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Liberty Street Ordered Paved With Asphalt Block

Liberty Street Ordered Paved With Asphalt Block image
Parent Issue
Day
8
Month
May
Year
1903
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The Mayor's Appointment Were Unanimously Confirmed by the Council

A Case, Where Seventy-Five Hogs Died After Eating Boarding House Garbage-- Settlement Wanted With D.Y.A.A. & J.

Liberty street was ordered paved with asphalt block Monday night and the mayor's appointments unanimously confirmed. Steps were taken to collect what the D. Y. A. A. & J. owes the city and make them put West Huron street in shape. A start was made on the problem of caring for city garbage and considerable other business was transacted.

MAYOR'S APPOINTMENTS.

Mayor Brown sent in the following city appointments, subject to confirmation:

City Treasurer- S. W. Beakes.

City Attorney- Thomas D. Kearney.

Member Board of Public Works- Wm. H. Mclntyre.

Member Board of Health- H. J. Brown.

Member Board of Fire Commissioners- Sid W. Millard.

Ald. Coon moved that the mayor's appointments be confirmed, and this carried unanimously, yeas 15; nays, 0.

Mayor Brown also sent in the following appointments, which were not subject to confirmation:

Marshal- Orton M. Kelsey.

Patrolmen- David Collins, John O'Mara, George B. Isbell and Harris Ball.

Special patrolmen at the campus without pay from the city- Hamilton Reeves, Reuben Armbruster, J. Milton Perkins.

Carl E. Storms and six others put in a strong plea for the grading and graveling of Greenwood avenue, which was referred to the ordinance committee.

REMOVAL OF OIL TANKS.

A petition signed by two fire commissioners, the president of the board of health, an ex-president of the board of health, a member of the council which authorized the present location of the tanks, 16 bank directors, four signers of the petition for the removal of the tanks and 53 others was read asking that the oil tanks of Dean & Co. be not molested. The petition claimed that the tanks where now located do not increase insurance rates or endanger property, that but for the enterprise and courage of this firm the people would have been at the mercy of the soulless trust, the Standard Oil company; that they have saved the consumers of oil and gasoline in Ann Arbor thousands of dollars and the petitioners requested the council not to discourage competition. The petition was referred to the ordinance committee.

BIDS OPENED.

The bids on city printing were read and referred to the finance committee.

The Glen avenue sewer bids of Emanuel Schneider and W. J. Clancy were read and Ald. Johnson moved that the contract be let to Mr. Schneider. Ald. Douglas wanted the bids laid on the table until the budget was made up. In reply to a question, Ald. Johnson said Mr. Schneider's bid amounted to $935. Mr. Schneider's bid was accepted by a vote of 13 to 1.

The finance committee reported $2,443.58 of bills, which were allowed.

NEW SEWERS.

The sewer committee asked that the board of public works submit plans, specifications and estimates of cost for sewers on First street, and on Sixth from Madison to Jefferson, and thence to Allen's creek and on Church street. Later, on motion of Ald. Fischer, they were asked to include the extension of the Church street sewer from Packard and East University to Allen's creek in their estimates.

"DOC" ROSE'S BOND FAILED.

The bonds of several city officers, three drug stores, and three saloons were approved. The committee reported the bond of Joseph L. Rose without recommendation. The sureties were good.

Ald. Fischer moved that the bond be disapproved.

Ald. Douglas wanted the city attorney's opinion.

City Attorney Kearney said the council had a right to approve or disapprove a bond. The question involved in this case was whether the council had a right to fix the boundaries where saloons can be run.

Ald. Hutzel didn't think when the men on a bond were perfectly good that a bond ought to be disapproved.

City Attorney Kearney said the bond was good if the location is in the proper place. In this bond the location was fixed where the council by ordinance had said no saloon should be run.

Ald. Schlenker thought the bond should be laid on the table until the location was fixed properly.

Attorney J. W. Bennett arose on behalf of his client, "Doc" Rose and said he would prefer that the bond be not laid on the table. If you disapprove the bond "Doc" Rose may have his remedy.

Ald. Hutzel said the council would be willing to take the bond from the table as soon as the location was properly fixed.

The bond was laid on the table.

AN UNKNOWN BODY.

Ald. Grose brought up the case of a lot in Fairview cemetery, purchased of the city when a body was found which had been buried for 17 or 18 years. There was no record of the burial and it was not known whose body it was. His motion that the body be taken up and given a single burial place was carried.

REPORT OF CITY OFFICERS.

The city treasurer's report showed $3.15 receipts in the police fund and $75.82 in Paving District No. 6, with no payments.

