USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Braintree > Town annual report of Braintree, Massachusetts for the year 1932 > Part 10
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150
70
900
1,300
26
Penetration macadam
Middle St. at Marshall
560
160
80
800
800
36 Tar surfaced macadam
Cleveland Ave. at Harrison Ave.
485
100
105
700
700
33 Tar surfaced gravel
Granite St. south of Five Corners
550
90
60
700
1,200
26 Tar surfaced gravel
Hobart Ave.
415
55
30
500
400
26 Tar surfaced gravel
Sherbrook Ave.
140
55
5
200
150
26 Tar surfaced gravel .
Liberty St. at Liberty Park Ave.
120
55
25
200
200
30 Tar surfaced gravel
212
213
While the mileage of all streets in Braintree reaches a total of about 95 miles, some of them are in newly de- veloped districts and have not yet been classed as paved streets. There are, however, about 75 miles which have been paved with ordinary earth or better paving. The following table gives a concise picture of the amount of the different types of existing pavements.
Miles Per Cent
Bituminous Cold Mix on
concrete foundation
4.0
4.2
Bituminous Cold Mix
0.5
0.5
Bituminous Hot Mix
1.7
1.7
Penetration Macadam
15.6
16.4
Tar Surfaced Gravel
37.2
38.9
Untreated Gravel and Earth
17.2
17.8
Other streets, including private ways
19.6
20.5
TOTAL
95.8
100.00
In general these pavements are sufficient for the traffic they carry. Other than the State routes which pass through the Town, there are very few streets that carry sufficient traffic to call immediately for a superior type of pavement than they have today; but many of these pavements have been materially damaged in consequence of the construction of the Sewerage System and more damage will be caused by the sewerage work yet to be done.
The Sewerage System is only partly completed : none of it can be operated until the Metropolitan Sewerage System is extended to East Braintree to receive dis- charge of sewerage from the Braintree system. Conse- quently, service connections cannot be expected to be made until the system is in operating condition. The main
214
sewers naturally lie in the most important streets. These include most of those streets which carry the heaviest traffic and hence already have been paved with relatively superior types of pavement. Others, because of the traf- fic they carry, are, or soon will be, economically entitled to a better pavement than now exists. The condition in which the superior pavements have been left in conse- quence of the new sewer trenches requires resurfacing of certain streets which should be done were it not for the fact that services to the many buildings fronting on these streets must be made in the near future. Further- more, there are certain of the principal streets in which street railway tracks are still located but which will probably be abandoned in a few years when pavements will have to be constructed.
Taking all of these conditions into consideration leads to the conclusion that the resurfacing of existing pave- ments as well as improvements in the existing types of pavements is not an economically sound policy to adopt for the present except in those very few cases where the sewer has already been laid on streets of so heavy traffic as to demand immediate resurfacing and where also there are only a few sewer services required because of the few buildings lying in the district. A study of the prob- lem from these premises leads to the general conclusion that the only street that should be considered for imme- diate improvement is Shaw Street from Norfolk Square to Mill Lane. This street should have a bituminous re- surfacing. There are only two buildings in this street; their sewer service pipes can first be laid from the sewer in the middle of the street to the sidewalk line and thus avoid digging up the pavement for this purpose later. Union Street, from the Railroad to Cleveland Ave., was also given consideration, but as there is evidence that the settlement of the sewer trench is still in progress it
215
will be better to wait another year before this street is resurfaced.
For the immediate future the street problem is one of maintenance of the existing pavements coupled with a very restricted program of resurfacing of the main streets. Considerable resurfacing will be required on these main streets after the sewer services have been constructed. At that time there will doubtless be a de- mand for considerable outlay for roadway construction. This will require a well thought out program covering a period of three to five years so that the burden may not be too heavy in any one year and so that the streets selected for improvement each year shall coordinate with the progress of the sewer service construction and with the progress of solidification that is taking place in these trenches.
Elsewhere in this report the fact has been pointed out that the broken stone, gravel and sand required for road work is now available at Town-owned pits. There is one more control of pavement material costs which will be of advantage to the Town when the amount of road work warrants it; that is, a mixer for hot and cold bituminous road materials. At present these materials are being provided under contract. When the period of resurfacing of several of the main streets arrives (men- tioned above) it will be well for the Town to give careful consideration to the purchase of this mixing plant which will cost about $10,000 complete. With that equipment the Town will then have only to buy the bituminous material in carload lots. The bituminous materials amount to only about 10% of the total quantity of ma- terials that go to make up a bituminous pavement, the rest is broken stone. At present the Town is buying all of that material including the broken stone used in new construction and for patching from the Weymouth As-
216
phalt Co. under a contract which is let yearly. It comes to the job in trucks already mixed directly from the Weymouth plant.
