USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Attleboro > Reports of town officers of the town of Attleborough 1940 > Part 16
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19
I am indeed grateful to the City Treasurer, Mr. Marshall, and the individual members of the Board of Assessors for their valuable assistance and information relative to the sale and location of the various parcels. The W. P. A. Project locating the parcels owned by the City up to 1939 were indeed helpful asspot maps of each parcel were made from the Assessors Plats and eliminated the necessity of going to the Assessors Office to locate the parcels every time there was a request.
In conclusion I wish to thank the Mayor, the Municipal Council, the City Solicitor, the Public Works Department and the Welfare Department for the many courtesies extended during my tenures, and the Press for their valuable publicity.
Respectfully submitted,
Henry Rotenberg, Custodian of Property Ac- quired by the foreclosure of Tax Titles.
202
ANNUAL REPORT
-
3HIV3 1 SBIVE
Resurfacing Park Street With Bituminous Concrete
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
Public Works Department
OF THE
CITY OF ATTLEBORO
FOR THE YEAR 1940
204
ANNUAL REPORT
Department of Public Works
Robert W. Mawney Superintendent of Public Works
To His Honor the Mayor, and the Honorable Municipal Council, Gentlemen:
I hereby respectfully submit the twenty-sixth annual report for the Public Works Department of the City of Attleboro, Massachusetts, for the year ending December 31, 1940.
Many projects have been completed in the past year representing important improvements to the city's roadway system, public service and recreational centers. This work has been done with City forces, W. P. A. forces and city contract.
While actual construction work has been in progress throughout the city involving major improvement, much time and thought has been given to future improvements for the city. We are particularly pleased with the important progress which has been made in collaboration with the State and County authori- ties relative to the reconstruction under Chapter 90, of Highland Avenue from Washington Street to the Rhode Island line, and Pleasant Street from Starkey Avenue to the new road at Cooper's Pond. Surveys by both the State Depart- ment engineers and our own engineers have been completed on Highland Avenue for the design and realignment of this highway. We are anticipating that re- construction work will begin early in 1941. At the present time the State De- partment engineers are making a detailed survey of Pleasant Street from Starkey Avenue to Cooper's Pond. After the completion of this survey the data obtained will be used in the design of the proposed reconstruction. We have high hopes of the Pleasant Street project being started sometime in 1941 also.
I believe you will find it interesting to review in a brief way the more im- portant projects which have been completed in the past year. Accordingly, the following paragraphs give brief descriptions of the separate projects. More detailed information will be given later in this report under their respective departments.
1. Maple, George, East and Solomon Streets: This project started in 1939, however, a good part of the project was completed in 1940, including 1940 feet of surface drains ranging in pipe size from ten inches to eighteen inches in diameter, also construction of twenty-four drainage structures; construction of sanitary sewers totaling 2,587 feet of eight-inch and ten-inch pipe and fourteen manholes; construction of a stone macadam roadway 1,200 feet long and twenty-six feet wide; construction of a macadam roadway 4,310 feet long and twenty-six feet wide. In addition to the above work considerable miscellaneous work was done in the construction of stone walls, granolithic sidewalks, placing of granite curb- stone and placing of cobble gutter and edgestone, etc.
2. The year 1940 proved to be another big year for main line water exten- sions. A total of 10,514 feet of six-inch pipe, 5,111 feet of eight-inch pipe and
205
ANNUAL REPORT
339 feet of ten-inch pipe was placed during the year. Application for a W. P. A. project for main line extensions was submitted late in 1940. This project will in- clude the installation of a dual twelve-inch and ten-inch water line from the Pump- ing Station on West Street, to Highland Avenue at Newport Avenue. I recom- mend the installation of this line under a W. P. A. project in the near future.
3. In 1884 a clay pipe line was installed in Olive Street between South Main Street and Ellis Street as part of a sanitary sewer system. Later it was aban- doned as a sanitary sewer and has been used as a surface drainage line up to the present time. Within a period of three weeks this pipe collapsed twice and it was found advisable, due to disintegation of the pipe, to replace the line from South Main Street to Ellis Street. This drain line is connected to the drain which was recently reconstructed across Manchester lot. The replacement involved the installation of 314 feet of twenty four inch double strength vitrified pipe and construction of two manholes.
