Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1927-01-13
COUNTY ROAD ENGINEERS
REPORT
r. X. johnson Submits Detailed Report
To New Tribunal Monday Morning
And Oners Resignation.

To New Tribunal Monday Morning
And Ofers Resignation.
/ TO TIE HONORABLE COUNTY
COURT OF BARBOUR COUNTY,
WEST VIRGINIA.:
Due TO the change in the personnel
Of your court / feel at this time, that
owe to the court. and to the citizens
of Barbour County, statement, which
/ may, in a brief FORM be considered
both as an accounting of my steward
ship, and as "A method of imparting
to you information In my possession
which may be OF benefit tc you in
your future conduct Of the county
! affairs.
/ Attached to this statement will be
4found a summary--the details Of
construction work and the items are
numerous and vast and this summary
IS only the condensed results, and it
is the hope of the undersigned that
you may have thaA opportunity to
check this summary against the
figures and data of record. and, the
assurance is given that the attached
summary and figures will be found
correct, and in compliance with the
facts and records
The undersigned hopes that no
statement made herein win be con-
sidered as in any sense rejecting a
| boastful attitude, but. on the CONTRARY,
| the intention to merely state facts.
/ Ii | shall unconsciously convey such
ideas. | hope 1t may be credited only
to the pride of a construction engineer
in work successfully carried on and
accomplished.
| have been County road engineer
/ for the County Of Barbour for three
/ years and five months. During that
4 time there has been completed, under
county supervision, 27.G miles of per-
manenr improved hard surfaced roads.
| Several different types of construction
have been ordered by the Court and
have been constructed in accordance
with such orders. The cost Of con-
struction varies in accordance with
/ the types Of construction, but you will
find ON investigation, that the average
cost of the 276 miles is $40, 100000 per
mile | take pride. not only for my
self, but for the county and all con-
| cerned, in challenging the State of
| West Virginia to show as low an aver
age cost for similarly constructed
roads These roads speak for them
selves. Time will reveal that this
work has been done we'll
In addition to the new construction
work, the general up-keep of the
County District roads has been at
tended to within the means available
IN this connection a new system of
District superintendent has resulted
In cut of one-third of the levy In
six districts out Of eight Permanent
drainage structures have been installed
in great number Of places on the
County District Roads, and the gem.
eral character of these roads has been
improved You will now find. AZ your
disposal, four Of the larger type trac-
tors with which 1t will be found pos
sible to maintain county District roads
at much reduced cost We have
been able. with these tractors. TO
ditch and generally shape up in
complete manner, including clearing
out culverts County District roads,
in the spring of the year, at an aver
age cost of $500 per mile. This speaks
for itself. You will also find at your
disposal, three Ford Trucks; also
Packard truck. and one concrete
mixer for general county use. l am
also attaching hereto a list of small
tools and equipment giving their
location.
There yet remains some unfinished
hard surfaced construction work
which will be referred to later in the
statement.
During the time / have been road
engineer there has been raised in
Barbour County for the building of
good roads, approximately $500. 900;
Of that amount approximately $780,
COO has been expended on state routes
under state Jurisdiction. The re
mainder Of about $3.50 900 has been
raised for the purpose OF permanently
improving county district roads under
county supervision; about $4,000 of
this sum remains in the treasury I'M
expended and available for the UNI
finished work. About $25, 600 is in
the treasury for the purpose Of paying
for work already completed, and for
which orders have not yet been issued
There is also sum of about 1000
unexpended in the general county
fund, or Use levy fund
I make the assertion and challenge
contradiction that all Of the money
expended has built roads. We believe
that in this day improved roads have
become a public necessity. Barbour
County undertook within the past
three or four years, a tremendous
building program. That program has,
up to this point. been successfully
carried out. The writer hopes that
special attention viii be paid by this
body, as well as succeeding courts, to
theN proper maintenance Of the roads
already improved, in order that the
investment of taxpayers money in
these roads may be preserved. and
not lost. The maintenance cannot
be carried on in a hap-hazard way,
but must be systematized. / venture
the assertion that maintenance is more
important than construction.
The engineering costs of the con-
struction work may be ascertained by
way Of example, by referring to the
actual figures in some Of the districts,
and the average will be found to be
about the same. In Pleasant District
the total engineering costs, including
supervision, inspection, surveying and
plans, is 20 per cent; in Philippi Dis
trict as of the Sth day of December,