The Daily Alaska empire., 1946-01-19
CITY T0ASk F0RUTILITY
 PRICE TAGS
Appraisal Report Due from Black & Vedtlh on
 January 2S

Approach of showdown in the present City Administrations cam paign to take over public utilities in Juneau was indicated by Mayor Ernest Parsons at last nights second regular January meeting of the Ju- neau Common Council.
 Referring to the fact that the awaited return from the States ol w. S. Pullen light company man ager has now occurred, the Mayor launched his remarks by relating the events of recent meeting be- tween himself, City Utilities En- Qineer Walter T. Stuart and the light company attorney, H. L. Faulkner. At that time. Mir Faulkner said that proxies from absent directors were being awaited before the Alaska Light and Power CO can hold a meeting to set an asking price for it's properties. MT. Faulkner turth- CT declared that he expects the proxies to arrive by the end of this month.
 Mayor Parsons added that Black and veatch, Kansas City engineer firm which appraised utility prop critics here on the City's behalf, has promised to have its report ready on January 2S.
 Stage Is Set
 The stage is therefor set to con- mence price negotiations with the utility firms and the City should so inform the A.S.L. and P. Co.,, and the Juneau Water Company, the Mayor concluded. He received no objection to his request that he be authorized to write letters to both these firms, setting date for open ing the dickering.
 The present administration will have to "act fast" to get its program over, as the end of its term is com- ing around quite soon now, Mayor Parsons pointed out.
 Change Bus Route
 Under the heading of remarks from the audience, Lloyd L. Reid, Channel Bus Lines operator, re- quested Council endorsement of a proposed route change for the city bus. The suggested change would involve the Casey -Shattuck district and would add two more blocks to the area tapped.
 Dn,I xxrot@acad that the hlle should eliminate the present turr off E Street at the congested Junc- ture with Tenth Street. Instead, the route now asked would take the bus off E Street at the corner of Ninth, eastward along Ninth Street to c Street. north on c to Tenth Street then along Tenth across E toward the Douglas Bridge and the pres ent Small Boat Harbor terminal. / The bus operator stated he is suJ' the suggested route change will re- quire no franchise revision, but may be approved merely by Council ac- ton. It was referred to the Streets Committee for study.
 Parking Meters
 A preliminary report on the park ing meter proposal was presented last night by Streets Committee Chairman Don Skuse. He offered no recommendation at present, as his committee wants more time for study of the matter. However, he did state that Juneau businessmen seem to poll about two-to-one in favor of the meters and there seems no doublt they would pay out.
 What is still needed to complete the committees report, Skuse said is count of the parking stalls in the downtown district, to see how many meters it should take to dc the job. Principal objections pop ping out of central area shopkeepers are.
 That meters will be no solution to traffic congestion without more rigid enforcement.
 2-Beefs at having the proposed guinea pig" meters plopped in front of their own stores to nick their GUS toner for nickel whenever they take a notion to shop around in side
 Oper-Pass Needs Ouerhaul
 On the general Juneau improve nlent agenda, the Streets panel list ed needed repairs to the Calhoun Avenue, oyer-pass at Fifth Street Chairman Skuse asked to have th' City Engineer ordered out to talk a look see for what must be done In the must" category - but fol lowed by an If" = Skuse chalke' up laying of approximately 300 fee of 24-inch concrete sewer line a the Small Boat Harbor. The "if is that it's necessary only when tn Northern Commercial Company zoe ahead with it's projected marin ways. Then costs will be small, a excavating is eliminated and fillin will automatically follow after. Tn pipe is already in the City's pile C stores.
 City Engineer J. L. McNamara re ported that Gold Creek bottom clean ing has progressed as far at th Ninth Street bridge and forecas that about 10 more days would h needed to finish clearing the cree