4. The Fred F .. Briggs Playground was completed for the dedication on July 4th. The project was started previous to 1940 but the final grading, seed- ing, painting, planting of shrubbery, plumbing and construction of a shelter house was completed in the past year. The facilities now included in the finished playground are as follows:
Swimming pool 40' x 60'; children's wading pool 23' x 36'; with fountain; two tennis courts; bath house of colonial architecture, 50'x 20', with showers and toilet facilities which will accommodate comfortably 200 children; a canvas shelter 40' x 40'; Playground equipment consisting of the following :- three slides; 1 set of six, twelve-foot swings; 1 set of six, eight-foot swings; 1 climbing gym; 1 set of four, see-saws and 1 ten-foot merry-go-round.
One or the features of the swimming pool is the installation of chlorination equipment which provides safety to all using the pool. The percentage of chlorine used in the bathing water is small enough to eliminate any discomfort to the bathers, yet is large enough to practically eliminate bacteria in the water. Also there are two large concrete footbaths one of which is filled with a higher percentage of chlorinated water, thus eliminating any possibility of the spread of "Athlete's Foot."
Figures compiled by the W. P. A. Recreation Department show a total attendance of the entire playground of 35,000 persons. The total using the swimming pool during the season was 9,700 children. The period for which these figures were compiled was from the 4th of July to Labor Day.
5. In the latter part of the year, work was begun at the Horton Playground. Along the foot of the slope of the Holden Street Railroad overpass a stone wall was constructed of approximately 175' in length and a set of stone steps eight feet wide and thirty feet long, was built from the field level up to the overpass slope to a point on Holden Street near the bridge. The bleachers were rebuilt, the tennis court fencing was painted and consideraole grading was done along the Holden Street side of the field. The old wire fence which ran along the railroad side of the field was replaced by a five-foot chain link fence ot sturdy construction. This was made possible by the cooperation of the N. Y., N. H. & H. Railroad with the city. Each shared one-half the cost of the installation, which was approximately 470 feet long. More work will undoubtedly be done in the Spring.
6. In the latter part of 1939 the North Main Street Parking lot construction was begun and as stated in last year's report, in less than three weeks the upper level of the parking lot had been completed. In 1940 the area along the river for a distance of about 125' back was transformed from an overgrown tangle of scrub trees into a smooth graded, asphalt paved parking ground. In order to ac- complish this it was necessary to construct a very rugged stone wall along the river and also along one sideline of the lot where a heavy fill was placed. The
206
ANNUAL REPORT
stone used for the wall construction was found at the parking lot location. At the present time the entire area has been treated with asphalt, guard rails have been constructed, and proper signs placed on North Main Street.
7. Thirteen new streets were accepted in 1940, a total of 7,281 lineal feet with an average width of forty feet. This total is greater than the usual amount accepted in a year. Consequently this department has had to extend every effort to complete the construction sufficiently to allow snow plowing operations for the winter, as several streets were accepted late in the year. Without our power shovels the work could not have been accomplished.
8. A W. P. A. project was submitted by the Park authorities for the re- construction of the roadways in Capron Park together with surface drainage. This project was subsequently approved and late in the summer the construction was begun by this department. In the fall the project was completed. On the sections which were the last to be completed, a seal coat of asphalt remains to be applied. A total of 16,600 sq. yds. of roadway, 600 feet of drainage lines and 13 drainage structures were completed. The total length was approximately 1.25 miles and a large parking area.
Cleaning Ten Mile River Bed
9. For several years now there has been considerable discussion regarding the cleaning of the Ten Mile River, particularly from Mechanic Street to Olive Street. A few years ago under a small W. P. A. project a certain amount of cleaning was accomplished along the river from Mechanic Street to Wall Street. The work was limited mainly to the removal of obstructions and the heavy
207
ANNUAL REPORT
grass growths in the channel. Later, after an extensive W. P. A. survey of the Ten Mile River, sponsored by the State Department of Health, a project was written for the cleaning of channel and construction of walls and dikes, which was subsequently submitted to the W. P. A. authorities. However, the amount of money involved as a City contribution was very large and up to the present time the City has not felt it was in the position to spend the amount involved. Consequently in the Fall of the year it was decided to rent a large hoist mounted on a barge and fitted with a clamshell bucket to dig out the silt which had ac- cumulated in the river bed. The silt is loaded on other barges which are moved by hand to some point along the river where the material is disposed of. At the end of the year the channel from Cliff Street to the Balfour Company's main building had been cleaned. The equipment was then moved to the channel below Wall Street bridge where approximately 300 ft. of channel had been cleaned. The cleaning will eventually be continued as far as the Wolfenden factory. The work has not been accomplished without difficulty. One of the greatest obstacles encountered was the presence of a private water pipe line which runs along the center of the river bed from a point about half-way between the County Street and Cliff Street bridges and up to a point north of the Wall Street bridge. Below the Wall Street bridge, running south in the river bed, is a trunk line sewer which must be carefully avoided. Upon the completion of this work the river bed will have been lowered and obstructions removed which will facilitate the flow considerably and reduce high water in times of excessive run-off.