The proposed limited program of pavement construc- tion for 1933 is therefore merely a lull before a somewhat extended program of resurfacing. Resurfacing would of course be required in time, due to the natural increase in traffic, but not for several years in most instances. The reason for resurfacing in the near future has been made necessary by the sewer construction largely and in part also by the water pipe construction and repair.
(f) Unemployment as it affects the Highway Dept.
The trade and business experiences of the unemployed are naturally varied. Consqeuently their value for pro- ductive work presents a complicated economic problem to all municipalities. The problem of providing work for large numbers of unemployed has resolved itself princi- pally into providing work of the manual sort for which many who have always been accustomed to indoor work are not economically suited even though they may be physically fit. Of course many are not able to do such hard physical work; yet, if physically sound, most of them are able under intelligent direction to work on street construction with as much efficiency as on any other class of work that the Town can provide. It is a natural consequence, therefore, that the burden of pro- viding most of the work for the employed has fallen upon the Highway Department, especially this year when no . sewer construction has been done. And, in fairness to the Department, it must be recognized that the product of the unemployed is not so efficient as would have been obtained if trained labor could have been employed on the same work.
217
The work performed by the unemployed men in the Department has been of considerable value to the Town (by no means has it been wholly a charity) ; the super- vision has been effective and considerate; the Town has received a real value from these men. It is therefore recommended that some of the unemployed be used in the Highway Department during 1933 provided there is ap- propriation enough to give them such work after the regular men of the Department have been provided de- pendable employment for the year. Sidewalk construc- tion has fulfilled this requirement, because the work upon which the unemployed are engaged cannot call for ex- tended experience. It is probable that sidewalk construc- tion requires less number of skilled men than roadway construction. The process of cement sidewalk construc- tion is in its nature one that can be rapidly learned by intelligent laborers with the result that green men can be readily trained and soon become rather expert in the work.
Work upon sewers, water pipes, drains, and on an extension of the Town Barn (mentioned above) are other opportunities for the unemployed.
I am informed that in recent years it has been the policy of the Town to construct bituminous, or cement, sidewalks under the provisions of a special assessment. While there may be some excuse for departing from this. policy in the present emergency, the Town should not lose sight of the advantages of financing such work un- der the terms of betterment assessments.
(g) The Drainage Problem
The gratifying growth in population of Braintree in
218
recent years indicates pretty clearly that the many acres of unoccupied land within its borders are a valuable potential asset. There are large inadequately drained areas however, which could be reclaimed for suitable building purposes if drainage facilities were available. These wet places are many and in the aggregate comprise a considerable proportion of the Town's area. They are unhealthy spots, mosquito breeding places, which should be and can be readily eliminated.
All street drainage must eventually discharge into the existing brooks, and should be so constructed as to accord with a logical plan and should not be solved by the hand- to-mouth method that prevails. Sooner or later a drain- age system must be constructed along sound engineering principles ; this is a certain fact. In the physical develop- ment of any municipality the drainage problem is as necessary of solution as is the sewerage problem. Es- pecially is this true of the Town of Braintree which has so many relatively low and wet districts. The usual practice, as a town grows, is to divert the street wash into the most available nearby gully and to treat each local problem without regard to any general drainage plan. There comes a time when much of this improvised drainage has to be discarded or adapted as best it can to a general drainage system, often a most costly inci- dent. Furthermore, as improvements on private property are made they not infrequently occupy just the place where an important drain should have been constructed on an easement. The net result is to greatly increase the cost of the system. The time certainly comes in any growing town when the drainage problem is seriously undertaken at an excessive cost which could have been averted if in advance the general drainage plan had been logically designed, and if, as required, the parts con-
219
structed to meet local needs had conformed to the plan that ultimately will be built.
When a street drainage problem arises today in Brain- tree the Town Engineer is obliged to design something that will relieve the immediate wet condition temporarily and hope that his guess will fit appropriately into the final drainage plan. This is too much to expect of any engineer irrespective of his experience and other quali- fications. I have examined some of these cases in Brain- tree and can readily appreciate the good judgment that has been used under the circumstances, yet am fearful that the Town will have to eventually pay a high bill when it abandons or attempts to adapt some of this old construction to a general drainage plan.
Some of the places which today need drainage con- struction are on Allen St., opposite Commercial St .; on Shaw St., near Hayward St., comprising the drainage area of 150 acres lying between the Lincoln School and Quincy Ave .; the brook from Hollis Ave. to the Quincy Line which crosses Storrs Ave., Common St. and the marshes, comprising a drainage area of 170 acres.
