News from 100 years ago
The following news items were taken from the Mail Tribune archives 100 years ago
August 2, 1922
YOU CAN GET WATER WITHOUT VOTING A BOND
A plan for the solution of the water problem of Medford which Earl H. Fehl presented to the city council last night and which appears feasible as it tends to secure to the city an ample supply of pure mountain water from Big Butte Springs, is seen with great favor. by councilors and Mayor Gates.
This is in addition to the city administration’s plan to build an additional reservoir and pipe system at Bear Creek this fall, work on which will begin in September. This addition will be built this fall regardless of the plan offered by Mr. Fehl, aldermen and Mayor Delroy Getchell assured Delroy Getchell, who was at the meeting on another matter when Fehl’s solution came up, and who also looked with approval at the proposed plan and hoped it would be adopted.
But taxpayers shouldn’t be alarmed, as no bond issue to carry out Fehl’s solution needs to be voted on by the city. Your plan’s water system will pay for itself by issuing the necessary bonds.
Mayor Gates and aldermen, all of whom were present at the meeting, except Mr. Gaddis, who is on vacation, told Mr. Getchell that he could write AN Farmer, chairman of the finance committee on the construction of a national orphan home for the Fraternal Order of Yeoman, that a system of pipes and additional tanks would be built before winter.
The vicinity of Medford is considered an available site for this great orphanage, with its proposed 125 bungalows and other structures to accommodate 2,000 people, and naturally the Yeoman order has an ardent interest in the future water supply of the city Mr. Farmer, who has left town, recently addressed the local Chamber of Commerce forum about the orphanage plan.
The city’s water superintendent, Davis, last night also informed the council that the estimated cost of building a single-system settling basin and filtration plant was $50,000. The council only received the report and left its discussion for some future meeting, but it was probably felt that its cost was too much to make such an improvement.
— Alyssa Corman; acorman@rosebudmedia.com