I wish to express our appreciation to the Mossberg Pressed Steel Corporation for their cooperation in this project. At their own expense they rented equipment with which they excavated and cleaned the Ten Mile River channel from the West Street bridge toward their factory for a distance of approximately 250 feet. The City furnished the trucks for hauling away the excavated material.
10. At the location of the new grade school being constructed at Watson Avenue, several thousand yards of fill have been placed in the low area north of Mechanic Street. Cellar excavation from the new school furnished most of the material, the work being done by our equipment and men. Also, a six-inch water pipe =ne has been placed from Hodges Street to the school. A considerable amount of filling is still required to fill the low area preparatory to the finished grading.
11. The demand by the public for granolithic sidewalk construction and granite curbing has not diminished since the inception of this work under W. P. A . construction, which is at reduced cost to the property owner. In the past year the amount of construction was less than in 1939, but this was due to the lack of available workers and also the lack of City funds. At the present time we have sufficient applications from property owners to cover several thousand yards of walk and curbing, and new applications are received almost daily. It is hoped that in 1941 sufficient men and City funds will be available to bring the supply up to the demand so that no quantity of 1941 applications will be carried over into 1942.
12. Perhaps the most singular improvement and one which reflected universal approval was the resurfacing of our streets throughout the center of the city. For several years this department has recommended this improvement following the favorable results which were obtained in the resurfacing of Bank Street from Sanford Street to Park Street with a pre-mixed asphalt mixture. It was convincing proof of the advisability of using this same material in the resurfacing of the remainder of the streets at a reasonable cost and a minimum of disruption to the normal activities of the numerous business establishments located along the various streets affected.
The original proposition was to resurface North Main Street from Academy Street to Park Street; Park Street from South Main Street to the easterly side
208
ANNUAL REPORT
of the Railroad arch; and the entire intersection at South Main, County, North Main and Park Streets. After a good part of the above locations were completed, however, everyone was so impressed by the improvement effected, it was decided to extend the work to the following locations :- Park Street from the easterly side of the Railroad arch to Pine Street; the entire Monument Square; North Main Street from Sanford Street to Academy Street, and Union Street from Park Street to Mill Street, including the intersection. The total amount of pavement placed was 18,000 square yards. The work was done under a contract with the John McCourt Company of Boston, with the City supplying a portion of the labor.
In addition to the above there has been a great deal of other work completed including projects which have been necessary to maintain our road system, water system and sewer system in the best manner possible with the resources at hand.
Without any exaggeration it may be said that the volume of work accom- plished each year is increasingly greater. Without mechanized equipment of modern design and capable of performing almost any particular phase of con- struction work, it is impossible to match this increased volume of work with the normal allotment of funds provided. This work was facilitated and made possible by the purchase of a 3/4 yd. power shovel and a bulldozer, for which this depart- ment is deeply appreciative.
HIGHWAY DIVISION
In the past year the activity in the reconstruction of rural roads was con- siderably less than in the preceding year, due to lack of funds and personnel. It is imperative that these roads be properly maintained as the higher speed traffic of today requires roads of good alignment and with smooth surfaces. Sharp curves, irregular grades and narrow roadways must be eliminated to insure safety under adverse traveling conditions. With traffic volume remaining quite constant regardless of the season of the year, increasing attention must be given these roadways.
During the year the following work was accomplished on rural roads: Union Road, 10,500 sq. yds. of roadway were scarified, refilled with gravel and given a tar treatment; West Street, 11,500 sq. yds. scarified and refilled with gravel; Handy Street, 11,200 sq. yds. scarified and refilled with gravel.
In the Spring these roadways will be shaped, rolled and treated with asphalt.
An unusually large number of streets were accepted by the City during the year and the construction of the streets was incorporated under several W. P. A. projects. The construction consists of roadway, sidewalks, drainage systems where necessary, water pipe installation if none exists, or replacement if existing lines are less than six inches in diamater, paving of gutters and cobble edgestone.
