Loading...
HomeMy Public PortalAbout1944_09_11 • 369 • instructed and directed_ to purchase one 3-5/8" Pomona Pump and Motor and have same installed in Well No. -1, at a cost not to exceed $1,000.00. On motion of Councilman J.L.Oliver and seconded by Council- man J.L.Mclntosh, andwunanimously carried, it was ordered that at least two bids be secured for the purchase of said pump. The Mayor reported to the Council that he would continue further consideration of a contract between the .Town of Leesburg ersEiwEceisiEmg in Virginia and the Virginia Electric & Power Company ' and that a meeting to consider same would be held at a later date . On motion of Councilman J.L.Oliver and seconded by Council- man J.H.Turley, /the followi resolution was adopted: and unanimously carried BE IT RESOLVED, by the Council of the Town of Leesburg, in Virginia , that theoAuditor-Treasurer be and he is hereby authorized and directed to pay to each Official and each Councilman attendind the Convention of the League of Virginia Municipalities, the sum of $25.00. Councilman C .W.Fiske of the Water & Power Committee advised the Council that the Committee wished to withdraw their reccommen- dation for the sale of a 15-H.P. Motor which was submitted at a recent meeting. There being .no further business , on motion duly made, sec- onded and carried, the Council adjourned at 8:58 P.M. Approved: Recorder Mayor September 11, 1944 REGULAR At a regular meeting of the Mayor and Town-.Council of the Town of Leesburg, in Virginia , held in the council chamber on Monday, September 11, 1944 , at 8:00 P. M. , there were present: E. N. Brad- field, Mayor and C. W . Fiske, John T . Hourihane, James L. McIntosh, Joseph L. Oliver, Louis C. Rollins and Joseph H. Turley, Councilmen.' Mayor Bradfield appointed Councilman McIntosh Recorder Pro- tem. The Auditor-Treasurer read his monthly statement for the month of August, 1944, and presented the current bills , and upon mo- tion of Councilman Rollins, seconded by Councilman Fiske, and unani- mously carried, the following Resolution was adopted: BE IT RESOLVED, by the Council of the Town of Lees- burg, in Virginia , that the Auditor-Treasurer be, and he • is hereby authorized and directed to pay the following bills: Virginia Electric and Power Company; Mayor' s Office and Fire House $ 5.30 Fire Siren 4.00 • General Pumping 150.18 Harrison Pumping 12.00 • Street Lighting 131.04 White Way Lighting 89 .50 Sewerage & Disposal Plant 10.44 402 .'4b ST Virginia-Carolina Chemical Corporation- 10 .77 Hall & Hall 37.50 Noland Company , Incorporated 10.26 . Loudoun Times Publishing Co. , 2.00 Chesapeake & Potomac Telephohe Co . , - - .50 J. S. Whitmore 1.80 Newton' s Garage 123 .90 370 H & H Chevrolet Sales #1, 1 .$ : 1 .50 H & H Chevrolet Sales . ; .75 H & H Chevrolet Sales #1 (Fire Co. ) - - 1.50 H & H Chevrolet Sales .25 The Loudoun News - 17.50 Armfield & Harrison 50.70 Loudoun Times-Mirror 5.10 J. T . Hirst & Co. , Inc. , . 11.36 Mrs . Gray W. Hume 6o.00 League of Virginia Municipalities - - - 75.00 Virginia Department of Highways - - - - 100.00 The Leesburg Lime & Fuel Corporation- - 6 .35 Gill' s Radio & Electric Service - - - - 1.51 TOTAL $ 920 .71 A petition,signed by numerous citizens residing in the vicinity of abandoned quarry pits , was read to the Council, where- upon it was moved by Councilman Fiske , seconded by Councilman Rol- lins and unanimously carried, that the following Resolution be adopted: BEJIT RESOLVED, by the Council of the Town of Leesburg, in Virginia, that the matter of purchasing the discarded quarry pits , located on the property of The Leesburg Lime and Fuel Corporation, be abandoned for the present. • The: resignation of Town Sergeant Howard B . Gill was read to the Council and upon motion of Councilman McIntosh, seconded by Councilman Fiske and unanimously carried, the following Resolution was adopted: WHEREAS, Town Sergeant Howard B. Gill has this day presented to the Council "of the Town of Leesburg, in Vir- ginia , his resignation as such, BE IT RESOLVED , by the Council of the Town of Lees- burg, in Virginia , that said resignation be accepted. Mayor Bradfield, on behalf of the Council, expressed re- regrets of the loss of Sergeant Gill. Councilman Fiske, of the Water and Power Committee , re- ported the condition of the two Rumsey pumps and recommended the replacement of one of them. He offered the following Resolution, which was seconded by Councilman Rollins and unanimously carried; was adopted: BE IT RESOLVED, by the Council of the Town of Leesburg, . in Virginia, that the Auditor-Treasurer be and he is hereby author- ized, instructed and directed to purchase one 275 GPM Pomona Pump and Motor and have same installed over the Town reservoir, to pump water into the mains, at a cost not to exceed.$1,000.00. The report submitted by the Post War Planning Board was presented and read to the Council . The said report was accepted and ordered to be incorporated in the minutes of this meeting for present planning and post war use . "To the Mayor and Council of the Town of Leesburg, in Virginia: 4 N4 At a meeting of the Town Council of Leesburg, held on the 5th day of May , 1944, the subject of needed public improvements for the Town and its residents, to be undertaken after the termination of the present war, was given consideration . After discussion led by Councilman Fiske, the official record of the meeting reads ; "Mayor Bradfield appointed the following Post War Planning Board of citizens, stating that he felt the best interests of the Town would be considered if he would appoint four of- ther.members and have the Board name the fifth member, should they feel so disposed. The Board appointees