August 7, 1969





RECORD  AND   GUIDE





259





MUNICIPAL   CONSTRUCTION   PLANS

Large Appropriations Just Made for New Buildings and Various
Public   Improvements^Two  Millions for   New  Water  Mains





MAYOR McCLELLAN has approved a number of appropria¬
tions for construction woriv passed by the Board of Alder¬
men at its last regular meeting previous fo adjournment for the
summer vacation. The appropriations were made upon the
recommendation of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment,
after due consideration and after hearing reports from the
board's engineers in each case. Tlie authorities have been more
liberal than at any time since the panic. A number of new
buildings will be erected with the money now set aside, to be
located at various institutions. The sum of two million and
over goes for buying and laying water pipe in Manhattan and
the Bronx, which will put a great many laboring men at work.

The Board of Health has received an appropriation of $500,-
000, of which $230,000 is for the construction of four pavilions,
necessary administration building, power plants, sewage dis¬
posal plant, etc., on property owned by the Department of
Health in the Borough of Queens, and known as the "Haacke"
Farm, to accommodate 240 patients; $110,000 for the construc¬
tion of four pavilions on North Brother Island; $00,600 for the
construction of two pavilions on the grounds of the Willard
Parker and Reception Hospitals, foot of East lOtli st, Manhat¬
tan; and $10,000 for extensions and alterations to buildings at
Otisville,

An appropriation of $180,000 has been made for the extensiorr
of two tuberculosis infirmaries al Metropolitan Hospital on
Blackwell's Island, and $35,000 for the construction of a hospi¬
tal pavilion at the City Home on Biacliwell's Island,

The Board of Health has also received authority to advertise
for bids and award the contract for labor and materials re¬
quired to erect a vaccine stable and laboratory, antitoxin bleed¬
ing room and laboratory, and for additions and alterations to
stable for antitoxin horses at the sanatorium for the care and
treatment of persons living in the City of New York suffering
wilh tuberculosis, located at Otisville, Orange County, N. T., al
a cost not to exceed $15,000.

The Commissioner of Parks in the Bronx has received an ap¬
propriation of $143,000, the proceeds of which are to be applied
in part as follows during the current year: Additional green¬
houses for propagating purposes, Bronx Park, $1S,OCO; filling,
draining and improving the lowlands east of the music pavilion,
Bronx Park, $15,000; construction of granite steps to replace
wooden steps, St. Mary's Park, $8,000; fireproofing vaults, office
buiiding, Claremont Park, $5,000; erection of a drinking foun¬
tain ahd improvement of surrounding grounds, in addition to
$3,000 now available, Macomb's Dam Park, $3,000; granite steps
and walks from Jerome av to Ogden av, Macomb's Dam Park,
$7,000; comfort station and additional bath houses at Orchard
Beach, Pelham Bay Park, $25,000; raising and improving Co¬
lonial Garden, including replanting. Van Cortlandt Park, $20,-
000; providing steps at Webster av bridge. Mosholu Parkway,
$7,000; railing around small parks and along walks and drives
in other parks. $10,000; construction of manure pits adjacent to
Bronx Park stations, $20,000; drinking fountains in various
Bronx parks, $5,000.

Allen N. Spooner, Commissioner of Docks, has received au¬
thority to advertise and award a contract for building the pro¬
posed viaduct al the St. George terminal of the Staten Island
Ferry at an estimated cost of $52,000. The structure will con¬
sist of a viaduct to connect the present ferry service with the
new viaduct structure being built by the officials of the Bor¬
ough of Richmond in South st. It is to be a post and girder
viaduct to accommodate three tracks and a 10-fl, sidewalk east
side. The length wil! be about 370 ft. It will have seven bents
and seven bays, the ends to rest on abutments. There will be
fifteen columns, two columns in each of the six bents from the
Jay st approach towards the terminal and three posts at the
terminal end.                                                                           ■  1 e vsi\ ^

Forty thousand dollars has been appropriated by the city for
the construction of a concrete arch bridge, SO ft. in width and
having a span of 55 ft. over the Bronx River at ISOth st, at a
cost not to exceed $40,000.

Ten thousand dollars for improvements to the Administration

Building in Bronx Park and $12,500 for a comfort station in the

same park,                                                                                         ^ =S'-'^]TI\

The sum of $2,020,100 for furnishing and laying water mains

in Manhattan and the Bronx.

