The Lamar register., 1923-03-28

The people OF Lamar both property
holders on Main street and citizens
generally are rejoicing that our city's
main business streets are at last to
be paved and the unsightly and unen-
durable bumps and caverns along the
course are to he removed. This much
was definitely settled last Monday
night when the contract for the paw
ing in Paving District No. One com
RISING seven blocks on Main street
from the Library block to the paved
road on the north end of Main street
and one block east and west on Beech,
Olive and Elm streets was let by the
unanimous vote of the city aldermen
to the Strange Mcclure Paving Co. of
Pueblo. The contract calls for War
renite bithulithic paving consisting of
five inch base of gravel and cement
with a two inch covering of the bith-
ulithic material. Ii is one of the fin
est paving materials of the present
day and the price is lower than it has
been for some time, and the property
holders are generally satisfied and
would be practically unanimous in ap-
proval had it not been for the manner
used by the engineer in shutting off
the friends and contractors for brick
paving without an opportunity to be
heard. The manner in which this was
done reflects little credit on our city
and far less on its engineer. The
brick men were allowed to come here
and spend their time and money in
figuring up the project and then af
ter they were shut out from the meet
ing the property owners were inform
ed by the engineer that his brick plans
were not such as would insure paw
ing suitable for Lamar's Main street
Lamar will have more paving to do in
the future and this act will make II
far more difficult to get contractors
to come here, where they are not as
sured a square deal. However, the
biggest fact is that the long fight
which many of US have made to arouse
interest in a paved business section
has at last been won and we can all
in a few months feel proud Of real
business looking city district. Once
started there will be more to follow.
The meeting of the council last
Monday evening was attended by
crowded house of property owners in
the district and citizens generally, all
interested in the opening Of the bids
put in by the representatives Of the
eleven companies which were repre-
sented. The different bidders were so
far apart on the various items bid
upon that it was hard for the specta-
tors to get any line up on the bids,
and left the impression that much of
it was guess work in which they made
sure that the total would be large
enough at least, but when the accounts
figured up the total cost it was found
we're quite far apart even in
totals. There were more bids on con
crete than any other variety of paw
ing and the totals had a range Of SlS,- |
900 from highest to lowest. The bids
we're as follows:
Fred f. Eberhardt Paving Co., Sa-
lima, Kansas, concrete, s93,576.45.
NJ. R. Amerman, Wichita, Kansas,
concrete, S1O5, ,757.10; sheet asphalt,
1925, 1910; asphaltic concrete, $780,
615.1O; Warrenite bithulithic, s121,-
9O7.1O; vitrified brick, 147,747.10.
Carl c. Madsen Construction Co.,
Denver, concrete, sS7 7,6OO15.
Standard Engineering e. Construc-
ton Co., Denver, concrete, sS9,375.5O.
Stamey- -Mackay Construction Co.,
Hutchinson, Kansas, concrete, $780,
O23. rs; vitrified brick, s132,969.75.
Strange Mcclure Paving Co., Pu-
eblo, bithulithic (Warrenite) sl17,-
s95.sO.
Cook Ransom, Ottawa, Kansas, con-
crete, s1O5, 5,527.55; vitrified brick,
S137 ,S27.55.
w. F. Pigg & Son, Denver, concrete,
s96, ,O65.5o.
Engineers Construction Co., Gree
ley, concrete, s9s,615.95.
]. Fred Roberts & Son Construction
Srnn nEz m '