Pulling Cook County Out of the Mud
Page 93
PULLING COOK COUNTY OUT OF THE MUD
An address by Hon. William Busse, Chairman of the Road and Bridge Committee, before the Lake County Good Roads Association June 28th, 1916, showing what Cook County is doing on roads and bridges. Mr. Busse has the distinction of being the first native born son of Cook County to be elected President of the Board of comissioners, is practical, one of the most useful members of that body, understanding the requirements of both municipality and the country lying within the limits of Cook County. He has inaugurated economies that placed the county on a cash paying basis, and four years paid off $2,400.00 bonds. From the day that Mr. Busse became a member .of the board, the poor and sick have had him a steadfast friend.
Mr. Busse says in his address that it would take Cook County years to wait for state aid to pave one-fourth of the country highways and in order to pave those highways at once so that the present generation can enjoy them, the county commissioners are making use of a $2,000,000 bond issue and have ordered 60 miles to be made this year. The address follows:
There are within the limits of Cook County approximately 900 square miles of territory; 200 square miles are within the City of Chicago.
Outside the City of Chicago and 72 villages there are 1300 miles of highway and something like 3,200 bridges and culverts.
According to the State Road Law, one-quarter of these 1,300 miles are designated for future improvement with State Aid funds. That is, about 325 miles of the country highways can be built jointly by the State and by the County.
To build these 325 miles in a satisfactory manner would require about $4,000,000 and if the rate of progress in building the State Aid Roads is the same as during the past two years, we can only build in our County about 15 miles a year, which would mean that it would take 21 years to build the whole 325 miles. To build under State Aid that 15 miles of road each year, would require the county pay one-half, viz: one-half of $15,000 a mile, or $112,000 in all must be raised each year by the County. It is a very hard thing every year to set aside that much money or to ask the taxpayers to vote ever year on a bond issue to pay it, but I think I may speak for my colleagues when I say that not only by bond issue will we build roads, but for every cent appropriated by the State for building roads in Cook County, the County will meet it dollar for dollar by general taxation.
When it became apparent that it would take 21 years before we would have one-quarter of our roads paved, the Association of Commerce and various City Clubs presented a petition for a bond Issue of $2,000,000 to be spent within five years for building of roads. That money will be available next month. And the county board has ordered built this year from the proceeds of the sale of those bonds the pavement of 60 miles of highways and we will use every effort to have that 60 miles of highways built this year. This does not mean all the road improvement from the bond issue, but
Page 94
Page 95
just the year’s program. Bids were received last Monday for the pavement of 7 ½ miles. In addition to this program of bond issue, the County Board appropriated a sum equal to the State’s allotment for the building of State Aid roads for this year, and I have been advised that contracts have been let by the State Highway Department for eight miles on which work is being done. The plans have been approved for four miles additional and bids have been called for.
We hope before the year is out that there will be connecting Lake County with the City of Chicago, two paved roads, viz: the Rand or Lake Zurich road and Milwaukee Avenue. Connecting Kane County with the city, we hope to have paved Higgins road, 25 miles in length, and we hope the road connecting the southern limit of our County to the City of Chicago, a distance of 12 miles will be paved entirely as well as the road at Twelfth Street will be paved, connecting Du Page County, also the Archer road to Joliet and the Schaumburg Center road.
This is briefly what is being done in Cook County on this State Aid Road System. But as you no doubt are wondering what is to become of the 1,000 miles of highways outside of the designated State Aid System, I had better briefly state that the Board of County Commissioners are not unmindful of the burden imposed on repair of roads other than State Aid Roads, and are consistently endeavoring to do all in their power to aid in the improvement of the lateral and township roads.
For the aid in the repair and maintenance of township roads there has been purchased by Cook County, nine sets of road machinery, each set consisting of a road roller, scarifier, a grader and a sprinkling wagon, with a man to operate the road roller.
Under the direction of the County Highway Department this machinery is furnished to the townships in repairing and rebuilding their roads. The townships furnish the material and the teams to haul it.
With six sets of road machinery there were repaired and put in good shape 132 miles of roads last year.
In addition to the aid on roads the County has aided townships in the construction of concrete bridges, approximately 46 bridges last year and 42 the preceding year.
While at the present time there are contracted for nineteen bridges. On the part of the townships of Cook County the same earnest endeavor has been exhibited.
Short stretches of concrete roads are built in townships of New Trier, Niles, Lyons and Riverside and petitions have been received by the County Board for aid in building brick and concrete roads in other townships.
Page 96
Page 97
It is with just pride that I call this to your attention, but that is not the sole purpose of my address but rather to come before you and to state that we, your neighbors on the south, are doing our very best for the improvement and proper care of the roads and bridges, and to urge you to carry on the good work in the County of Lake.
We realize that an undertaking of this nature is no small thing — that it requires hard work; it requires a great deal of money, but that is true of every undertaking; that nothing is worth having unless it is worth working for, and think of the benefits to be derived from a monetary standard, from a standard of convenience, socially, or in whatever light it is viewed — that a good system of roads amply repays the effort and money expended.
EDITOR’S NOTE
Mr. Busse was a guest at the 71st birthday celebration of Mrs. Christina Busse July 9th, 1916, at which were gathered nine children, 47 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren of the Busse Family. One of the nine children was County Commissioner Busse.