fine. Let this notice be cheerfully complied with. A. F. Heinrich, Mayor, Collins, Iowa
August 5, 1926 New water well 384-foot depth completed – replaces 1902 well. December 22, 1927 Construction completed on new water tower, 100-feet high and 50,000 gallon capacity. Bond issue passed earlier was $6500 (Insert 2003: No comments on water lines.)
September 9, 1897 – Road South (now Highway 65) is graveled for 2 miles, and Road East toward cemetery graveled for 1/2 mile – Roads previously dirt.
November 21, 1901 – Sidewalks are built in the Denniston addition and 600 loads of gravel on Denniston and Pentz streets, costing $350 (previously dirt).
May 8, 1902 – Pay for future street work is .30 cents per hour for man and team – .15 cents for man.
October 16, 1902 – Prominent farmer says you can tell when they get into Collins. The roads outside town are bad; inside town they are B – A – D.
June 25, 1908 – Local neighborhood folks are getting more accustomed to the automobiles. October 27, 1898: A wagon propelled by gasoline engine passed through Collins Monday.
June 17, 1915 – A plan for parking autos on business streets is becoming popular; they are parked in the center of the street with front and back facing business stores.
March 22, 1917 - Collins and Melbourne jointly purchased road oiler.
November 10, 1927 – Town council made tentative plans for graveling nine additional blocks of streets. When done, nearly all streets will be graveled. (Insert 2003: Streets previously dirt.)
January 1935 – It is stated the contract for constructing an “overhead bridge crossing ” on Highway #65 over the Milwaukee Railroad tracks will be awarded this month.
August 24, 1939 – Concrete paving for Highway #65 from Colo to south Story County line (3 miles south of Collins) is completed.
April 16, 1959 – Work on Collins Main street starting with construction of curb and gutter followed by asphalt surface on street. (Insert 2003: First hard surface street)
(Insert 2003: 3 miles south of Collins to the Jasper-Story county line: The first 2 miles of county road going west was dirt road until 1938, when the road was graveled, the grading on Highway #65 was under way for concrete paving in 1939. A county road one mile south was dirt until mid-1940’s. Also old Highway #30 (Lincoln Highway) had many “mud holes ” in 1915 era. Quite apparent county road improvement was incremental over many years.)
Telephone