| Show people of sev sevier 1 er county promised paving this year soon as possible AT LEAST THREE MILES BUT PROBABLY SIX WILL BE constructed DURING THE SUMMER VIGOROUS AGAINST substituting GRAVELED ROADS FO FOP SELECTED TYPE OF PAVING probably six but bat ot at any rate not less than three miles of hard surfaced road will bo be constructed in se sc vier county this year advertisements for bids will be published in such time that actual construction can start not later than about middle of july giving givin g certainty that tile work can be finished before snow flics files it if six miles are paved there will bo be one and one half miles south of richfield and joining the city pavement and four and one half miles through salina to north of 01 redmond if it is three miles it will viii be the stretch south of rich vold field and one andi ana one half miles through salina these six or three miles whatever it will be will ill not be a gravel road but a hard surfaced highway my this is the sum and substance of an agreement reached between government and state officials who went over the road wednesday and thursday and the people of the county with whom they during the two days had a number ot of conferences the main conference was held at a banquet given by the richfield commercial club complimentary to the visiting officials and splendidly attended by delegations from salina aurora sigurd venice annabella central elsinore and monroe and members ot of the commercial club guests of honor were chairman preston G peterson chief engineer howard C means maintenance engineer john R stewart and engineer H S kerr of the state road commission district engineer B J finch of the U S bureau of public roads and county commissioners joseph P Peter peterson soil carl tutt and abe hansen the banquet was given thursday I 1 evening at the johnston hotel judge H N ha haes es presided as toastmaster entertainment between courses was furnished by mrs leslie poulson mrs R garn dark clark and clifford W pearl in splendidly rendered solos with mrs anna callaway at the plano piano and by the members of the U of U string quartet who happened to be in richfield Richtie ld tor for a recital under the auspices of the M I 1 A and were prevailed upon to perform for the banque we speak of the musical part of the banquet in another column of this issue after enjoying the musical treats and the exceptionally fine offerings from the anell ell appreciated kitchen of the johnston hotel a discussion vas a entered into on the problems confronting state and county in regard to hard surfacing the north south highway through sevier county toastmaster hayes directed the discussion with fine tact and sparkling humor the speakers endeavored to be as short as the subject permitted and an attempt by the officials to talk those present into a gravelled travelled gravel led road as a substitute for a paved road met with the united and determined statement that nothing but a hard surfaced road will find the approval of our populace chairman jos F peterson of the board of county commissioners gave a brief history of the bond election emphasizing that the people voted the bonds with the understanding that for the money so received they will receive a hard surfaced highway through the county and that they now mr insist bonhard on aard surface and would 1 not take a lower type of road construction st as a substitute the county commissioners are the servants of their constituents and in accord with these constituents wish to state that thai the people voted funds to obtain hard surfaced roads and hard bard surfaced roads therefore it must be forest supervisor C A mattson referred to the meetings of taxpayers held before the county commissioners were authorized to call a bond election in all the meetings hard surfaced roads exclusively were mentioned the taxpayers were determined mined and united to have hard surfaced roads and they lid did not change their minds today after all this parleying parl eying and walt waiting izig hey are just as determined and united as ever before fore that they do not want a gravel road substituted for a paved road chairman preston G peterson of the state road commission was the next sp speaker ealter wo we did not come down here to force down your froats something you do not want he said but came here as your friends to work out with you a road program that will bo be within our means mean we have a program including 1631 miles of road in the state to hard surface all or of it would require about 50 million dollars while for all of the work past and in year to come boniv S sa s1 million dollars are available the money simply Is not here to hard surface the 10 miles in sevier county therefore two courses only are open either you have to make up you your r mind to have the road gravelled travelled gravel led as sponsored by the U S bureau of public roads and put on the hard bard surface later or have to let your funds rest reat until such a time when funds will be available to hard surface your forty miles and this may not be for a great number of years the speaker explained that a gravelled travelled gravel led road as sponsored by the U S bureau of public roads must have a proper foundation and must be properly drained before the grav elling material is put on top and this then makes a tine fine first step toward putting on a concrete or aitu minous top at any later time and such a gravelled travelled gravel led road will stand up very well under ordinary 1 traffic exceptionally heavy traffic c of course especially use of the road by heavy trucks would make a hard surfaced road preferable but under present conditions a heavy traffic of this road is not to be expected tor for a great many years to come chief engineer howard C means of the state road commission gave statistics showing that for the years 1923 1924 and 1925 allotments from the federal aid money will total while the project statements will necessitate an expense of and so far the state road commission is at a loss to know where to get the excess amount of nearly sevier county however will get the three miles of road planned tor for last year and inevitably delayed by the successful efforts of the county commissioners ners to have the road routed through salina instead anstead of west of it as originally surveyed ew iff addition the sur survey ev of additional three miles from salina to redmond will he be ready tor for giving out the contract and it if a contract for borix six miles can be let the unit price will be considerably sider ably lower than if only a three mile contract is entered into for this reason mr means recommended that the advertising for bids on the three miles be delayed until the other three miles are ready to be advertised verti sed and then call tor for bids on six miles in his opinion it wont take more than sixty days before a six mile bid can be asked