First Avenue

February: In early 1903, D. Pinto wrote to the Board asking that a trail be opened along First Avenue from Victoria Drive to lot 4, block 143 (A or B?). The request was referred to the Engineer. Nothing had come of this by April of 1904.ⁱ

1903 April — J.H. MacGill (?) wrote to the Board of Works asking that First Avenue be opened for one and ½ blocks west of Park Drive. The request was referred to the Engineer. ⁱⁱ

1904 February — BOW “The Engineer was instructed to attend to applications of residents on First Avenue for a sidewalk from Clark Drive for a distance of about 165 feet.”¹

1904 May — The Board referred to the Engineer a request from D. Pinto that First Avenue be opened from Victoria Drive to Block 143. ⁱⁱⁱ

1904 June — An application for the opening of First Avenue between Lakewood and Victoria Drives was referred to the Engineer for a report. ^iv

1905 April – M.A.C. Hilliard et al asked for “the removal of stumps etc. and opening of First Avenue.” It was laid over for a By-Law.^v

1905 August — After a petition from J.C. Vernon, and a request for a report from the Board on the possibility of opening First Avenue from Park Drive to the new Grandview School entrance at Cotton, the City Engineer noted that the chain gang were currently working on First Avenue from the school west. He noted that First Avenue should be opened from Park Drive to Clark Drive. However the estimated cost of $900 had not been included in the previous Street Improvement By-Law. Vernon had also requested that McLean Drive be cleared so as to give access to Clark. The Engineer noted that McLean Drive had been included in the By-law, and so the Board approved the work.^vi

1906 February — The Board of Works approved the following for future estimates: 1^st Avenue, Park to Salsbury, open & grade, $300.^vii

1906 March — The Board of Works resolved to ask for $30,000 for Street Improvements in the following year’s estimates as follows: First Avenue, Park Drive to Salsbury, open & grade, $300.^viii

1906 May – The Board recommended that Second Avenue be opened from Cotton to Woodland for $300; that First be opened from Woodland to Clark for $765; and that Woodland Drive be graded from Barnard to Venables. A work order for clearing and grading First Avenue from Woodland and Clark was issued on 21^st May and this work was completed on 15^th November.^ix

1906 October – A 3-plank sidewalk was laid on First Avenue between Park Drive and 180’ east. The work was completed on 28 November. ^x

1907 March — William S. Ashworth wrote to the Board of Works: “Having bought property in Block 65 sub 264a on First Avenue between Cotton and Woodland Drives and finding it impossible to get building materials onto same would ask if Block 65 will be opened up …”^xi

1907 April — Joseph Ferguson wrote to the Board of Works: “I hereby apply to you to open First Avenue from Park Drive to Salsbury Drive and also bring the watter (sic) to lot 18, block 144 … I am waiting for said improvements before I can build.” ^xii

1907 May — Thomas Gray of 1735 First Avenue wrote to the Board about “a very dangerous fir stump in front of my house … If it should fall, it would come down upon my house … I would be very much obliged if the Council could see its way clear to open and grade First Avenue [between Park & Salsbury]. I have been living now nearly two years on that property, and as First Avenue is opened one block west of Park Drive and one block east of Salsbury without a soul living on the street, I think it a reasonable request.” Another five signatories wrote a “to open up First Avenue from Park Drive to Salsbury” noting that “there are already quite a number of houses already built.” Eleven others — “property owners in Blocks 62 and 65” – asked “to have First Avenue between the above-mentioned blocks, cleared and graded.” A note scribbled on the letter by a Board member notes that “work [is] in progress.” ^xiii

Eleven others — “property owners in Blocks 62 and 65” – asked “to have First Avenue between the above-mentioned blocks, cleared and graded.” A note scribbled on the letter by a Board member notes that “work [is] in progress.” ²

A work order clearing and rough grading First Avenue from Cotton to Woodland was issued on 9^th May. The work was completed on 7^th October. ^xiv

1907 September — Joesph Ferguson wrote to the Board of Works “for a 3-plank sidewalk on the south side of First Avenue between Park & Salsbury. There are now four or five houses in course of construction.” ^xv

1907 October – Vancouver Board of School Trustees wrote to the Board of Works “to ask you to have a plank walk laid from Park Drive to First Avenue opposite the Grand View School [i.e. at Cotton Drive] so as to accommodate the teachers and pupils.”^xvi

1907 November – These last two requests were approved and 3-plank sidewalks were laid on both sides of First between Park and Salsbury Drives, and on the north side between Cotton and Park. The work was completed on 19^th December and 16^th January 1908 respectively. ^xvii

1908 October – A sewer was laid along First Avenue from Park Drive to the lane east of Salsbury Drive. Sutch was the foreman and the work was completed on 15^th February 1909. ^xviii

