USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Attleboro > Reports of town officers of the town of Attleborough 1932 > Part 10
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We must not fail to observe closely that any theory of superior judgment and infallibility in possession of our bankers has been woefully shattered by their total inability, particularly in the larger groups, to cooperatively and com- prehensively be of maximum benefit in steadying, through the maintenance of business equilibrium, governmental activities. Repercussions from this group failure will be felt in every community in the country, and when the severe shocks have passed, the integrity of some of our small-town bankers will shine like a beacon light from the mass of financial wreckage which all of us will be called upon to pay for, whether we be willing or not.
The importance of permitting this department to function properly is some- times overlooked. This affects every one of our citizens. It is really peculiar that the marvelous record we have made for the past decade and more should re- main obscured from the public whose benefits therefrom were so direct.
Isn't it remarkable how persistently our own government neglects to con- sider the department at budget time on the basis of revenue as well as expenditure? How extraordinary is the compliment of our people on the abilities of the depart- ment when they complacently refuse to acknowledge the need for properly housing and intelligently coordinating our several branches compactly and so as to in- clude our administrative or control group in an advantageous arrangement in the interests of efficiency!
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When will our recommendations made some years ago concerning the stand- pipe be carried out to insure the full benefits therefrom to the community? Rea- sonably, shouldn't the government meet and dispose of the problem of sewage for the Lonacut section and the locality of County Square, also for South Attle- boro and for Dodgeville?
Does it not seem more than passing strange that, in spite of knowledge of the facts, we have no decisive force with authority to control the Dodgeville dam, and through this, control Thacher Brook drainage basin and the Ten Mile River?
More than ten years ago the writer had definite ideas concerning the removal of the A. B. C. Street Railway tracks from Park Street. They were confirmed for you by most excellent consulting engineers, Stone and Webster. Yet the years pass and positive action, working toward the end of giving you the service you would like here, lags. All of the problems mentioned above dovetail in such fashion and to such extent with the extraordinary conditions from the depression present locally that they could be harnessed to give public benefit in the several solutions desired.
To shrink highway work at this time and in face of the needs of the day, effects its own penalties as time passes on. Pulling and hauling from small organized groups for their especial benefits is sometimes sufficiently powerful to control action of government. This is an expensive luxury in its finality for all of our people. In settling on public works which are for the benefit of the com- munity, final action should ignore this special selfish pressure and be determined only after the full merits have been weighed with impartial justice.
A total of 116,676 man hours were taken full advantage of by this depart- ment as the contribution toward balancing the taxpayers' equity in their welfare and relief expenditure. It was our good fortune to have a remarkable degree of success in handling this labor, in spite of the serious handicaps of the working arrangements.
It should be brought to mind that a great deal of service which these men contribute will not be available without considerably increasing our appropria- tions, when conditions remove them from the lists which heretofore have been accessible for tasks at hand. We have distributed their work pretty well through our operations and are pleased to state that fault as found often ignores the facts and favors prejudice.
Despite the handicap of budget shrinkage a real effort from the department allowed a considerable proportion of funds available to be utilized for payroll in working men on the basis of "Job Relief", "Special Job Relief" and "Emergency Job Relief", as the year progressed. From the thirteen men on job relief at the beginning of the year, an increase to thirty was noted by the twenty-eighth of May. This figure carried along with slight change until October, when it in- creased to forty-nine. As the year closed, the record indicated fifty-nine men were on the special rolls mentioned. The worthwhile effort which gleaned these results lacks advertising and is not generally known or appreciated by our public. The worthiness of the results obtained by this special effort as outlined herein merits its continuation and expansion. The auditor informs us $22,259.05 was received by the City from the State for a gasoline tax refund, under a special act for highway purposes. .
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
Depression, national in scope, which has been noted in prior reports, con- tinued unabated and in worse form during the year 1932. Our office force, be- cause of the steps and methods taken by the City to alleviate local conditions, has worked continuously throughout the year to their utmost limit. You may readily understand from the report to follow the multitude of added details which
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had to be handled in carrying out an extensive program, a great deal of which included the working of hundreds of different men assigned to us for different hours of labor and on different working days each week throughout the year.
To speak of the problem is quite the simplest thing about it. To actually move in and assume responsibility for work and thereafter see that it is ac- complished in a manner satisfactory to all of the interested parties finds one over- coming in a daily task a great many obstacles. These could not even be con- ceived in the minds of some of these proponents of the different ideas worked on, a considerable part of the labor on which came to our office force in carrying out department tasks as allotted.
