Piling Up The Work

PILING UP THE WORK

For City Attorney Norris by the City Boards.

Look After Sidewalks

Is the Latest Duty of the City Attorney.

Who Disclaims About Knowing Anything About Tar Walks. 

He Must See to it That Each Sidewalk Notice is Legally Drawn.

At the outset it appeared as though the hoard of public works meeting last night would be a very tame affair, but before many minutes elapsed after the president called the meeting to order there came a change. Everybody, became stirred up until the meeting was bubbles and froth like pouring a phiz on Bromo-Seltzer. City Attorney Norris left the room at last four times, each time after a sally had been made to load upon his broad shoulders the mistakes or short comings of others. Once he was heard to remark, as he nervously paced out of the room, "what do I know about tar sidewalks. " There seems to be a most delightful state of confusion existing in regards to the sidewalks notices, and nobody wants to take the blame. In the future City Attorney Norris must.

When President Mclntyre called the meeting to order, the full board consisting of himself and Messrs. Keech and Schleicher were present; City Clerk Harkins, City Attorney Norris at times, Street Commissioner Ross, Ald Brown, William Clancy and others also being present. In reading the minutes, the resolution relative to the use of the steam roller by Paving Contractor Clancy was called up. Mr. .Keech understood the resolution should state $10 a day and not $5 a day as the minutes read. City Clerk Haskins elated he understood the resolution to mean $5 a day for the use of the machine, the contractor to pay for the engineer and coal used extra. Mr. Schleicher said he understood the actual expense of the use of the machine was $6 per day. Contractor Clancy said he understood he was only to pay $5 a day for the machine, that it was so stated in the specifications. This was doubted by Mr. Schleicher, but as the city engineer was not present it could nor be disapproved or verified. In speaking of the engineer and if he had been called out by the city, City Attorney Norris said it was nothing but a Sweet machine and a Sweet must run it.

When President McIntyre called the meeting to order the full board consisting of himself and Messrs. Keech and Schleicher were present; City Clerk Harkins, City Attorney Norris, at times, Street Commissioner Ross, Ald. Brown, William Clancy and others also being present. In reading the minutes, the resolution relative to the use of the steam roller by Paving Contractor Clancy was called up. Mr. Keech understood the resolution should state $10 a day and not $5 a day as the minutes read. City Clerk Harkins stated he understood the resolution to mean $5 a day for the use of the machine, the contractor to pay for the use of the engineer and coal used extra. Mr. Schleicher said he understood the actual expense of the use of the machine was $6 per day. Contractor Clancy said he understood he was to only pay $5 a day for the machine, that it was so stated in the specification. This was doubted by Mr. Schleicher but as the city engineer was not present it could not be disapproved or verified. In speaking of the engineer and if he had been called out by the city, City Attorney Norris said it was nothing but a Sweet machine and a Sweet must run it. 

The matter of a filler for the street paving caused much discussion. City Attorney said the board had to designate what kind of filler will be used, asphaltum or coal tar, but not the kind of brand. 

W.E. Hutton, agent of Assyrian Asphaltum Co., explained his filler and the difference between a coal tar filler and asphaltum. He had offered Mr. Clancy to furnish the filler for 10 cents a gallon f.o.b Chicago, a kettle for 50 cents a day, add the buckets for pouring free, or to put in the filler and do the work for 13 cents a square yard. 

On motion of Mr. Schleicher the board adopted an asphaltum filler for the Washington Street pavement, it to be 95 percent pure asphaltum, guaranteed not to run with sun heat or chip off in winter.

On motion of Mr. Schleicher the street commissioner was instructed to clean out Allen Creek crossing Hill Street. 

On motion of Mr. Keech the street commissioner was instructed to trim or cut down a tree on North Ashley Street which interfered with the electric light, also trim the trees on Catherine Street and to remove a dead tree on South University Avenue. 

The sidewalk on the Rohde property on West Huron Street adjoining the Ann Arbor Road was brought up. It was stated that Mr. Rohde had laid some of the walk. The balance he claimed must be laid by the city in consideration of his giving six feet of land for widening Huron Street. The matter was referred to Mr. Schleicher and the city attorney. 

City Attorney Norris called the attention of the board to a sidewalk on Geddes Avenue which is so low that in case of rain his lot and that of M.J. Cavanaugh would be flooded. On motion of Mr. Schleicher the street commissioner was instructed to raise the walk and fill it in. 

Mr. Keech asked the street commissioner how it came about that the sidewalk notices were served in wholesale. He had built a sidewalk last fall and now he received a notice to rebuild the same. 

There is a man on Summit Street who had also built a walk and received a notice to rebuild. He did not object receiving notices addressed to T. Keech or Tom Keech, but he did object to notices to build sidewalks on property he did not own. Mr. Schleicher told of erroneous notices. 

Ald. Brown said the city attorney should take up the matter. The city would be in the soup, if it undertook to build walks on defective notices. 

City Attorney Norris said the notices were jurisdictional and they therefore must give the name of the real owner and proper description of the property. 

Street Commissioner Ross defended himself hotly. He said they had been jumping on to him and he made up his mind to either make people build sidewalks or have the city pay for laying the sidewalks. 

City Attorney Norris said he would not make out the sidewalks for the city for $500 a year. Ald. Brown said Mr. Norris was receiving $50 a month and he was supposed to do something for it. Mr. Norris explained that the ordinance was perfectly plain. The descriptions of the property and names of the property owners could be secured from the city assessor, or register of deeds. If the clerk followed the printed blanks there would be no trouble. It was not fair to throw this burden on the city attorney. Mr. Keech said that he had never seen such a lot of measly notices as had been handed to him by the officer. At this point nearly everybody in the room had been talking excepting the representative of the press. City Clerk Harkins thought that getting out notices was a pile of work. President McIntyre remarked that if the clerk got out only one notice a day, he should see that it was right. 

On motion of Mr. Schleicher it was decided that hereafter all sidewalk notices must be submitted to the city attorney for approval before being handed to the officer for service. 

The matter of Archie Miller's sidewalk on North Main Street was brought up. It was said that tar, without being boiled, had been poured over sand, and people were ruining their carpets by tar being carried into their houses. On motion of Mr. Keech the subject was referred to the city attorney. Mr. Norris groaned aloud and exclaimed: "What do I know about tar sidewalks?"  

Ald. Brown brought up the question of his lot on Edmunds Street which he recently filled. The street commissioner was instructed to fill in the sidewalk about this lot and furnish the necessary cobblestones and curbing for the lawn extension, as he had done in other cases.