Following is a chart of streets accepted with the total area of the street, together with the status of work :-
ROAD CONSTRUCTION ON STREETS ACCEPTED DURING 1940
Name
Length
Street Width
Total Sq. Yds.
Status
1. State St .- from John St. to
Milk St ..
445'
40
1290
Complete
2. Louise St .- from Fisher St. to Railroad . 474
35
1320
Complete
3. Roosevelt St .- from West St. to Lincoln Ave .. 325
45
1120
Complete
4. Westgate-from West St .- 320' southerly 320
40
920
Complete
209
ANNUAL REPORT
5. Norfolk Row-from Mechanic St. to Westgate. .. 386
6. Sycamore Ave .- from Brown
St., 1143.13 ft. northerly . .1143
40
3300
Under const.
7. Watson Ave .- from Hodges St. 750 ft. westerly . 750
50
Not started
8. Day St .- from Maple St. to Mulberry St .. .
117.5
40
340 Complete
9. Dorchester Ave .- from Pleas- ant St. to Cross St. 829.5
40
2400
Under Const.
10. East St .- Widening from Park- er St. to James St .. 301
32.5
920
Under Const.
11. Bridge St .- from Knight Ave. to Phillips St. 320
40
Not Started
12. Jessie Ave .- from Robinson Ave. to Mendon Road . . . ..
1179
40
3400
Under Const.
13. Ottawa St. from Louise St., 692' northerly 692
35
1810
Under Const.
Totals in feet-complete 2,067.5
6,110 sq. yds.
Under Construction . 4,144.5
Not Started. 1,070.0
11,830 sq. yds.
In the latter part of the summer a new piece of equipment was purchased called a road hone. This machine is used in the maintenance of asphalt-treated road surfaces which have become uneven or corrugated. In operation the machine is slung under and hauled along the roadway surface by a truck. There are several blades attached to the machine which contact the road surface. Asphalt material is applied on the road surface and covered with sand. The road hone is then drawn over the roadway surface and the blades of the hone cut dowr the high spots and build up the low spots. The procedure produces an even distribution of material leaving a very satisfactory surface.
A number of streets were gone over with the road hone and the following chart gives the streets, length of street worked and the square yardage completed. We hope that a substantial increase of this type of work may be possible for the coming year. It is economical, produces good results, and does not obstruct traffic on the street under repair.
STREETS HONED AND TREATED WITH ASPHALT MIX-1940
Name
Length
Sq. Yds.
Highland Avenue
1,300'
3,200
North Avenue
1,100'
5,200
Park Street .
4,900'
16,880
Oak Hill Avenue.
2,400'
9,330
Olive Street
330'
990
Ellis Street.
220'
610
Manchester Street
310'
900
Kendall Avenue
350'
1,160
Gustin Avenue.
600
1,600
Angell Street.
430'
1,240
Adamsdale Road
1,000'
2,200
Pond Street.
1,700'
4,900
14,640'
48,210
40
1120
Complete
Throughout the summer the usual program of treating existing road pave- ments with asphalt and sand or peastone cover was carried out to the limit of funds available. After an asphalt macadam roadway has been in service for a
210
ANNUAL REPORT
few years the road surface develops cracks which result from frost action in the spring, oxidation, moisture action and excess loads. If the pavement is not sealed with a bituminous material and covered with sand or peastone to bind the surface together, the result is a broken up pavement which must be entirely replaced. It is more economical to maintain the pavements than it is to re- construct them, except where poor foundation material or other defects require the more thorough treatment of reconstruction. Following is a chart listing the program completed during the year.
ROADWAYS TREATED WITH ASPHALT AND COVERED WITH PEASTONE OR SAND
Street
Length-Ft.
Sq. Yds.
Bank Street.
1,100
4,160
Barrows Street.
50
720
Benefit Street .
200
220
Carpenter Street
100
300
County Street.
650
2,240
Eldridge Street.
320
920
Emory Street.
1,200
3,470
Elmwood Avenue.
800
2,300
Florence Street ..
30
90
Fourteenth Street.
250
720
James Street .
350
1,010
Locust Street.
1,400
4,040
Major Street.
125
110
Maple Street.
1,300
3,750
Mulberry Street.
100
300
Orange Street
500
1,440
Olive Street.
1,000
1,330
Peck Street
920
2,450
Robinson Avenue.