1909 February – First Avenue was cleared and graded from Victoria Drive to the City Limits. The work was completed on 12^th June. ^xix

1909 March – A sewer was laid along First Avenue from Park Drive to a point 100’ west. The work was completed on 19^th March. ^xx

1909 December – Goerge Freeman’s work gang were ordered to lay a 10’ wide plank roadway on First Avenue from Victoria Drive to a point 300’ east. The work was completed on 4^th January 1910. ^xxi

1910 July – First Avenue was rocked between Park and Salsbury Drives. ^xxii

1911 August — “Lots on the corner of Victoria Drive and First Avenue are being cleared for the erection of four houses.”³

1912 April – 6’ concrete sidewalk proposed for both sides of First from Victoria to Woodland Drives at a cost of $5,181.00 with the city paying $1,701.36.^xxiii

1912 June – 6’ concrete sidewalk is proposed for both sides of First Avenue from Victoria Drive to Lakewood Drive at a cost of $2,610.00 with the city paying $265.72.^xxiv

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ⁱ                Board of Works Minutes 26 Feb 1903, CVA, MCR-36 Roll 2. See also May 1904 for repeated request.

ⁱⁱ  Board of Works Minutes 30 Apr 1903, CVA, MCR-36 Roll 2; Daily News Advertizer 1903 April 28, p.2

¹  “News-Advertizer”, 26 Feb 1904, p.3

ⁱⁱⁱ  Board of Work Minutes 19 May 1904, CVA, MCR-36 Roll 2

^iv  Board of Works Minutes 30 Jun 1904, CVA, MCR-36 Roll 2

^v  Board of Works Minutes, 27 Apr 1905, CVA. MCR-36 Roll 2

^vi  Board of Works Minutes, 17 Aug 1905 and 24 Aug 1905, CVA, MCR-36 Roll 2

^vii  Board of Works Minutes, 13 Feb 1906, CVA, MCR-36 Roll 2

^viii  Board of Works Minutes, 6 Mar 1906, CVA, MCR-36 Roll 2

^ix  Board of Works Minutes, 5 May 1906, CVA, MCR-36 Roll 2; WO 773, 21 May 1906, CVA, Series 356, Record of Work Orders 1906-1910, 128-B-2

^x  WO 1123, 24 Sep 1906, CVA, Series 356, Record of Work Orders 1906-1910, 128-B-2

^xi  William S. Ashworth to Board of Works dated 12 Mar 1907, CVA, Series 342, Board of Works, Letter Reported 9^th April 1907, 129-A-5 File 6

^xii  Joseph Ferguson to Board of Works dated 1^st May 1907, CVA, Series 342, Board of Works, Letters Reported 21 May 1907, 129-A-5 File 9

^xiii  Thomas Gray to Board of Works dated 29 May 1907, CVA, Series 342, Board of Works, Letters Reported 18^th June 1907, 129-A-5 File 11; Petitions to Board of Works dated 15 May 1907, 30 May 1907, CVA, Series 342, Board of Works, Letters Reported 18^th June 1907, 129-A-5 File 11

²  Petition to Board of Works dated 30 May 1907, CVA, Series 342, Board of Works, Letters Reported 18^th June 1907, 129-A-5 File 11

^xiv  WO 1398, 9 May 1907, CVA, Series 356, Record of Work Orders 1906-1910, 128-B-2

^xv  Joseph Ferguson to Board of Works dated 3 Sep 1907, CVA, Series 342, Board of Works, Letters Reported 24th Sep 1907, 129-A-5 File 18

^xvi  Vancouver Board of School Trustees to Board of Works dated 8 Oct 1907, CVA, Series 342, Board of Works, Letters Reported 22 Oct 1907, 129-A-5 File 20

^xvii  WOs 1733, 1742 and 1747, 29 Nov 1907, CVA, Series 356, Record of Work Orders 1906-1910, 128-B-2

^xviii  WO 2705, 28 Oct 1908, CVA, Series 356, Record of Work Orders 1906-1910, 128-B-2

^xix  WO 2805, 20 Feb 1909, CVA, Series 356, Record of Work Orders 1906-1910, 128-B-2

^xx  WO 2864, 12 Mar 1909, CVA, Series 356, Record of Work Orders 1906-1910, 128-B-2

^xxi  WO 3690, 7 Dec 1909, CVA, Series 356, Record of Work Orders 1906-1910, 128-B-2

^xxii  WO 4320, 19 Jul 1910, CVA, Series 356, Record of Work Orders 1906-1910, 128-B-2

³                Western Call 25 Aug 1911, p.3

^xxiii  Schedule published 2 Apr 1912, CVA, Series 356, Proposed Street Improvements, 134-A-2 File 1

^xxiv  Schedule published 15 Jun 1912, CVA, Series 356, Proposed Street Improvements, 134-A-2 File 1