asked for maintenance engineer john R stewart ewart of the state road commission spoke on road maintenance recommending men din a patrol system for gray grav belled roads whereby such a joao road even under a traffic ot of beti between Neen and vehicles a lay day can he be kept in rood good shape the year round the next sneaker was di tret ct engineer B J finch of the orlen orden office V U S bureau ot public roads the trip to sevier county by state and government officials at this time he said was occasioned by two continued on page eight COUNTY ROAD continued from page one objects first the routing of the highway through the county and second a decision on the kind of material to be used for surfacing of the routing he continued the officials are now 99 per cent sure and the wishes of the population will be complied with as much as good road building principles will permit As to the material ho he spoke in favor of a gravel surface laying stress on the tact fact that to call it gravel surface is really a misnomer as the material bontem contemplated plated tor for use on this road would be crushed rock crushed by nature and of excellent quality laying right next to our doors on the pinte county side of the sevier canyon in using this material the ground has to be prepared in the same way as tor for hadd ha rd surfacing and foundation dral draining ning and bridgework lie he estimated at the crushed rock shipped by railroad rolled down by team to the place where needed and laid down there would come according to his estimate to while tho the same amount ot of hard surfacing would cost coat at least by the patrol system the road could bo be always kept in good repair he said and he feels that such a road would be perfectly adequate to our traffic As aa to advertising tor for bids he also stated that it would be a good idea to wait until six els miles instead of three can be advertised for mayor R garn dark clark the next speaker expressed himself strongly in favor of a hard surface pointing out that we are on a highway that the world is going to use to reach those wonderful scenic attractions south of us and for this reason this hard surfaced road would not be an asset only tor for us or the state but a national asset secretary H E deal beal read the following resolution which was unanimously adopted by the commercial club members present whereas it has been proposed that a gravel road be laid where the state highway as ad definitely established shall dball parallel the railroad within wiehl the county of sevier and state of utah and substitute the hard surfaced roads as contemplated tem plated by the bond issue tor for participation in federal aid and whereas a committee has been regularly appointed to carefully study the proposed change to a gravel roadbed road bed and the committee having heretofore made its report and recommendations and the same having been thoughtfully and conscientiously considered and a thorough and complete discussion had on the merits and demerits of the proposal by the richfield Richtie ld commercial club and associated clubs and representative men of the communities of the county and now being fully advised and informed relative to the proposed substitution be it resolved that we strongly and unalterably oppose the substitution for the following reasons 1 the depth and character of the soil of the proposed roadbed does not lend itself suitably to a gravel road the gravel is rapidly absorbed into the depth of the underlying soil the history of gravel roads in this locality indicates that they do not long endure that they require constant surfacing resurfacing re and frequent repair and wen even then the road is only passably good 2 there Is grave doubt whether to appropriate money of the bond issue for gravel road construction would be legal representations were made at and prior to the time of voting them that the contemplated issue of road bonds was tor for hard surfaced roads only and it was so understood der stood and so voted by all proponents of the issue 3 the people of the communities of sevier view with favor and approval the construction of hard surfaced roads in the state of utah they have consistently endorsed such road construction wherever it may be laid within the confines of our state feeling as we do that it is the only permanent and enduring type of road for year round traffic and transportation and we incline to the view that we as a rural and farming community burdened rather heavy with a oad load of taxes are entitled to our proportionate share of such road construction and we look with disfavor upon any inferior type of road construction 4 again we concede and believe that if our road funds are expended for gravel roads that we will be precluded from later obtaining hard surfaced roads in that in obtaining temporary relief our money will have been expended and we will be unable to contribute our required share in any future road building program 5 the promises made by the former state road commission are still fresh in our minds it was largely upon the recommendation and encouragement con coura rn gement of the board as to the desirability of hard surfaced roads coupled with federal participation that the bond issue was undertaken and we are not advised that conditions have materially changed during the interval of time since the representations and assurances were I 1 so made therefore be it resolved that the richfield Richtie ld commercial club in special session assembled on april 1923 earnestly recommends that only hard surfaced roads be considered and that the substitution of gravel or any inferior type ot of road be vigorously opposed opp 0 sed and be it further resolved that copies of the within resolution be forwarded to the various papers published in this county and further that a copy he be furnished to the ro road ad commission of the state of utah with a recommendation that they use their utmost endeavors to give effect to the desires herein expressed richfield Richtie ld commercial club W L warner its president by H E deal beal its secretary judge H N hayes wound up the debate thanking the officials present for their clear and instructive explanations rand and candid expression expressio express io of their opinion but concluding his rem remarks Irks by strongly endorsing a hard surfaced road clr which ch is the only thing the people voted for and expect to get A round table discussion followed after which a motion pasted to leave the advertising for three or for six miles iles or load boad to the discretion and good judgment of the state and government officials chairman peterson of the state commission gave assurance that if some unexpected dellay lay should come up so the lie additional three miles could not be advertised in time bids will be asked for the first three miles in ample tinie time to complete the construction during the current season |
