TOWN IMPROVEMENT PROPOSALS.

Taihape Daily Times, 6 February 1919, Page 6

TOWN IMPROVEMENT PROPOSALS.

■ o— — ; DETAILS OF THE SCHEME In view of the fact that a public meeting of ratepayers will be held on Friday night to consider the proposal for raising a loan for street improvements, we reprint as follows details of the scheme and the recommenadations of the Special Committee set up by the Borough Council, and v/hich were laid before Council on November Ist, 1918: —

Your Committee has carefully considered the report submitted to it, the requirements 'necessary to bring Taihape into line with other important centres, the conveniences and comfort to which tile inhabitants are entitled, and accordingly recommends. 1. That the Engineer's proposals for storm water drainage and kerbing and channeling be agreed to. 2. That the suggestion of the engineer to set aside a centre strip, devoted JoT; trees and shrubs and a grass plot to be laid down about 20 feet wide with crossings every chain lapart, as per the sketch submitted by Mr Williams be agreed on. By doing this a considerable quantity of metal would be released for other purposes, the Main Street would be beautiied, and traffic regulated. In *he i&ide streSets, (Tui Street, from Main Street to the Railway Station Excepted) your committee suggests that the flanks of the road be levelled and rolled. The grass could then be kept in order with horse mowler and if thc_ roadway (16ft. wide) is scarified and rolled the side streets of the town would wear a muck altered appeananee, , and the saving in maintenance charges would be considerable. While recognising the desirability of having concrete roads, the cost of laying Main Street out full width in this material (£8000) is considered to great. We therefore recommend that Main Street, and Tui Street, from Main Street to the Station, be tar maeadam'ed full width, Other streets to be scarified and. rolled" .to a width of 16ft. and the flanks dealt with as previously recommended herein. 3. That the footpaths in the Main Street, and in Tui Street from Ms?fr Street to the Railway Station, be laid down in concrete slabs, finished off with coloured rendering. Although this involves a greater initial expenditure than construction in asphalt. Your committee considers that it would be money Well spent as concrete slab paths possess the advantage of durability, and can be lifted.and relaid whenever necessary In a few minutes without involving expensive repairs and the risk of depressions or unevenness in the footpath.

4. That the footpaths in Tui Street from Main Street to Baths, Kuku Street, Weka Street, Huia Street. Bobin Street, (Station Street) and Kokakoa Street be formed and laid down in asphalt The recommendation of the engineer to asphalt Kokakoa Street on both sides not approved of Iby your committee and the estimate submitted covers the residential side of the street' only. 5. That the footpath in Huia Street on the south, side, from Main Street to railway turnstile be excavated and levelled and laid down in asphalt at an approximate cost of £SO, but that the suggestion of the engineer to reduce the level of Kokakoa Street, in front of the school, be not adopted at present.

6. That to economically and efficiently carry out the foregoing work, the minimum plant required is estimate:' to cost £ 250 ft as per particulars se' out in schedule hereto attached.

7. That with the view of extending the electric light lines to the western portion of the Borough (Kaka Road ; Terrace, etc.) and providing funds f< • the purchase of a generator, without .which the Council cannot extend it? electric lighting schem? 0.-yond the confines of the present defined v.r~'thai a sum of £IOOO be placed on tho scnetTule of the loan for this purpose.

8. The foregoing recommendations as suggested by Mr. Kirby, and previously approved of by the Council, and the engineering fees, first year's interest, and preliminary expenses, would bring the fotal of the proposed loan up to £17,000, details of which amount are as follows:

Total .. .. £17,000 0 0 The cost of chipping -and cleaning footpaths and water tables in side streets, i.e., Weka Street, Kuku Street, Tui Street, and Huia Street, amounts to approximately £2OO per annum. The cost of kerbs and channels and asphalting paths in these streets would be approximately £2OOO. The annual interest payment on this sum at 5i per cent, would be £lO5, which represents a saving on this work alone of a considerable sum, A considerable saving could also be effected in the cost of maintaining and clearing Main Street. Rate Required.—The Special Rate required to be struck would be 11/16ths of a penny in the £ which on present rateable value would produce approximately £842 per annum, which amount plus £52 10s which would be transferred from the electric- light- account as interest on the £IOOO portion of the loan, would meet the interest payments

If a sinkiing fund of 1 per cent, is established in connection with the loaa the rate would be by apanother 5 of a penny in the £, and a further transfer of £lO per annum would be necessary from the electric light account.

£ s. d. Storm water arid drainage 2200 0 0 Kerbs and channels 675 0 0 Main Street Road, full width in asphalt .. 3649 0 0 Tui Street Road, full width in asphalt 609 0 0 (From Station to Main St] 1 Main Street path in con1417 0 0 Tui Street palh in cbn310 0 0 (From Station to Main St] 1 -'■>• Tui Street (Main Street to r,: | ' baths) in asphalt .231 0 0 253 0 0 ,139 0 0 290 0 0 Robin St. (Station St.) 249 0 0 Kokakoa Street V2 ■"v 0 Excavate at Bank of Australasia, etc .. 50 0 R Plant 2500 0 0 Electric light (p(lant and 1000 0 0 Fjirst yean's interest 892 10 0 etc .... 275 0 0Preliminary expenses and 135 10 0 Street improvement 20M » w 0