Minnesota Highways, September 1955

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VOL.  4,  NO.   11
1246 University Ave., St. Paul  4, Minn.
SEPTEMBER,  1955
Contracts
Set Record
State Highway department employees, and the employees of
county highway departments as
well, have real reason to be proud
of the progress that has been made
on the highway  construction pro-
^^^ommissioner Hoffmann has just
disclosed that highway construction
contracts awarded as a result of
lettings conducted up to September 5 on both state trunk and
county federal aid secondary projects are more than $10,000,000
ahead of those let up to the same
time in 1954. And that means more
highway improvements contracted
than during the first seven months
of any year in the department's history.
In the state trunk highway program, 158 contracts have been
awarded, totaling more than $34,-
943,000, as compared with 173
contracts providing for $28,941,000
worth of improvements awarded
during the similar period of 1954.
The   County-FAS   improvement
program, administered by the High-
,av   department   as   agent for  the
lies,  was  even  farther  ahead
'ast year percentage-wise. In all,
288   contracts,   totaling   $10,900,-
000, had been awarded for the various   counties   as   compared   with
255 contracts,  adding up  to  $7,-
618,000, as of September 1, 1954.
The outlook for a construction
year of comparable, il not greater,
magnitude in 1956 also appeared
bright with announcement by the
United States Department of Commerce of Minnesota's federal aid
allotments for the 1957 fiscal year
that is, funds available for use in
next year's highway improvements.
The new allotments were as follows:
Federal Aid Primary.. $8,325,596
Federal Aid Secondary 5,872,583
Federal Aid Urban .. . 2,824,202
Interstate Boutes   3,942,091
Total $20,963,472
(Continued   on  page  3)
15 Are Promoted  in  Patrol
These Men Win Promotions
New promotions in the Highway patrol included Capt. Garnet E. Hall, center,
from captain to inspector, and sergeants to captains as follows: Richard H. Pursley,
upper left; Harlan L. Fredeen, upper right; Neil F. Deemer, lower left, and Horace
B. Henry.
Ten  patrol  officers  promoted  to  sergeant included,   L.  to  R.:
Top—Thomas Gilpin,  Thomas P.  Scanlon, Ralph  S.  Potvin,  Lawrence  Nelson,  and
James F. Stevens.
Bottom—Rober   J.   Riley,   Richard   Lueck,   Conrad   J.   Erickson,   Robert   W.   Harris,
and John M. Kaminski.
One new inspector, four
captains, and 10 sergeants
were appointed in the Highway patrol, effective September 1. Also on that date, 10
more new patrol officers were
sworn in.
The staff increases, together
with 32 new officers added to the
force August 12, brought the traffic law enforcement strength of the
patrol to the full maximum complement of 255 men authorized by the
1955 State Legislature, Patrol
Chief Paul B. Martz reported.
The Legislature's action authorized three additional captains, seven more sergeants, and 29 more
patrol officers. New appointments
beyond the authorized increases
were to fill vacancies. The patrol
henceforth will consist of one chief,
one assistant chief, two inspectors,
nine captains, 15 sergeants, and 227
patrol officers.
Concurrent with the increase m
personnel, the patrol's six operating districts were reformed into
eight districts.
Hall   to   Be   Inspector
Captain Garnet E. Hall of Forest Lake, who has headed the patrol's Twin Cities district since
1946, was named inspector of the
northern division of the state, succeeding Inspector Neil Gordon, retired. Captain Hall has been in the
patrol since 1933.
The four promotions to captain,
as announced by Chief Martz,
were:
Sergeant Neil F. Deemer of Thief
Biver Falls, to be captain in charge
of planning and training at the
patrol's state headquarters in St.
Paul.
Sergeant Bichard H. Pursley, St.
Paul, to head District 3, with headquarters at New Brighton. He succeeds Inspector Hall.
Sergeant Horace B. Henry, St.
Cloud, to head District 4, at Willmar.
(Continued on  page 5)