KinSource - Tale of the Week - Laying Sidewalks

KinSource

Minnesota Tales

The St. Paul Daily Globe, September 16, 1888, p. 2

LAYING SIDEWALKS.

Ideas of One of the Board of Public Works on this Subject.

Orders of the City Council Have to Be Carried Out.

Injustice Complained of by Hosts of Indignant Taxpayers.

Glimpses of Life Revealed by Persistant Pencil Pushers.

At the last meeting of the board of public works a lengthy discussion took place on the question of building sidewalks. There is a continual and incessant kick from property owners because those having the authority to do so order so many new walks and the impression exists that the board of public works is responsible for it. In reality is has nothing to do in the matter except to carry out the orders of the council. The board thinks that too many sidewalks are being laid, and that in many cases an injustice is being done.

E. C. Starkey, a member of the board, said: "The general policy of the board for the last few months has been to make as few improvements as possible. We had several reasons for doing so, one of which was the stringency of the money market all over the country. We thought it best in the matter of grading and paving streets and constructing sewers that only such improvements should be undertaken as were asked for by a majority of the property owners.

ON THE STREETS AFFECTED.

"For that reason a preliminary order from the council that did not come with a petition was reported upon adversely. And still, with that course, there has been an enormous amount of contract work done, and there are still a few more contracts to be let, most of them being for short improvements. Of course, there are a few winter contracts when the work can be done as well in winter as in summer. Such improvements are all right and cannot give dissatisfaction.

"But it is altogether different in the matter of sidewlaks. Under the city ordinances the council is not required to get the opinion of the board as to whether a sidewalk is necessary or not. Any alderman who desires it can enter a resolution for the laying of sidewalks of any kind when he chooses. Each alderman is supposed to know what is required in the ward he represents, and when they ask the council to order the board of public works to put down a sidewalk, the board has nothing to say about it, but proceeds with the work. I suppose that miles of sidewalks have been put down this year, and at the last council meeting orders for blocks and blocks were sent to the board, which is the council's agent. But we think much of it unnecessary now when every person is complaining.

ABOUT SCARCITY OF MONEY.

"Besides that in many cases a great injustice is done to property owners, and I don't wonder at their kicking, only we dislike to be blamed for something which is not our fault. Now, for instance, I think here is an injustice. Last spring a business man put down a good plank sidewalk on a uniform grade with the other sidewalk, and the regular width. His neighbors on each side made no kick at the time. A little later, perhaps a month, some man in the block wanted a new cement or hexagonal block walk put down. The ward alderman has the order passed. That man has just put down his walk, and it does not seem right to compel him to take it up and replace it with another one of stone. Then changes in curbing produced the same result, and there's another injustice. I claim, as was done in the case of Third street, that there should be a provision for all the business portion of the city, that whenever new sidewalks are ordered the council should simply ask to have them put down in such places and such sections as would not interfere with what the property owner had done. That is to say, if a block on Wabasha street is to have an hexagonal block walk, that if the walk in front of one piece of property is good, the property owner should not be compelled to go to the expense of relaying it until the walk becomes out of condition. There are a good many grounds for complaint, and many of them I think could be easily remedied."