The Union County journal. [volume] (Marysville, Ohio) 1875-1951, 1951-02-19
Prosecutors Rap
COnServanCY
CONTINUED from Rage ID

ever, he still claimed legislative
activities were necessary to the
districts functions of getting seven
reservoirs constructed.
The director admitted district
officials had made several trips to
Washington to appear before con-
gressional committees.
The argument over whether five
of the districts projects have been
okayed appeared to revolve around
a definition of the word author
lied"
Allen Pretzman, attorney for the
conservancy district said he had
definite word from the U. S. army
engineers taht all of the jobs have
been approved by congress. And
prosecutor Lewis was reported to
have received a telegram from the
engineers late yesterday to the
same effect.
Representative of the American
Aggregates Corporation and the
Denison Engineering Corporation,
two Columbus firms, were the final
objectors.
They protested only against the
construction of certain levees in
the Columbus area, and not against
the Mill Creek dam as whole.
H. c. Allread, attorney for
American Aggregates, said the
levee on the Scioto river would
flood his firms property. He asked
that a new channel be dug for the
Scioto for several miles.
However, w. E. Pullman, Column
bus manager for the firm, said the
company would be very happy"
if it is permitted to build up its
own levees to protect the property.
Attorney Robert r. Hyatt of
DeniSon said construction of one
of the levees would flood land
around his firms plant, making it
inaccessible. He also objected to an
alternate levee on the ground it
would hide the company's modern
plant from public view.
However, Hyatt promised to
sound out his principals on their
views about the alternate levee
and report back to the court Mon
day.
The Scioto-Sandusky Conser-
vancy District Court was told
it would cost S2l9,O0O for the
relocation of Route SO as re-
quired by construction of the pro-
posed Mill Creek dam at Bell
point in Delaware county.
The statement was made by c.
c. Chambers Of Columbus, chief
engineer for the district, at hear
ing on the dam project in the
state office building in Columbus.
His estimate was contested by
Delaware County Prose ecut or
Clyde E. Lewis who said he could
produce a witness who would tes-
tify the cost would be much
higher. However, the witness told
Lewis in a phone call later he
would have to re-check his
figures before making any state
ment to the 17-judge conservancy
district court.
The witness was R. N. Ricketts,,
| a Washington c. H. civil engineer
who works for the highway de-
partment's office of location and
design at Delaware.
Chambers also told the court,
which has been hearing protests
to the conServancy districts plan,
! that relocation of two cemeteries
would cost S160,0OO and that it
would cost S270,00O to rebuild
New York Central Railroad
tracks.
Thursday Chambers said the
big Mill Greek dam would cost
only $3,800,O00. This conflicted
with reports that the cost would
run between ten and IA million
dollars. However, it was not clear
whether Chambers estimate per-
tanned to construction costs alone
or whether it included property
! payments and other expenses.
The engineer was unable to es-
innate the amount of benefits
which might accrue to the Mill
Creek area alone. lie said the con-
SerVancy act does not require
figures on a benefit-over-c cost
basis for any particular part of an
overall plan.
Joseph Van Meter of Chilli
cothe, one of the three conser-
vancy district directors, admitted
he owns 1,420 acres of land on the
Scioto river which would benefit
from flood protection by the Mill
Creek dam.
He said the dam would be used
primarily as a flood control pro-
ject and only as an auxiliary
source of water for Columbus in
case of dire emergency"
Van Meter said the city of Co
lumbus would have to assume
certain assessments and guaran-
tee the construction of certain
levies before construction of the
, dam c0lIld start