Deerfield First Town To Receive Work Allotment
Greenfield Expects Nearly $50,000 For Roads and Sewers
Civil Works Funds Will Employ Every Able-Bodied Man in Deerfield- Local
Welfare Cost May Be Cut in Half
Federal funds amounting to between $45,000 and $50,000 may be allocated to
Greenfield within the next few days and create work for at least 300 men, as
a result of the conference held yesterday in Boston between the selectmen and
Chairman Joseph W. Bartlett of the federal civil works board.
Deerfield, represented by Chairman George Fuller and John W. Heselton won the
distinction of being the first town in the state to have funds definitely allocated
to it, the request of the town for a sum of about $6,000 for road work being
approved about 7 o'clock last evening.
Because practically every city and town in the commonwealth was represented
at the meeting in Gardner auditorium yesterday, the civil works board found
itself snowed under with applications for funds. This avalanche of requests
could not be handled yesterday so that only a few allotments were announced.
The board continued its work today, however, and it is expected that the local
allotment will be announced within 48 hours.
Quote $48,000
W. A. Davenport, chairman, J. B. Kennedy and A. H. Dobbrow of the selectmen,
and Eugene L. Bond, superintendent of highways, presented Greenfield's plans
for work to be undertaken which is said to have met with the approval of Chairman
Bartlett of the civil works board and funds for this town are expected as soon
as the application can be reached by the federal government representatives.
The quota set apart for every community in the commonwealth is based on figures
of population and welfare load for each place. Greenfield's quota was said to
be approximately $48,000.
Plans for the expenditure of the federal money according to Chairman Davenport,
will be divided among several projects. One of these will be construction of
surface water drains from the east side of Federal street, starting in back
of the public library property, westerly to the Boston and Maine railroad tracks
on Chapman street and from the intersection of Federal and Garfield streets
westerly as far as funds will permit.
Other portions of the money will be used for gravelling Swamp road from the
grounds of Greenfield Country club northerly to the Barton road, and the Barton
road northerly to the Bernardston town line.
Employ at Least 300
The completion of these projects by Feb. 1, as required by the government,
will necessitate the use of at least 300 men, according to Supt. Bond of the
highway department, a similar number of men being employed last summer on similar
work for which the town expended about $39,000.
Men now receiving welfare aid, who are able and willing to work, will be given
first choice in employment and others will be selected from those having applications
filed with the local federal employment office.
The work week set by the federal government is 30 hours and the hourly pay
is at the rate of 50 cents.
It is expected that the local welfare department will be able to furnish about
150 men for this work, which should reduce the number of families on the welfare
list about half.
The main project which would be carried out according to Chairman Davenport,
is the surface sewer from the rear of the library property to the railroad tracks.
It is estimated the cost of this work would be $28,000 of which $12,000 would
be for material and the remaining $16,000 for labor. The sewer planned would
be of the 54-inch type and would handle rain water and ordinary drainage only,
leaving the present sewer to be used exclusively in a sanitary capacity. At
least 130 men would be needed for this work and owing to the short week schedule
more than one gang would have to be employed.
Road Work Planned
This sewer would cross Federal street after passing through the alley, south
of the building of the Greenfield Electric Light and Power Co., and continue
north of the Lawler theatre. From there it would pass near the former telephone
exchange building across School and Davis streets through the Chapman street
school grounds to Chapman court.
The gravelling work tentatively planned for the Swamp road would continue over
a distance of about one and one quarter miles while the Barton road would extend
over a mile of highway surface. The Garfield street work comprises covering
the brook which now runs in that vicinity. The completion of this latter project
would cost in the vicinity of $50,000. It is estimated, and as funds will be
reserved first for the other projects planned it is not believed that this brook
work will be extended to any great length.
Deerfield Award
The amount of money allotted Deerfield amounts to $6,219, equivalent to 9,380
hours of work. It is expected that work may begin tomorrow and will give an
opportunity for every able bodied man now receiving welfare aid to a secure
job. Over 70 per cent of the work planned by the selectmen calls for manual
labor.
The projects tentatively planned by the board consist of the River road toward
Sunderland, north of the hard surface portion; Pine Nook road and lower road
in West Deerfield.
The work will consist of gravelling, building stone base foundation and filling
mud holes in dirt roads. |