If a complete drainage system were designed, it does not mean that it must all be constructed at one time. It can readily be a matter of stage construction that year by year not only provides immediate drainage needs but. gradually develops the whole general system.
The design of a sewerage system is controlled by topo- graphy and building progress. The shape of the ground does not change, but direction and amount of building progress is a matter of prophecy. The drainage de- signed is controlled by the shape of the terrain and the amount of water that runs off and through the ground which is a function of the rainfall. This is why a drain .. age problem may be designed with safety for a new un-
220
populated town site that will be adequate when it be- comes a prosperous municipality.
A general drainage system for Braintree should be designed and all drainage construction hereafter should conform to this general design. This is an economic problem of first importance.
In this drainage work lies work for the unemployed, not only in the construction but also in the surveys and engineering design, for there are plenty of unemployed civil engineers who live in Braintree who could under proper direction do much valuable work for the Town. It is of primary importance that no major drainage con- struction should be undertaken until a comprehensive drainage plan has been developed.
In the studies I have made I have received whole- hearted cooperation from Mr. Fred Austerberry, Super- intendent of the Highway Department, and from Mr. George Watson, Town Engineer, from the Chairman of the Selectmen, and from every one with whom I have come in contact.
CLASSIFICATION OF THE WORK DONE BY HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen of the Town of Braintree.
Gentlemen :
I have the honor and pleasure of submitting to you my report for the year 1932.
Classification of the work done by the Highway De- partment is as follows:
221
Curbing built during 1932 amounting to 3,7691/2 lin. feet. Location : Hobart Avenue
Robinson Avenue
Hobart Street Monatiquot Avenue
Lakeview Avenue
Sidewalks built during 9132:
1,218 sq. yds. Asphalt Sidewalk 8,438 sq. yds. Concrete Sidewalk
Location :
Washington Street
Monatiquot Avenut
Central Avenue
Commercial Street
Pond Street
Hobart Street
Hollingsworth Avenue
Quincy Avenue
Hobart Avenue Arborway Drive
Robinson Avenue Jersey Avenue Sherbrooke Avenue
Lakeview Avenue
Cleveland Avenue·
Drainage laid during 1932 amounted to. 2205 lin. feet. Location :
Arborway Drive Spencer Street
Welfare Labor has been used under the supervision of the Highway Department.
Work was performed as follows:
Common Street Resurfacing . $233.00
Audubon Road, Resurfacing 2,364.25
59.25
Park Avenue, Clearing Drain. . . Adams Street, Removing Ties. ..
104.50
164.75
Elm Street, Removing Ties. . Spencer Street, Reshaping Up ... 200.00 Hayward Street, Cutting Brush. . 39.00
Coolidge Avenue, Shaping Up .... 220.00
Beechwood Road, Shaping Up. . . 396.00
222
Pond Street, Hayden House Drain-
age 656.00
West Street, Cutting Wood. 319.00
School Street, Drinkwater Prop- erty Drain 230.00
Sidewalks, Braintree Highlands. .
852.66
General Drainage, White's Prop- erty-West Street
674.50
Clearing Brush
2,490.25
Cutting Wood
939.50
Arbutus and Park Avenue.
224.00
Snow
1,210.00
$11,376.66
Dump
$686.00
Infirmary
1,645.30
Delivering Wood
20.08
Cutting Trees
787.50
3,138.88
$14,515.54
This is a summary of the principal activities of the Department of Highways, together with recommenda- tions. The nature of our organization is such that we are called upon to do all kinds of work for other departments, and it is a pleasure to serve them at all times, thus serv- ing the whole Town in the fullest measure. The relation between this and all other Town Departments is both cordial and harmonious and we receive every assistance from them, which is very gratifying.
Extra labor was more plentiful than in previous years, but the quality of it has to be classified. In a few cases, the person is not fitted for this type of work, the mind
223
being willing enough but the body not able to stand it. In such cases, the Selectmen have taken steps to place them at some other type of work, such as cleaning up the parks and playgrounds, mowing grass, etc.
In this connection I wish to call attention to our per- manent force of eighteen men, upon whom we must rely for the best results in carrying out the work of the De- partment. This force consists of (1) Clerk (1) Black- smith (3) General Foremen (7) Truck Drivers (2) Steam Roller Engineers (2) Gas Shovel Engineers (1) Automobile Mechanic (1) Barnman. These are the men who have to do most of the snow work in the winter and keep the supplies going in the summer, and they are the only well qualified men upon whom we can depend for results in our working seasons. Many of the extra la- borers whom we have hired this year are industrial workers and are not used to doing hard manual labor, but under such conditions, I must say, they have given surprising results. This was found by going over our costs. Some classes of work which had been let out to contract in past years was done this year with the un- employed and brought the prices down in one case ap- proximately 11%, and in another case approximately 17%, which of course gave the Town an extra amount of yardage.