The marshal's report showed 21 arrests during April.

Dr. George's report as city physician showed 373 visits during the year and an expense for medicines of $115.40.

DISPOSAL OF GARBAGE.

The Board of Health report as published in another column was read. The portion referring to school drainage was referred to the School Board and that referring to sewers to the sewer committee.

Ald. Grose said that the recommendations as to garbage needed attention. He spoke of the beautiful driveway from Fuller street where it crosses he Central tracks to School Girl's Glen, which people enjoyed until the garbage was piled up six or eight feet high and the road was impassable. He thought the matter of garbage should be referred to a committee.

Ald. Grose, Kearns and Miller were made such a committee.

Ald. Grose moved that the street commissioner be requested to abate the nuisance on the street he had complained of.

Dr. Hinsdale, the health officer, said this garbage was grocery garbage. They were speaking of other garbage. He had found a place where 70 hogs had died. These hogs were fed on the offal of boarding houses, when the boarders had had their first chance and the hogs had eaten at the second table. The way to get at the hog nuisance was to begin at the garbage end. If the garbage was disposed of in a proper sanitary manner hogs would disappear. A company here last year had proposed to convert garbage into soap grease, glycerin, etc. They should have been given the proper encouragement.

THE LIBERTY STREET PAVING.

Ald. Goodyear moved that the Liberty street paving be taken from the table.

Ald. Schumacher tried several times to get a motion before the council to ask for bids on all kinds of paving.

Ald. Schlenker moved that the petition be referred back to the signers and that the block on Liberty between Ashley and First streets be included.

Ald. Douglas said it would take at least a month to get the petition signed again.

Ald. Hutzel understood that under the petition the council could only act on asphalt block.

Ald. Schlenker made a strong plea for including the extra block. He said it was the most unsightly hill we have near the business district. The gutters were two or three feet deep. It was continually being washed out and needing repairs. No better improvement could be made than to repair it.

Ald. Coon said the council was in duty bound to go ahead with the Liberty street paving. If the people on the new block wanted paving let them petition for it. In the meantime go ahead with the rest of the street.

Ald. Schlenker said this would make extra expense.

Ald. Schumacher wanted to see Liberty street paved, but wanted all given a chance to bid. He wanted competition.

President Walz said the city had the right to reject the bids if the asphalt people bid too high.

Ald. Fischer said if the hill was so steep between Ashley and First, asphalt block would be dangerous.

Ald. Hutzel called attention to the fact that the petition for asphalt paving had been signed by 70 per cent of the property owners.

Ald. Johnson said 40 per cent of the whole expense had to be paid by the city and bids ought to be received on all kinds of paving.

Ald. Coon thought the council is duty bound to give the people what they asked for.

President Walz, referring to Ald. Schlenker's motion, spoke of the difficulty of getting up a new petition to include another block. Many of the signers of the petition were so disgusted with the fight they wouldn't sign any more petitions.

Ald. Douglas said a petition might be circulated at once in the new block, if it wanted paving.

Ald. Schlenker's motion was lost by a vote of 4 yeas, 11 nays, Ald. Schlenker, Hutzel, Kearns and Johnson voting for it.

Ald. Hutzel introduced the regular resolution declaring for paving Liberty street, from Ashley to State with asphalt block and instructing the board of public works to advertise for bids. The street intersections, engineering and 20 per cent of the remainder to be paid by the city, the remainder by special assessment. This carried 10 to 5, Ald. Schlenker, Kearns, Johnson, Schumacher and Bangs voting in the negative.

Thus ended the Liberty street paving fight.

GETTING RID OF PIG PEN.

Ald. Johnson introduced a resolution reciting that whereas the pig pen of Ernest Gutekunst in the fifth ward as a public nuisance, the city marshal was in instructed to abate the same. This carried, after Ald. Johnson said that this was the pig pen here 75 hogs were lost from Cholera. The man referred to in the resolution gathered slops around the city for the hogs.

TO MAKE THE D.Y. A. A. & J. SETTLE.

Ald. Douglas introduced a long resolution on W. Huron street reciting what the D.Y. A. A. & J. were required to do by their franchise, which they had not complied with so that the street was in a dangerous condition. The city attorney was instructed to obtain by suit or otherwise the money due the city from the road and to enforce the franchise requiring the company to put the street into condition. The resolution carried.

Ald. Fischer introduced a resolution for an electric light to be placed n the corner of Monroe and State streets, which he had referred to the lighting committee and the council adjourned at 9:15, after an hour and three-quarters session.