The sum of $500,000 to continue the construction of the new
Bellevue Hospital.

Fifty thousand dollars for the construction of approaches to
and footwalk-s on the bridge crossing the Harlem River and
the Putnam Railroad at ISSth st. Fifteen thousand for a
bridge, over   Garretson's   Creek,   Brooklyn.

Seventy-five thousand for making surveys and plans for the
Jamaica Bay improvement, and $10,000 for surveys and plans
for improving the shore of Riverside Park, between 72d and
129th "sts;   for  completing  Colonial  Park,  $110,000;   for an  aiJ-





dUional supply of water for the Borough of Brooklyn, $623,-
3o6.70; for various improvements at the New Tork Botanical
Gardens, $25,000; for pipe rail fences at Mt. Morris Park
$15,000.





RIVERSIDE PARK  EXTENSION.

Ten thousand dollars has been appropriated by the City to
pay for plans to be prepared by a, competent engineer or land¬
scape architect for the improvement of the lands lying west of
the tracks of the New York Central Railroad, between 72d and
I29lh sts, by filling them in and adding them to Riverside
Park, It is believed that this improvement can be made at
a comparatively small cost and that if made it , will greatly
increase the value and natural advantages of Riverside Park for
public use.

Title to the lands was obtained by the Cily in 1897, but no
action has been taken until now for lis improvement. The pro¬
ceedings are in order now in view of the fact that the Robert
Fulton Memorial Association are inviting plans for the con¬
struction of the beautiful water-gate at or near llOtb sl. The
attractions of the park wguld be multiplied if there were public
access to tbe waterfront, and especially if the plans in con-
lemplation should provide for suitable landing places for motor
boats.





NEW SUBWAY STATION AUTHORIZED.

The detailed estimate by the city engineers of the cost of the
proposed new subway station at 190th st and St. Nicholas av
amounts lo $376,915. This includes two elevators, with the
machinery for operating them. The work will be done as an
extra under the contract of John B. McDonald. The owners
of the property on which the elevators will be placed are pre¬
pared to give the cily title to the land required for the ele¬
vator shafts arid their approaches, they retaining an easement
perniitling the construction of buildings over them.

There is now no station between ISlst sl and Dyckman st a
distance of about 4,800 feet. The proposed station is approxi¬
mately midway between these two. As to the necessity for an
additional station there is no doubt, a great number of buildingi,
now being under construction in this locality, and a large pro¬
portion of them being 6-sty elevator apartments which wiil ac¬
commodate an enormous population.





TO COMPLETE COLONIAL PARK.

The Commissioner of Parks has received authority to adver¬
tize for bids and award contracts for the construction of Co¬
lonial Park, 145th to 155th st, Bradhurst lo Edgecombe av. Man¬
hattan. Chief Engineer Chandler Witbinglon says the work
is now about half completed, the upper portions, extending
from 155th st down to 150th st having been laid out and im¬
proved during the years 1907 and 1908. The lower half of tho
park site, extending from 150th st down to 145th st, is now
a vacant, barren hillside. Edgecombe av, overlooking this por¬
tion of the proposed park from tbe west, is rapidly being im¬
proved wilh large apartment houses, and Bradhurst av, on the
east, is well built up. The property which has been acquired
for park purposes is now unsightly and useless. The appro¬
priation which has just been made for the construction worlf
amounts to $110,000.





NEW BRIDGE FOR THE  BRONX.

Commissioner Stevenson, of the Department of Bridges, has
decided on the kind of bridge to replace the present Eastchester
Bridge over the Hutchinson River, at Boston Post road, in the
Borough of the Bronx. The Commissioner has selected a double
leaf bascule bridge of the design of the Scherzor Rolling Lift
Bridge Company. The department has built" and now has in
use six bridges of this type. These have proved satisfactory,
being economical in construction and quickly operated. The
Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge Company will receive the sum of
$6,000 for designs, plans and supervision of the construction of
the superstructure, and the patent rights to construct, use and
operate. Tliis sum is specified in the bidding sheet, and
the contractor must include it in his bid. The available ap¬
propriation for the construction of the bridge is $200,000, and
the Commissioner has received authority to advertise for bids
and proceed with the -work.





A SUCCESSFUL man must know his business. He must
apply this knowledge—he must work, and he must work to the
best advantage. And to work to the best advantage he must
work with system.—John H. Converse,,