I believe that much of the adverse criticism of Town laborers would cease if the critics could be convinced of the obvious fact that a high grade town like Braintree, is never a good source of supply for transient labor, but today, under the prevailing conditions I think after try- ing out over 550 of these men classified as unemployed the Town can get an even break by employing them in certain classes of employment, classifying and supervis- ing them in the right way. On what has been termed as Welfare labor, one meets a different proposition, not-
224
withstanding that 95% of the men are pretty good work- ers when being paid in cash; but when they come to working out store orders they do not seem to go at their work with the same desire they do when being paid cash.
The Highway Department during this unemployment crisis, is used for the purpose of working these men either under the unemployment appropriations or welfare appropriations. Everything possible has betn done to handle the situation in both cases as an economical pro- gramme to the taxpayers and the citizens involved. No doubt the work has been distasteful in lots of cases, but- the only thing that relieves the individual from his obliga- tions is a Doctor's certicate, and we have done our best to get for a dollar spent a dollar earned. It makes an unusual condition to try to have one department handle over 550 men on one of the smallest appropriations made in the last seven years, not but what the labor was plenti- ful but supplies to carry out a programme were scarce.
I may also state that the Board of Selectmen purchased from the funds for gravel to be used by the Welfare Department labor, or any Highway Department work, a lease on 7 acres of land located near Sagamore Street, South Braintree. This purchase is certainly a money- saving proposition for the citizens of Braintree, as in the past 5 years the Town of Braintree has been purchasing gravel at 18 cents per cubic yard in the pit, loading and hauling done by Town equipment. The leasing of this 7 acres for $3,500.00 is for 5 years, plus 2 years extra given by the owner, that we may have ample time to take away any gravel, sand or filling which may remain within the said area after the 5 year lease is up. The estimate of the Superintendent of Streets and Town Engineer is about 140,000 cubic yards and will cost the Town 21/2 cents per subic yard in the pit. This year we have used approximately 7,750 cubic yards of gravel out of this
225
pit, and assuming that we had to pay 50 cents per cubic yard for gravel in the pit (as we were obliged to do when we purchased on the open market earlier in the spring) shows that on the above quantity used, we pay for the gravel lease this year by the saving accomplished on price difference alone, leaving six years to go for which the gravel itself gives to the Town of Braintree a substantial saving. In addition this gravel lease is made out to the Town of Braintree, therefore allowing the gravel to be used in any Town Department with the usual permit from the Selectmen. If this purchase could have been made earlier in the season, the Town would have made a sub- stantial saving, owing to all gravel previous to the pur- chase of the leave, having to be bought on the open market.
226
Before closing my report, I wish to thank the Select- men, the Finance Committee, and my associates in all Town Departments for their courtesies and co-operation.
Respectfully submitted, F. AUSTERBERRY, Superintendent of Streets. Town of Braintree.
INVENTORY FOR THE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT
January 1, 1933
3-5 Ton Trucks. (White) Equipped with snow plows.
1-31/2 Ton Truck. (Sterling) Equipped with snow plows.
1-31/2 Ton Truck. (G.M.C.) Equipped with snow plows. 1-11/2 Ton Truck. (Sterling) 1-11/2 Ton Truck. (Reo) 1-Oakland Coupe, Town Car, Highway Superintendent's Car.
1-Byers Gasoline Shovel- complete (Skimming & Ditching Buckets).
227
1-Byers Gasoline Shovel (Skimming Bucket)
1-5 Ton Tractor-Mead Morrison-
Complete with snow ploy.
4-No 10 Caterpillar Tractors- Equipped with snow plows.
1-18 Ton Steam Roller 1-7 Ton Steam Tandem Roller.
1-Russell Scraper.
1-Crusher-complete with breaker.
1-Cement Mixer.
1-Patching Kettle.
1-Gasoline Pump.
2-Burch Stone Spreaders.
1-650 Gallon Cressy Road Sprayer-complete. 1-Austin Road Scraper.
1-Tar and Asphalt Mixer.
1-Austin Loading Machine. 1000 feet Steel Sidewalk Forms-complete. 600 feet-Steel Curb Forms.
98-Lanterns-complete with red globes. 22-Extra Globes. 114-Round Pointed Shovels. 56-Square Shovels. 1-Spade. 17-Forks.
