Source:Birmingham-council/content

From Pittsburgh Streets
Birmingham Council.

Last evening there was a regular monthly meeting of the Council of the borough of Birmingham, held at Burgess Salisbury's office.

Members present—Messrs. Atterbury, McIlwaine, Ward, Redman, Welker, Kerr, Ihmsen and Burgess Salisbury.

The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved.

Mr. Ihmsen, Chairman of the Finance Committee, reported that he had examined the accounts of the various borough officers and found the same to be correct, excepting the report of Mr. Kanzler, Market Master, which the officer had been instructed to make perfect.

The Burgess stated that he had received a notice from the Street Regulator setting forth that the debris on Harmony street had not been removed; that the work of paving said street had left a quantity of rubbish; and that a final settlement with the contractors should be postponed until the street was properly cleaned.

The estimate of grading, curbing and paving the above street is as follows: Grading, 3,522 cubic yards; curbing, 1,364¼ lineal feet; paving, 3,213½ square yerds [sic].

In accordance with the recommendation of the Street Regulator, a final settlement was postponed for the present. Bradford & Co. are the contractors.

A communication from Mr. A. Patterson was presented, in which the writer proposes to furnish numbers for all the houses in the borough and attach them in proper order at twenty-five cents per plate. The numbers to be cut on iron plates 2½ by 5 inches, with raised figures two inches long, the entire plate to be japanned black and the face of the figures to be afterwards painted yellow or other bright color.

The communication was referred to a Special Committee.

The Burgess caused to be read the following petition:

To the Burgess and Council of the Borough of Birmingham:

The petition of T. W. Briggs, President of the Monongahela Valley Railroad Company, in behalf of said Company, respectfully represents: That the said Monongahela Valley Railroad Company is a body corporate, created under and by virtue of certain acts of Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and duly authorized and empowered under said acts of incorporation "to construct a railroad from a point at or near Pittsburgh, by such route as the Board of Directors may determine, to a point at or near Monongahela City, Washington county, and thence up either bank of the Monongahela river, to a point at or near what is known as Rice's Landing, with power to construct such branches as the Directors may deem necessary," &c. Your petitioner therefore prays your honorable body to pass an ordinance granting to the said Monongahela Valley Railroad Company the right and privilege of locating, constructing and maintaining their said railroad over, along and across such streets, alleys, ways and grounds in the Borough of Birmingham as may be found necessary and desirable, in conformity with the laws of this Commonwealth, and subject to such reasonable rules and regulations as may be found necessary for the protection and saftey [sic] of persons and property in said Borough. And your petitioner, for himself and in behalf of said Company, will ever pray, &c.

T. W. Briggs, President.

On motion the communication was referred to a Special Committee, consisting of Messrs. Ihmsen, Atterbury and Kerr, with instructions to meet the Directors of said Company in reference to the proposed route.

The clerk read an ordinance changing names of streets as follows: Oliver street to Sixth street; Gregg to Seventh; Joseph to Eighth, Ewing to Ninth; McKee to Tenth; Grosvenor to Eleventh; Denman to Twelfth; Ormsby to Thirteenth; Wilkins to Fourteenth; Centre to Fifteenth; Perry and Franklin to Sixteenth; Harmony to Seventeenth.

On motion of Mr. Kerr, the ordinance was adopted.

The following bills were ordered to be paid: Dispatch, advertising, $4 65; A. Kent, repairing tools, $11 65; J. C. Shaffer, tools, $2 05; Regulator, $50. The other officers' salaries were also ordered to be paid.

On motion Council adjourned to meet next Tuesday evening.