It is a paradox indeed to find all of the added extra work which conditions handed to the girls in this office, while at the same time, in spite of the many additional work hours they contributed without compensation, the net result for these efforts was a reduction in pay. Beginning with the week ending April 23, 1932, these girls contributed 5% of their weekly earnings, in conjunction with the other employees of the department, to help reduce the tax burden which welfare costs were daily driving upward.
Isn't it surprising to note the utter lack of interest there is among our public in sifting to obtain a true measure of the value of these girls in carrying on the job. I am taking this opportunity of sincerely thanking them for their earnest con- tribution in service above and beyond the call of duty which aided in carrying on successfully the department business through a very difficult year.
ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
Elsewhere in the report you will note the record of accomplishments under City Survey. Besides this, however, our engineering force was engaged in supplying studies of different projects, street layouts, bringing engineering records up to date, and in giving line and grade and other engineering details for our construction and maintenance as was required.
The list of streets accepted during the year included the following :-
East Street-Parker to Hazel Street Merrit Place-North Main Street easterly
Lincoln Avenue-Roosevelt Street to Ashton Road Allen Avenue-Washington to Brown Street Tyler Street-South Main Street easterly
Hope Street Extension-extension northerly Hazel Street-Maple to Orange Street
You men know provisions for expanding our engineer force to meet the growth of the program of work you expect from us to keep the organization well rounded, have not been taken care of. Intelligent planning and comprehensive grasping of difficulties of the kind which we now face and progressively assembling and working out a public works program warrant definite, cooperative treatment for our department and for this branch of it. This in the interests of permitting a fair result from a sufficiently completed organization fairly provided for by our government.
The Superintendent and the men of this department have made sacrifices in time in the omission or postponement of vacations which should be recognized in fairness to the parties concerned. It is the intention of the writer to see that the consideration of making amends on the time sacrificed is carried out. I urge the support of the city government in permitting us the funds to make available such help as is required to fill in on the intervals of absence of the regular engi- neering forces from their duties and for expansion required to cover work au- thorized.
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All our regular men have worked more than five years for the department and it is my understanding that in the engineering branch of the Public Works Department of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, this length of service would permit each man to have at least one month's vacation per year, in addition to their regular holidays. I believe in Boston they have more holidays than we do in this locality. This city has not seen fit to treat its engineering personnel so well. I urge you to bear in mind also the rates of pay these men should re- ceive under the civil service classification which covers them.
RESURFACING
On Holden Street, between Hope Street and the easterly end of the penetra- tion approach to the river bridge, considerable grading was done to bring the sidewalk outline out to the southerly street line. Grading was also done on the northerly side of the street within these limits. A light mixed top, five hundred and seventy feet long and thirty feet wide, was also placed under this account and later in the year this job was sealed with Barber material. Unquestionably the improvement was very considerable and could only have been taken care of for the price under the existing conditions.
On Hope Street, northeily from Holden Street, that portion of the street accepted by the Municipal Council at a meeting held on April 12, and approved by the Mayor on April 20, was graded, gravel surfaced and treated with tar. Again advantage was taken of labor conditions present to obtain for the City a sizeable benefit at a relatively small cost. These conditions permitted the im- provement to continue southerly to Holden Street.
Irving Avenue in South Attleboro has been an accepted street since May, 1923. At the time of its acceptance no funds were provided for its improvement. However, with the labor available during the current year, the street was graded within the limits of the proper alinement. Gravelling took place here and a surface treatment of tar was given the street. On this job it must be noted there was considerable rock excavation on the upper end. However, the final result is indeed a worthy investment.
On Orange Street, sub-structure and other work having been completed as outlined elsewhere in this report, a penetration surfacing was constructed be- between South Main Street and Pine Street from curb to curb, completing a really excellent approach to the easterly side of the city from South Main Street through Orange and Pine Streets. A number of our property-owners have gone out of their way to compliment the department on this work.
In the spring of the year, before the weather was seasonable for the usual road work, a considerable grading job was done on Mendon Road between Courtois' Bank and the state line. The heavy grading was handled by our equip- ment with proper supervision by our regular forces, the bulk of welfare labor used being supplied from the South Attleboro section. With the heavy grading completed it is to be hoped, when funds are available, a good gravel road will be extended within the limits stated. From this work considerable loam was carried to Capron Park by our large trucks returning to the highway yard on the last trip.
Claflin Street for many years has had but a narrow used vehicular way. The street layout here is really of considerable width. It was graded down to section between curb lines, gravelled where necessary and given a surface treat- ment. This work was carried out in conjunction with the improvement of Bank Street from the cemetery to Claflin Street. In this way the surfacing work on both streets permits a great deal of our traffic coming from the center of the city to pass through Bank and Claflin Streets to the recently improved surface on North Main Street. This work, bearing in mind its low cost, was also made possible through the existing labor conditions. As completed it has been essential-
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ly an important convenience for a great deal of traffic and for numbers of our people who daily use it.
