SEWERS. The plans for the construction of lateral sewers throughout that portion of the town intended to be drained by the main sewer constructed in 1877, and which, as stated in the last annual report, were being made by Messrs. Shedd & Sawyer, have been completed, and were, together with a detailed description of the same, received by us in July last. The cost of these plans and descriptions was fifteen hundred dollars, and has been paid from the appropriation specially made for this purpose. At the town meeting held Sept. 16, 1880, the town accepted the report of the Selectmen laying out a sewer from Thayer place through the lands of E. C. Emerson and others, to and through White place and connecting with the main sewer under the tracks of the Boston & Albany railroad, opposite the depot. This sewer has been completed, with the exception of two catch basins, one at the junction of Thayer and Washington streets, and one at the junction of Thayer street and Davis avenue, which, owing to the severe frost at an unusually early date last December, we were obliged to omit until the Spring opens. The labor in constructing this sewer was performed by contract, by Messrs. Sanborn, Dike & Brigham, the materials being furnished by the town, the work being under the direction of A. H. French, Civil Engineer, from plans as originally made by Shedd & Sawyer. For details of cost see Treasurer's report. An appropriation of eight hundred dollars was made November 22d, 1880, for the purpose of laying a short sewer in Aspinwall avenue and St. Paul street. A small amount of material was purchased for the sewer, but owing to the lateness of the season it was impossible to properly construct the We recommend a re-appropriation of this amount, and that the sewer be put in as early as possible in the Spring. same. 13 Petitions have been received for one or more sewers in other parts of the town, but as the hearings in relation to them have not been completed, we are obliged to defer our report upon them until the annual town meeting. We wish to call the attention of the town to the following matters which seem to us of importance. First, in relation to the disposition of moneys received on account of sewer assessments. As the town in times past has expended large sums of money in the construction of main and trunk lines of sewers, which have been paid for either by direct taxation at the time of construction, or by the sale of bonds, the payment of which is provided for by the sinking fund, it seems to us that all moneys received and to be received on account of sewer assessments, should constitute a fund which should be appropriated to the extension of the lateral sewers as they may be wanted,-believing that if this is done it will furnish the means for the said extensions without further special taxation for this purpose; and we offer the following vote: Voted, That the Selectmen be authorized to lay lateral sewers in any of the streets of the town, and pay for the same from the money in the town treasury received from sewer assessments; provided, that no such work be undertaken unless there is sufficient money in the treasury received from sewer assessments, at the time of beginning the work, to defray the cost of the same. nance. Second, we think it desirable, if not positively necessary, for the town to adopt some kind of sewer by-law or ordiIn the spring of 1878, the Selectmen prepared a bylaw on this subject, and by request of the town it was examined and approved by the committee upon revision of by-laws, and by them reported to the town, July 2d, 1878. No action was taken in regard to it. We reccommend that the annexed by-law be now adopted. BY-LAW CONCERNING SUPERINTENDENT OF SEWERS. SECT. 1. There shall be appointed annually, by the Selectmen, a superintendent of common sewers, who shall hold his office for one year from the first day of April of the year in which he is appointed, or until he is removed, or a successor is appointed. He shall receive such compensation as the town may determine. He may be removed at the pleasure of the Selectmen, and in case said office shall at any time become vacant, it shall be filled in the manner above prescribed for the unexpired term. On or before the first day of February, annually, the said superintendent shall make a report to the Selectmen, containing a statement of the expenditures, income and business of his department during the preceding year, a schedule of the property belonging to the department, and such other information, or such suggestions, as he may deem expedient, and also an estimate in detail of the appropriations required by his department for the next financial year. SECT. 2. The superintendent shall, under the direction of the Selectmen, take the general supervision of all common sewers, which now are, or hereafter may be, built and owned by the town, or which may be permitted to be built or opened by its authority; and he shall take charge of the building and repairs of the same, and make all contracts for the supply of labor and materials not otherwise provided for by the Selectmen or the town. SECT. 3. The superintendent, whenever any common sewer is ordered to be built or repaired, shall ascertain its depth, breadth, mode of construction and general direction, and take the plan thereof, and insert the same, with all those particulars, in a book, to be kept for that purpose, and forthwith ascertain and insert on said plan all entries made into such sewer. SECT. 4. He shall keep an accurate account of the expense of constructing and repairing each common sewer, and shall report the same to the Selectmen, together with a list of the persons and estates deriving benefit therefrom, and an accurate statement of the frontage and superficial area of the lands upon which said expense ought to be assessed. SECT. 5. The superintendent shall enter in books, kept for that purpose, all such assessments made by the Selectmen, and shall forthwith make out bills for the same, and deliver them to the Town Treasurer for collection; and the Town Treasurer shall forwith demand payment in writing of the said bills, in the manner prescribed by law; and if any bills or dues under these by-laws remain unpaid at the expiration of three months after demand for payment, as aforesaid, the Town Treasurer shall cause the same to be collected by the proper legal process. STREET LAMPS. The plan of lighting streets, as in years before, with gas and gasoline, lighting twenty-three nights per month till 12 o'clock, midnight, was continued until May 1st, when the lighting under the contract made with Messrs. E. S. Ritchie & Sons was commenced, to continue until May 1st, 1881. During the past year five new lamp-posts have been placed and lighted, as follows: High street, three; Freeman street, one; and Englewood avenue, one; making the whole number of street lamps now belonging to the town, 477. The contract made with Messrs. Ritchie & Sons was for the lighting and care of 472 lights, they finding lamps, reflectors, and all material necessary, and keeping the glass in the lanterns in repair for one year, for the sum of $9000,-the lights to burn all night, and every night throughout the year. Using gas and gasoline on the same basis it would cost to light the same number of lights, (viz: 397 gas, and 75 gasoline,) as follows: 397 gas lights, burning from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise, an average of 10 hours per night for 365 nights, four feet of gas each light per hour-5,796 1-5 thousand feet, at $2.50 per thousand, . Expense of lighting, care, &c., each light, per night, 2% cts. 75 gasoline lights, 365 nights, at 71⁄2 cts., . $14,490 50 3,079 23 2,053 12 $19,622 85 NUMBER AND LOCATION OF STREET LAMPS AS LIGHTED UP TO MAY 1, 1880, WHEN KEROSENE WAS SUBSTITUTED. PLACE. Gas. Gasoline PLACE. Gas. Gasoline Brookline Avenue, Colchester Street, Dudley Street (Long- Englewood Avenue, Francis Street, Brighton Street, Kent Street, Kimball estate, Gorham Avenue, 143 36 138115 212142ININ Harvard Avenue, Walnut Street, 12 11 Ivy Street, Total, 397 75 Should the former system of gas-lighting be restored, there will be two additional gas and three gasoline lights to be added to the above list, viz.: one gas light each on High street and Englewood avenue, and one gasoline on Freeman street and two on High street. |