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Show Citizens Asking About Sewer Completion The thermometer stood at slightly slight-ly below freezing, a biting wind was blowing in from the north, and snow flurries were traversing the length of Mt. Timpanogos. It was the afternoon of Tuesday, Nov. 1, when this reporter, at the invitation in-vitation of sewer inspector Harold Har-old Smith, took a ride over seme of the sewer lines in the south section of Pleasant Grove. Winter was unmistakably in the air, which of course raised the following fol-lowing questions: 1. When will the remainder of the cross-street laterals be dug in? 2. When will the gaping holes along the pipeline be filled in and cease to be a hazard to life and limb ? 3. When will the trenches be filled, fill-ed, leveled off and the .excess dirt and rocks hauled away? 4. When will our streets be made just reasonably passable again? In reality the conditions along the sewer lines in the south area of the city are a mess. There are still numerous trenches which are partially filled. Manhole excavations excava-tions have scarcely been touched. Sidewalks are broken up and in some cases covered with dirt and rocks. Streets are checker-boarded with pot holes, many of which could easily break a car wheel or throw the passengers out of the vehicle. The prevailing conditions are bad enough, but the most tragic thing about the entire dismal picture is that nothing is being done about it. Spring has passed, summer is gone. All that remains before winter win-ter sets in are a few workable days in November. When asked why Contractor Ralph Childs was permitted to move his equipment and laborers out of the city before his contract was completed, Mr. ,Smith said he didn't know. He explained that he had registered numerous complaints com-plaints with Mr. Childs, the supervising super-vising engineer, Al Sorenson, and to local city officials, but all to no avail. "In fact," said Mr. Smith, "most of the irrigating of the trenches and the cleanup that has been dene, has been accomplished with city equipment and labor." Mr. Smith, personally, has done or supervised much of this work. A. visit the same day to the sewage Disposal Plant revealed that the plant will be completed ready to receive raw sewage in a week or so. Where is the sewage coming from ? Of course the matter of determining deter-mining just who is responsible for the situation is more or less water under the bridge. What the people of Pleasant Grove want to know today is what goes on from here on out. Surely the problem can be solved and the work go forward as it should. Whether the failure rests with irresponsible contractors, indifferent indiffer-ent engineers or city officials, who have too much faith in human nature, na-ture, the situation should be remedied rem-edied without delay. Winter is coming, just when no one can tell, but it won't be long delayed. If we are to have passable streets next summer, the road beds should be laid this fall before bad weather sets in. On many city streets the sewer construction is complete. The roads could be scar-rified scar-rified and the gravel roadbed laid down. What's holding up the work? To delay longer is the essence es-sence of procrastination. |