1,200
3,470
South Main Street.
950
1,270
Starkey Avenue
1,200
2,660
Tanager Road
1,100
3,800
Tyler Street.
1,100
3,180
Pleasant Street.
8,200
4,550
Watson Avenue
750
2,920
25,095
51,420
A number of streets were reconstructed during the year because of grade changes or other construction such as drainage, sewerage and water pipe which required excavation of the roadway. All streets reconstructed were scarified or excavated, refilled with gravel, rolled, graded and an asphalt macadam pavement constructed. Following is a listing of streets resurfaced:
Street
Length Ft.
Sq. Yds.
Elizabeth Street.
850
2,460
Mechanic Street.
300
870
John Street.
100
300
Oak Street.
270
780
Parker Street.
800
2,310
East Street.
300
810
Solomon Street.
730
2,110
George Street .
1,730
4,990
Twelfth Street.
300
870
Robert Street
100
300
211
ANNUAL REPORT
Wolfenden Street
310
330
Hope Street.
800
2,310
Bicknell Street .
50
150
North Main Street.
250
220
6,890
18,810
There were several streets accepted in 1939 where all or a large portion of the construction was done in 1940. Construction on these streets included the follow- ing: roadway and gravel sidewalk construction; water pipe installation; drainage construction; paving of gutters and edgestone; granolithic sidewalk construction; granite curbing installation and other miscellaneous work. Following is a listing of the streets worked on:
New Streets Accepted in 1939 Construction Begun in 1939-Completed in 1940 Amount of Roadway Completed in 1940
Street
Length Street Width Sq. Yds.
Rex Avenue-from Washington St. to Robinson Ave. 606 ft.
40ft.
1,750
Hackett Ave .- from Washington Street
682 ft.
40 ft.
1,970
Althea Ave .- from Washington St. to Hackett Ave .. 327 ft.
40 ft 950
Maple St .- from Brook St. to Park St.
3,053 ft.
40 ft. 8,820
4,668 ft.
13,490
The following chart lists the drainage construction completed during the year on the various streets, the size of pipe installed plus the number of drainage structures built for each street:
Drainage Construction
Street
24"
18"
15"
12"
10"
Catch Basins
Man- holes
Maple St.
150'
432'
142
135'
13
2
Solomon St. .
306'
2
Jessie Ave. .
310'
25'
2
1
Sycamore Ave. Rex Ave.
367'
6
Washington St.
80'
3
Olive St.
314'
2
Prairie Ave.
20'
24'
2
Union Street.
35'
1
Rocklawn Ave.
25'
1
George St.
756'
50'
5
2
Foster and Dean Sts.
18'
25'
2
1
State St.
45'
190'
85'
3
2
Elizabeth St.
340'
25'
1
Totals
314'
150'
1127'
1126'
1232'
46
11
On February 14th the City experienced one of the most severe snow storms in years. The snowfall, accompanied by a high wind, made plowing of streets most difficult. Where plows had passed only a matter of minutes before, the high wind had drifted the snow back again. Drifts of from three feet to eight feet were the usual, rather than the unusual sight, and the snow was packed hard from the wind force. The plows moved out at about five p. m. on the 14th and didn't stop until early in the evening of the 15th. The men, exhausted, needed rest and the next day plowing and digging out was resumed.
1
1
John St. .
50'
4
212
ANNUAL REPORT
The need for additional mechanized snow fighting equipment was very evident. The drifted snow was more than a match for the horse-drawn sidewalk plows, and after a few hours' work it was necessary to rest them for several hours. After a heavy snowfall the great amount of snow which is piled up along the streets throughout the business district of the city restricts the traffic in this area seriously. It takes a great deal of time and man power to remove this snow by hand and quite often because of the time elapsed between the snowfall and the removal, it becomes frozen. Its removal then is costly and because of the time involved does not immediately relieve the congested conditions. With a mechanical snow loader the snow can be removed quickly and economically, and within a short time relieve the congested traffic condition. This department strongly recommends its purchase.
The Mendon Road bridge was repaired jointly by the City and the N. Y. N. H. & H. Railroad. New steel work and wooden stringers were placed by the railroad forces and the city placed an under-deck of three-inch plank and a top- deck of two-inch plank. It was also planned to repair the Thurber Avenue bridge but sufficient funds were not available for the railroad's portion of the work, so it is anticipated this construction will be done in 1941. The City material for this work is on hand.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.