committee represented,
that an expensive bridge at the old
site was not justified, since it would
serve but very few people, while the
road would serve more people and
serve them better.
During the discussion the commits.
sioners gave it as their belief, based
on estimates of engineers, that the
bridge could be rebuilt for less than
upkeep of a road could thus be avoid
ed. 1t was pointed out that between
the Rigney ranch and Cardiff there is
no one to be benefited by the road,
whereas both Rigney and O'Neil, the
men most vitally interested in the mat
ter, were both present and both pro-
tested against the substitution of the
road for the bridge. Rigney said the
exchange of the bridge for the road
would b. positive hardship to him
and O'Neil, as it would necessitate
hauling all Their marketable produce
to the cemetery bridge and then back
up the river TO Red canon, their cus-
tomary leading place, or else bringing
it on to Glenwood, thus necessitating
r considerable haul that they could
avoid if the bridge were rebuilt
Mr.. Rigncy has purchased the old
Colorado ldidland right-ofway through
his ranch, and this would not be avail
able for read ,rposes, unless the
'ountv, would luy =. The price put
on the Midland ground through Car
diff and to tile south of Four Mile
creek is $500, and bridge across the
creek would be .recessary, and the
commissioners believe the expenditure
rcGuircl would bc greater than the
cost Of rebuilding the Hardwick bridge
on the old abutments.
However, the commissioners thanked
the committee for their visit and said
they would consider the matter further
before taking any definite action, and
this they did at the time tho bids on
the bridge were opened in the after.
noon.
Three bids were received for the con
struction Of the bridge, one from Fred
Altman for 1924, and two from the
Monarch Engineering company, one fol