Hazelwood Avenue was accepted April 6, 1914, being 475.35 feet long and 45 feet wide. There is no record of funds being provided for adequate work on this street at the time of the layout. Insofar as the responsibility of the City is definite at this location advantage was taken of conditions traceable to the depression. The use of men assigned to this department for work permitted extensive improvements in the grading and gravelling on this street. Tar treat- inent will come.
Upland Road, a street running from Bank Street to North Main Street and having consider able valuable property on it, was accepted by the Municipal Coun- cil on December 29, 1921, the layout being approved by the Mayor on January 7, 1922. At the time of the layout no appropriation was present to carry out the work desired in the locality. This year the street was improved very considerably at a very reasonable cost. Again this was made possible by the use of depression labor. In addition to the street grading, gravelling, etc., the sidewalks were graded and as much work done on them as was permissable with our limitations.
On Water Street, improvement which we have been planning for some time, but for which funds had never been made available, was carried out after the drainage problem as outlined elsewhere in the report, had been ironed out. Paved gutters were placed as required by the design to prevent scour with large stones edged to retain the sidewalks. An excellent penetration type macadam pavement of the specifications of the Commonwealth was put in. This job is 1,263 feet in length, going as far as the river bridge approach from Hodges Street and the paved surface of varying widths has a total yardage of 3,987 square yards, with the necessary returns at intersecting ways. There was considerable grading on this work. In fact, the amount of work performed prior to the placing of the pavement is in itself a very sizeable item and could only have been accomplished, with the funds available, by the very considerable assistance of labor assigned to this department from the welfare department. Bearing in mind the circumstances and conditions and the fact that by and large most of these men were untrained, a very pleasing result was obtained. In addition to the immediate advantages, this work completed the surfacing of Water Street which had been taken care of from V. est Street to the river bridge. With Water and Hodges Streets in ex- cellent condition, a great amount of traffic is diverted to this route going north and south in the City. It must be realized that with this route and with Bank and Claflin Streets in shape, North Main Street is being relieved of a large part of traffic which reaps a daily benefit from these improvements. Here again we have an example of a street which was accepted and for which at the time of its ac- ceptance, no money was provided so that its positive improvement in line, grade and surface, after the sewer construction was taken care of and the drain placed, is really a tribute to the cooperation between city departments.
On Robinson Avenue in South Attleboro there was some grading, both cut and fill, carried on to extend the width of the street toward Highland Avenue from a point where the power shovel had left off in a previous year.
On Thacher Street some drilling and blasting was done between Lexington Avenue and County Square. Between County Square and Hawthorne Street similar operations were carried out. If this off-season roughing-out process is continued, it will ultimately allow a reasonable cost on a pavement improvement. Work along the same lines was done on County Street from County Square southwesterly for two hundred yards and again on the big hill between the City farm driveway and Read Street.
On Clifton Street considerable material was moved to widen several of the cuts. This is only a beginning as a great deal of fairly heavy grading will have to be done before this old street is in condition to accommodate the increase in traffic using it.
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For quite a number of years efforts have been made by the City to have the state take over Highland Avenue, but without success. Just westerly from Washington Street, climbing the hill, the vehicular way was so narrow that two machines passing one another, one ascending and the other descending, allowed no room whatever for pedestrians, forcing them into the rough part of the em- bankment slopes present in this portion of the highway. The grade being fairly heavy here we were able to rough it out while the weather was still cold, taking advantage of the material thus removed in building out lean fills on adjacent streets. It was expected definite steps would be taken to finally complete the relocation started some years back on this street so that further improvement might be broached as an aid project. Up to this time, however, the record has not been completed. The importance of this cross connection between Route I, the Providence-Boston pike and the main Providence-Worcester pike must not be under estimated. I strongly urge and recommend that this street be relocated properly without delay, whereupon I further recommend permanent substruc- tures and adequate road surface be placed promptly.
In addition to the very sizeable amount of resurfacing described herein, the tabulated list accompaning the report will show work on at least fifteen other streets under this account, including the grading on that part of Lindsey Street easterly from the railroad which was made necessary to facilitate the increased amount of traffic on the road.
While the accomplishments for one year listed hereunder cover a very con- siderable amount of work and were made possible to a great degree by the labor assigned to us which supplemented our forces, it should be remembered that in a city of this size, with our road mileage, there are still a great many worthy pro- jects which can be handled on an investment basis should it be the desire of the city authorities to comprehensively plan a cushion program of public works to take up the slack of unemployment. Such adjustments were made in our resurfacing program as were required to meet the extraordinary conditions affecting the department work and the administration's financial plans.