are ; -- Mr: Harrison Williams , Chairman; Mr. T. Frank Osburn; Mr. Lloyd Slack and Mr. John William Clemens ." Under the authority of the foregoing action and appointment, the undersigned members so appointed of the Town Planning Board 371 has named as fifth member of said Board Mr . E. Marshall Rust of Lees- burg and Washington, and the full Board thus constituted respectfully Submits the following report: 1. WATER AND SANITARY SEWER SERVICE. Because of the recent reconstruction and improvement of the Town' s water :supply and sewerage system, it is believed that both&are adequate for the Town' s needs to-day and in the immediate future . It is under- - stood that the Mayor and Council agree with that conclusion. Therefore , this Board has not further considered those facilities or their early extension. II 2. CONNECTIONS WITH SANITARY SEWER The purpose of the Town Ordinance passed 10: November: 1941 to oblige all property owners whose lands abut on streets in which are pub- lic sewers , to connect with such sewers, etc . , is commended. The en- forcement of this Ordinance was temporarily suspended because of war re- strictions on use of necessary pipe . It is recommended that, when ma- terials and labor again become available, the Town enforce this Ordi- nance in every instance where sanitary disposition of house sewage is not then in operation. 3. STORM WATER DRAINS . The present system is considered obsolete, upsatisfactory and un- sanitary . However, it appears to drain off storm water except when pre- cipitation of exceptional volume occurs. It is recommended that the Mayor and Council cause a new system of storm water drains to be design- ed by competenttengineers and constructed in whole or in part as and when finances of the Town permit. Small local construction, which does not fit in with this definite master-plan, should be avoided. 4. STREETS AND SIDEWALKS. : • A: . The streets of the Town are found to be adequately paved for II existing traffic . . B . The sidewalks of the Town are found to be uneven in condition. Those sidewalks which are of concrete are found to be in reasonably good repair. Sidewalks of brick in many places are broken, uneven and in need of present repair, and the work should be undertaken by the Town . where necessary , if possible, with the financial cooperation of owners of abbutting- property. This Board believes that concrete construction, with proper bed below the frost line, should be favored over brick con- struction. Where no sidewalks exist, the Town should undertake their con- struction, if possible , with the financial cooperation of abutting own- ers. Gravel or find chrushed rock could be used in outlying sections . C. The curbing, separating the sidewalks from the roadway , in many places is in need of reconstruction. The work should be undertaken by the Town, fiving preference to those blocks where abutting owners will contrubute to the cost. D. In setting new curbs and in building sidewalks, care should be taken to avoid undue slanting of the edge of the sidewalks to the curb, because of hazards to pedestrians in time of snow and ice . s•• • E. It is recommended that the Council pass and enforce an ordi- nance controlling the planting of trees within the limits of the highway t`=' with due regard to density of traffic and local physical conditions in II various sections of the town. F. It is recommended that the Council pass and enforce an ordi- nance forbidding any encroachment with new construction upon the high- ways or sidewalks of the town by steps , porches , bay-windows, show win- dows, signs , fancing, poles or in any other manner except by express permission of the Town Council, in each case separately obtained. G. It is recommended that the Town clean, with its own force of workers , and at Town expense , and immediately after every snow storm, all snow and ice from the sidewalks on both sides of King Street between Corn- wall and Loudoun Streets and on both sided of Market Street between Church and Wirt Streets. These blocks are believed to sustain the most dense pedestrian traffic in the town. H. A system of placing street numbers on all buildings in the Town has been begun. It is suggested that Council encourage property owners 17 2 by frequent admthnition to continue this work. 5. MUNICIPAL ELECTRIC PLANT . The advisability of the Town constructing its own Municipal Power plant to generate and furnish electricity for power and light to its citizens has been given consideration; but , in view of the scarcity of necessary material of the particular type needed for such work, a. con- dition which probably will continue for some time after the war 'and the probable high cost when material is available , it doubted that a plant constructed within the immediate years following the war would be economically feasible in competition with, or in replacement of, exist- ing facilities . 6. TOWN PARKING FACILITIES It is believed by this Board that the present Town Parking Lot provides sufficient parking area for present needs. It is recommended that greater pressure be brought to bear by the Council upon the pub- lic, particularly upon truck owners and drivers, to use the Parking Lot rather than to continue the practice of curb-parking which continues to create undue traffic congestion in the center of the Town. 7. COUNTY AVIATION FIELD It is believed that, after the war, transportation by air is cer- tain to increase enormously , not only for longer journeys, but for shorter distances under fifty miles as well, and that such transporta- tion will be by both public and private planes . It is also believed by your Board that we now stand, as to travel by air, in a somewhat similar position as did the nation in relation to travel by motor -thirty years ago . Therefore, this Board recommends that the Mayor and Council immediately seek the cooperation of the Board of Supervisors of the County looking to the selection, survey and acquisition of an: adequate Aviation Field near Leesburg to serve the people of the Town and County jointly . It is believed that such acquisition should \be undertaken well in advance of the immediate need of the field, so that the most desirable site may be obtained before land values further ad- vance and that the site be held in readiness by the Town and County for its phjrsical development for aviation purposes when needed. 