Las Vegas City Commission Minutes, March 1, 1922 to May 10, 1929, lvc000002-141

Reports of officers were read, approved and placed on file in the office of the Clerk. All bills allowed as per claim book on file with the City Clerk. The claim of the Arcade Gro­cery was held up for further investigation, this claim being in the sum of $53.60; the claim of the Nevada Garage in the sum of 39.90 was held up pending receipt of requisitions; the sum of $420.00 was ordered paid on the claim of E.W. Griffith and Son for the construction of the side­walk on Second Street. At this time the following telegram was presented: Carson City, Nevada. Oct. 30, 1924. City Council, City of Las Vegas, Nevada. Three bids received yesterday on paving and gravel surface work on city project stop lowest bid on basis of Willite pavement and which includes cost of preliminary surveys and plans makes city share approximately thirty-two thousand dollars same cost on basis of ordinary asphaltic pavement gives city share of approximately twenty- nine thousand seven hundred a net difference of approximately twenty three hundred dollars stop bids have been taken under advisement for ten days in order that your council may give consideration to the matter and advise us which type of pavement you prefer stop on account of high temperature range of Vegas territory where danger of waiving exists for ordinary asphaltic concrete pavement this Board strongly favors Willite tempered process which should reduce this danger to a minimum. (Signed) Floyd O. Booe Auditor State Highway Department Thereupon the Clerk presented the following communications for discussion: To the Board of City Commissioners Las Vegas, Nevada Gentlemen: It has come to my attention that your Board, on August 14th, last passed a resolution to the effect that it was your opinion that an asphaltic concrete pavement would be more satisfactory and cheaper for your city than any patented process; and that, as a result of this opinion you petitioned the State Highway Department to construct the pavement through Las Vegas of asphaltic concrete. I had hoped that you would find your way clear to adopt WILLITE which is a patented process. As I explained to you at one of your Chamber of Commerce lunches, I am now the Chief Engineer of the company sponsoring this type of pavement. I believed that you would have po hesitancy in adopting this kind of pavement- first, because of what I hoped to be your confidence in me personally; and secondly, because of the argument which I put up to you at that luncheon and the detailed explanation which I gave of this form of pavement. The job in Las Vegas is so small that any remuneration that might come to my people would not be sufficient to care for the expenses involved in properly inspecting it. I particularly wanted this job, however, because it is one in which Federal money is invoiced, and its successful completion would undoubtedly be quite an asset to us in future dealings with the Government Officials. Word has also come to me since my appearance in Las Vegas that certain competitors of our have taken pains to show you photographs of some disintegrated pavements, stating that they were WILLITE. This is the usual action that is taken by certain of these people and you should not be misguided by their efforts. I do not know that the photographs which they showed you were really WILLITE- even though they are purported to be so, however I will say this, that it would be possible for anyone to obtain photographs of any type of pavement that would not be creditable. This is equally true of cement concrete, asphalt or any patented type. I can show you here in the immediate vicinity of Las Angeles some cement that is an absolute disgrace. I could likewise show you some asphalt pavements that are not good; and with equal frankness I might say that we have one or two jobs of WILLITE of which we are not proud; but we know the cause of these errors and there is going to be no repetition of them. Briefly, WILLITE goes a step further than asphaltic pavement. If you are of the opinion that- of the asphalt types an asphaltic concrete should be laid in Las Vegas-- I will say that if it is laid under the WILLITE process, the same materials would be used except that copper sulphate would be an added ingredient. This copper sulphate, mixed with the asphalt, has a toughening effect somewhat similar to the use of sulphue and lamp black in the manufacture of rubber, or the use of other ingredients such as chrone, manganese, nickle and other compounds in the tempering of steal. These mixtures make a much better product. You are no doubt aware of the long life of rubber tires today as compared with two or three years ago; and certainly you know of the value of tempered steal as compared with the ordinary product. In a singular degree the copper sulphate acts upon the asphalt. The practical result of this is that a pavement is obtained which is from 60 to 100% stronger than a pavement constructed without its use. A pavement is obtained which will not malform- that is, rut, wave, or become corrugated. Such a pavement will not "bleed" in hot weather which is sometimes prevalent in this latitude. All of these things are accomplished at but a slight increase in cost- if any.