New York, 1895
OYSTER BAY CITIZENS PETITION THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.
The People, However, Are Not in Harmony on the Question of an Appropriation — County Building Improvements — Mr. Van Vechten Continued as Counsel.
The board of Supervisors met at Oyster Bay on Tuesday to hear the views of the people of that town on the question of macadamizing the north turnpike from the fountain in Roslyn to East Norwich and thence to the shore in Oyster Bay village, and making it a county charge.
A petition was presented, signed by two hundred citizens, asking that the turnpike be macadamized and made a county road. D. J. Hegeman of Glen Head said the people of Oyster Bay were almost a unit in favor of good roads and that they should be made county roads and be maintained at county expense.
Ex-Supervisor Willets thought the matter should be settled by a vote of the people of the town and not by the board of Supervisors, who were representatives of towns that had no interest in the town of Oyster Bay. He said the town's money should be spent by the town alone and the committee appointed to do the work should be allowed to do it. P. H. Scudder agreed with Mr. Willets.
Edward N. Townsend spoke in favor of the improvement. The board will give the matter further consideration at its next meeting.
[It is a question whether, under the law of 1894, the appropriation for the improvement must not be submitted to a vote of the people, as the town has to bear the cost of the improvement, and the county the cost of maintenance, after improvement.]
The matter of the grade of the Atlantic Improvement company in extending the Steinway road from Flushing, where it crosses Strong's causeway, was referred to the county road committee.
Dr. O. L. Jones called the attention of the board to the complaints made about the bridge connecting Vernon avenue with Manhattan avenue, which was kept open sometimes an hour for the passage of vessels, and stated that he had conferred with Col. Gillespie, of the United States War Department, who said that if a resolution could be passed the bridge could be kept closed from 6 to 7 A. M., from 12 to 1 P. M. and from 6 to 7 P. M.
Supervisor Everitt stated that at a joint meeting of the boards of supervisors, Supervisors Koehler of Queens and Wright of Kings had been appointed a committee to confer with Col. Gillespie about the matter.
The committee on county clerk's and surrogate's offices presented the following report:
In the room designated for the use of the tax arrears commission the walls require painting up and kalsomining, the window-frames painting and the room entirely furnished. The walls in the other rooms and hallways of the building are discolored and dirty and should be kalsomined or painted, and the woodwork should be varnished. We find the present heating apparatus in bad condition and unsatisfactory. We recommend that a steam or hot water system be placed in the building. Your committee have not yet decided on the proper disposal of the drainage from the building, but probably the building of another cesspool will be necessary.
The surrogate has made requisition for a closet for transfer tax papers, a rack for books, a step-ladder to reach the upper cases, and to have prepared new general indices to wills, letters testamentary and letters of administration.
The report was received and the committee empowered to carry out the recommendations.
Counselor Van Vechten appeared before the board and stated that he had noticed in THE FARMER that the board had adopted a resolution directing Mr. Wallace to appear in the Keene case. (This is the mandamus matter to compel the building of a bridge at Maspeth avenue. Mr. Van Vechten has been the attorney for the county since the case started.)
Mr. Van Vechten stated that no judgment could be entered until after the case had been tried at special term next June, the jury trial merely deciding the question of fact, but that he had brought the papers with him and would deliver them to Mr. Wallace if the board desired, and asked for instruction.
Mr. Wallace said that he had no desire to come into the case until judgment was entered. The board, on motion of Supervisor Everitt, adopted a resolution retaining Mr. Van Vechten as counsel to try the case at special term.
—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, May 24, 1895, p. 1.
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