228
4-Long Handled Square Shovels. 2-Long Handled Round Shovels. 63-Long Handled Snow Shovels. 1-High Powered Spot Light-complete.
2-15 Ton Pump Jacks complete with handles. 1-5 Ton Hydraulic Jack-complete. 2-Electric Drills. 1-Heavy Duty Bench Vise. 94-Short Handled Snow Shovels. 9-Long Handled Rakes. 16-Hoes. 6-Stone Hammers. 6-Crow Bars. 129-Push Brooms. 2-Towing Cables. 6-Iron Tamps. 150-Picks. 124-Pick Handles. 12-Grub Hoes. 2-Pipe Cleansers. 7-Scythes. 26-Scoop Shovels. 3-Corn Brooms. 20#-Rags.
229
15-Pairs of Rubber Boots. 400 feet Fire Hose. 2-Fire Hose Nozzles.
2-Battery Charges.
4-Cross Cut Saws. 1-1 Ton Chain Falls.
50-Hand Drills.
2-Pitch Forks. 2-Mason's Hammers. 4-Stone Hammer Handles. 19-Axes. 6-Axe Handles. 1/2 Bbl. 600 Cylinder Oil. 20-Gals. Mobile Artic Oil.
40-Gals. Mobile A. Oil. 10-Gals. Denatured Alcohol.
55-Gals. Crusher Oil. 30-Lbs. Graphite Grease.
2-Complete Sets of Waldon Worcester Socket Wrenches. 256-Bbls. 90 Penetration Asphalt.
1-Forge Complete with Anvil. 2-Doz. Jack Hammer Drills. 1-Complete set of Drills 1 foot to 6 feet. 20-Sidewalk Plows complete with shafts.
230
24-Acres of Land owned off Liberty St., South Braintree.
7-Acres of Land leased off Sagamore St.,
South Braintree.
1-Berger Eng. Level Tripod and Rod complete. 250 ft. Garden Hose.
1-Valley Tool Grinder. 1-Blasting Battery. 5-Tow Chains (2-20 feet and 3-4 feet).
1-Hand Roller.
2-Water Ballast Rollers.
2-Jack Hammers complete.
1-Set Garage Repair Tools.
BRAINTREE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT Expenditures-1932
EXPENDITURES Labor
Hauling
Total
Appro- priation
Unexpended Balance
SALARY OF SUPERINTENDENT
3500.00
3500.00
PERMANENT MEN
General: Maintenance
$2256.00
$3521.00
$5777.00
Patching
223.96
58.34
282.30
Tarvia
499.52
779.67
1279.19
Street Cleaning
326.00
355.84
681.84
Drains & Catch Basins
366.80
169.19
535.99
Quincy Avenue Bridge
70.00
30.00
100.00
Repairs to Bridges
30.00
30.00
Repairs to Equipment
93.00
309.00
402.00
Street Signs
5.83
5.83
Snow
717.34
1436.07
2153.41
Special :
Hayward Street Widening
771.63
281.67
1053.30
Adams Street Resurfacing
258.64
93.35
351.99
Elm Street Resurfacing
200.16
5.84
206.00
Liberty-Common-Park Ave .- Audubon
425.00
268.00
693.00
Audubon Road Surfacing
256.68
102.07
358.75
Sidewalks
2428.18
10.38.45
3466.63
Gravel
200.42
154.60
355.02
9129.16
$8603.09
$17732.25 $17755.00
22.75
231
Labor
EXPENDITURES Hauling
Supplies
Total
Appro- Unexpended priation
Balance
TEMPORARY LABOR & SUPPLIES
General: Maintenance
Patching
$2008.73
$351.31
$1747.49 $2891.78
$6999.31
$7000.00
.69
Tarvia
2246.62
291.86
9576.94
12115.42
12160.00
44.58
Street Cleaning
2297.18
219.11
466.07
2982.36
3000.00
17.64
Drains & Catch Basins
3757.93
325.72
3460.09
7543.74
7560.82
17.08
Quincy Avenue Bridge
200.00
200.00
Repairs to Bridges
245.78
245.78
250.00
4.22
Repairs to Equipment
28.00
3771.46
3799.46
3800.00
.54
Guard Rails & Fences
248.50
47.99
1238.17
1534.66
1900.00
365.34
5.33
133.51
138.84
150.00
11.16
Flashlights & Signals
392.80
392.80
400.00
7.20
Street Patrol
1344.00
1344.00
1344.00
Snow
1740.75
279.88
5437.89
7458.52
7500.00
41.48
Special :
Hayward Street Widening
5314.80
762.48
9657.75
15735.03
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