8. PUBLIC RECREATION GROUNDS . • It is recommended that- two areas be acquired by the Town for the construction , maintenance and use as Public Recreation Grounds , one of such areas for the use of white residents and the other for the use of colored residents. Each area so to be acquired should be of sufficient size to permit the construction of a baseball. field, tennis courts , sites for other games and public swimming pools with necessary bath houses . 9. EXTENSION OF TOWN BOUNDARIES. It is well known,that, over the years , much land adjoining. the Town gradually has been converted from agricultural purposes to res- idential uses and now enjoys most of the Town' s advantages without con- tributing to the general expenses of Town goverhment. It is recommend- ed that the Mayor and Council undertake the necessary legal steps to extend the Town boundaries north, south, east and west to include there- in all land now used or potentially usable for urban residential pur- poses ; and that when such additional areas are incorporated in the Town, streets therein should be paved where necessary and maintained (except as to such roads now under State jurisdiction) , water and sewer lines IIand police protection should be extended and other municipal improve- ments therein undertaken where needed and not now existing, to_ conform with such improvements elsewhere in the Town. It is believed that the Town taxes to be imposed on these new areas will not only pay the cost of all such improvements , but will so improve the financial resources and condition of the Town as to permit eventually a substantial reduc- - tion in its tax rate . 10. REASSESSMENT OF REAL ESTATE. By law the Town assessment rolls for Town taxation are copied from the County assessment rolls . There has been no complete revision of the assessment valuation for tax purposes of all real estate in the County for many years . Periodic re-assessment of real estate is deemed desirable to achieve and maintain equality and is now much overdue. 373 Fantastic and extremely unjust inequalities have developed. Certain properties, particularly vacant and unimproved land, are grossly under- assessed in relation to the average assessment of other properties, and- othetreal estate is over-assessed in relation to such average. The ser- ious under-assessment of vacant and unimproved lands tends to encourage withholding thereof from improvement and new building, to the twofold,det- riment Of the Town. It is also noted tnat •the assessment descriptions of • such vacant lands too frequently are vague and indefinite and make identi- fication thereon unduly difficult. Therefore , it is recommended, for the further improvement of the Town' s financial condition, that the Mayor and Council take all possible steps to achieve a naw, thorough, unbiased,pro- portionate and just re-assessment of all real estate in the County under- taken by competent and conscientious appraisers . It is believed that not I only. the income of the Town and County would thereby be substantially in- creased without increase of the present respective tax rates , but that a far more equitable distribution of the tax burden would be attained. IN CONCLUSION Construction and development hereinbefore recommended, except as otherwise noted, is not expected to be undertaken until after the end of the present war, when material and labor are again available at a reason- able cost and when such work is possible within the resources of the Town and the orderly administration of its finances . It is believed, however, that preliminary plans for the consummation of such work should now be de- veloped in order to avoid undue .and unnecessary delay in their completion. As many of the projects hereinbefore recommended probably will require the services of a competent engineer, the early employment by the Town of such an engineer for the purpose of developing the plans is suggested. /s/ Harrison Williams Chairman /s/ T . Frank Osburn /s/ John Wm. Clemens /s/ - Lloyd Slack II /s/ E. Marshall Rust • Post -War Planning Board of the Town of Leesburg, Virginia. - In connection with the foregoing report, on motion of Council- man Fiske, seconded by Councilman Oliver and unanimously carried, the following Resolution was adopted; • BE IT RESOLVED, by the Council of the Town of Leesburg, in Vir- . ginia, that its sincere appreciation be extended to Mr. Harrison Williams, Chairman; Mr . T . Frank Osburn, Mr. John Wm. Clemens , Mr. Lloyd Slack and Mr. E. Marshall Rust, Members of the Post War Planning Board, for the splendid suggestions for the improvement of the Town at the conclusion of the present war . The Mayor and Council are indeed grateful for the time and consideration spent by the members of the Board in their effort to improve financial and living conditions in Leesburg. There being no further business , on motion duly made , seconded and carried, the Council adjourned at 9:00 P . M. . , / i s Recorder Pro-tem . Approved: . II ��g Mayor -