DRAINS MAINTENANCE
At the southeast corner of Holman and Brook Streets a catch basis of con- siderable age failed and was replaced by a proper basin with standard grate and frame, throatstone and connection direct to the Thacher Brook. A small piece of curb was fitted between the throatstone and the concrete return.
On Mendon Road at Robinson Avenue gutter approaches at the basins were paved to improve the functioning of these basins and prevent scour of the inter- secting grades. At the southerly end of the street near Turner Street, a galvanized corrugated iron treated pipe was placed as a sidewalk culvert to eliminate a hazardous condition which had resulted from a broken vitrified pipe. A study was made of the records of the railroad overpass on the northerly side of Mendon Road near Turner Street and search again instituted for the westerly inlet to the pipe line passing under the fill into the pipe line running easterly under this northerly approach. When finally discovered the pipe riser used for this purpose was found to be broken and wholly inadequate to serve satisfactorily the condi- io ns present. The pipe riser was removed and a proper catch basin constructed. The pipe line under the heavy earth fill was cleaned, repaired and connected to the basin. Very definite improvement has thus been obtained at the southerly end of Mendon Road, particularly during the snow and heavy rain periods.
The large vault and catch basin on the northerly side of Peck Street, just westerly from the first angle point from North Main Street, had to be replaced. Part of it abutted on the new church property and its general condition was not satisfactory. The catch basin built here had a sidewalk ring and cover to permit entry to the basin, also a street standard grate and frame, thus caring for surface
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water on the north side on this vicinity. The curb line was filled and a standard throatstone set. It may be reasonably expected the structure now present will do the job up to the limit of the existing pipe capacity in Peck and North Main Streets draining this locality.
Drain and basin repairs were made on County Street at Balfour's shop. Note must be taken here that the toy size basin of ancient vintage located at this point should be removed and a standard catch basin constructed as soon as funds are available.
A broken basin opposite Claflin Street on North Main Street was also re- paired. Some dry wells were constructed at the northerly end of Hope Street.
A catch basin failure on the southerly side of South Avenue, half-way down the hill, necessitated the repairing of the top part of this basin and the purchase and setting of new castings. Repairs were also made to some basins on West Carpenter Street which called attention to the fact that the inadequate drainage structures on St. Jean Plat should be replaced with first-class construction. I so recommend.
During the course of the year arrangements were made for the regular cleanings of our catch basins. Those pipe lines which have been recorded as difficult to maintain because of root growths were taken care of. It must be remembered that two cleanings a year are not sufficient for a number of our basins, due to their position and the conditions local thereto. Especial care had to be given to these structures.
As the department operations converged toward the end of the year, ad- vantage was taken of this account to close out the Orange Street drain to the point of the main sag at the intersection of Parker and Orange Streets. The material required to finish this work was purchased and the work was in progress, as has already been stated when the year closed. These purchases included 20" pipe, double strength for the light cover, 20" standard pipe to connect from the man- hole in the middle of the Orange Street block between Pine and Parker Streets easterly, also cement, jute, castings, throatstones and miscellaneous small items required in the continuance of this work. The labor item here is small and in- cluded only such supervision as was required to properly handle and direct the operations of the welfare men assigned to the task at this point in the work.
As another step in preventing a lapse in the investment operations of our welfare help, pipe was bought for the Olive Street drain, running from the river to the intersection of Olive with Robert Streets. This is a natural basin, four descending intersecting grades with no outlets, which has for years been a constant nuisance. Having this material on hand assisted greatly in the department's maintaining intelligent continuity of effort during the winter season, in accordance with approved plans. Improvements of this kind are permanent in nature and are highly desirable because of the efficiency obtained by the use of unskilled hand labor, so much of which could be expected during the early cold months of the year 1933.
STREET SWEEPING
Consistently the people of the community desire to have the streets of the business center of their city maintained and kept clean. The method of approach to solve the problem, however, seems more than peculiar.
A dozen years ago this city had three street sweepers. About eleven years ago this force was cut down to two men. During the current year the allotment set aside for this work necessitated the laying off of these two regular men on the week ending October 15, 1932. It should be noted here that each of the two men mentioned donated 5% of their weekly earnings of $18.00 per week. This donation amounted to $23.40 for each man and started from the week ending April 23rd, continuing up to their final payday.
1
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Welfare help under supervision completed this work for the year and did as well as could be expected. During snow-storms, however, when our regular men would have gotten out and rendered splendid aid to the department in taking care of crosswalks and opening drains, a weakness in this type of economy was uncovered. The destination of the two families directly concerned in the Street Sweeping adjustment in its relation to our welfare list should not be for- gotten before final judgment is passed in summarizing this item.
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