Dorchester Times: Random Thoughts: Village Employee, Semi's, And Business District

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Random Thoughts: Village Employee, Semi's, And Business District

Some random thoughts from the Dorchester Times...

VILLAGE EMPLOYEE'S RESIGNATION: We've received more than one e-mail from readers who are concerned by the loss of John Bruha, the village's maintenance technician. Bruha appeared to us to be an ambitious, competent, responsive and hard-working staff member who always put the taxpayer interests first. We're not privy to the behind-the-scenes information, but we think the town board -- which lost a member of its own this week due to a resignation -- should attempt to get Bruha back on staff, whatever it takes.

SEMI'S ON MAIN STREET: We are beyond grateful that the Farmers Cooperative is in Dorchester. It's a major employer and the pulse of Dorchester's business community. But do we really need fully loaded semi-trucks rolling through town on Dorchester's main street? We've seen it all too often. There are multiple ways to get to the elevator without using Dorchester's main street, which is already showing serious signs of wear. One study shows that a fully loaded 18-wheeler causes road damage that is equivalent to 9,600 cars. Semi drivers should have enough common sense to use the highways and crushed rock streets. If they don't, a village ordinance is in order.

BUSINESS DISTRICT: Maybe its due to the construction on main street, but we can't help but notice that our village's business district is looking rough. There's no way to soften our assessment. The old East Side Tavern/Last Call/Ben's Iron Grill building is still for sale. The old Sehnert Garage continues to show its wear. The former telephone building/Guggenmos Insurance Co./Snip 'N Curl beauty salon continues to deteriorate. And much of the west side of main street is in disrepair. Let's be sure to support those downtown businesses that maintain their properties and are making a commitment to Dorchester -- including City Slickers Bar and Grill, Donna's Hair Creations, Tyser Repair and Auto Sales, Barley Specialties, and First State Bank.

18 comments:

Village DwellerJune 4, 2015 at 11:45 AM
Dear readers:

The Times will not publish comments aiming criticism at specific individuals.

General comments will be accepted, but not those referencing particular residents.

-Dorchester Times Staff
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AnonymousJune 4, 2015 at 12:47 PM
A really sad week for the village of Dorchester.
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Fulton St. GalJune 4, 2015 at 1:38 PM
I agree with you, bring back John!
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jan allertonJune 4, 2015 at 2:43 PM
When John was helping trim trees in the alley a while back, he also cleaned up a small pile of sticks i had near the garage, I was very impressed by that, We need more people on payroll like that!!
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jan allertonJune 4, 2015 at 2:49 PM
I agree also. John is always friendly and goes out of his way to help. We need more like him.!
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AnonymousJune 4, 2015 at 3:20 PM
It is my understanding that John Bruha quit. Why would you try to get someone back if he doesn't want to work here?
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MBJune 4, 2015 at 3:24 PM
The folks at City Slickers are doing more than just occupying main street, they're risking capital and investing in Dorchester ..... multiple buildings. Dorchester foundation or other groups should be working hard to promote community activities to hold there. I'm telling you, if that bowling alley takes off, it could spur lots more activity and business on main!!!
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AnonymousJune 4, 2015 at 4:35 PM
pave, pave, pave, pave, pave, pave, pave, pave, pave. if you don't have enough people to support downtown, how about doing something that attracts home buyers and builders. am i just that dumb or way too smart?
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Chevy VanJune 12, 2015 at 2:58 PM
Give Main Street 25 years. At that point it will be beautiful as a new corner system pivot waters corn where the streets used to be. Main Street will be greener than ever. Pavement should have been installed years ago. Dorchester's fate was sealed back then. Drive through the muddy streets today. Show me a rougher town in Saline county. My opinion will meet great criticism, but until people are willing to invest in and clean up their properties, this town is doomed to a future of low income housing and the problems that come with it.
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AnonymousJune 18, 2015 at 11:07 AM
I have seen more done by John Bruha then ANY city employee for the 40 years I have lived here. At least you could find John if you needed something. He will be very hard to replace. Maybe we need to think about what was the cause of him quiting and fix that problem. Another shame along with so many
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Village Dweller checks all reader comments to determine if they are appropriate for print.

Dorchester: A Good Little Family Town

Dorchester, Nebraska (est. population 630) is located in northern Saline county. Close in proximity to Interstate 80, Dorchester is only 25 minutes from the state capital of Lincoln (est. population 250,000) and about 55 minutes from Omaha (metro population 725,000).

Dorchester's median resident age is 37 years. In 2005, Dorchester had a median family income of approximately $35,600. The median house value was about $63,000. About 95 percent of Dorchester residents commute to work via Interstate and highways.

The village has a quality public school, which received a $4.1 million expansion and modernization in 2008; it offers a small classrooms and individualized attention. Total enrollment of grades K-12 is around 230-250 students.

Ancestries of the Dorchester area are primarily German (42.4%), Czech (24.9%), Irish (12.5%), English (5.4%), and Dutch (4.9%).

Dorchester Historical Facts

* On July 4, 1871, the railroad reached Dorchester.
* Incorporated in 1881, Dorchester's population grew from 200 to 500 by 1882.
* In 1882, Dorchester had 90 buildings, 35 of which were businesses or public facilities. Brick buildings lined both sides of Washington Avenue for two blocks.
* Dorchester's longest-running newspaper was The Dorchester Star, which was published until the late 1940s.
* By 1889, Dorchester's population is said to have reached 800, while the town housed an opera house, a two-story brick schoolhouse with a bell tower, and four churches.
* By the 1910s, Dorchester had electricity, a water tower and a fire department.
* Dorchester's main arteries, Highways 6 and 33, were graveled in the 1940s.
* Dorchester's first irrigation well was drilled on Chris Weber's farm and rural electrification was finished following WWII.

A Village with History

Dorchester is one of the "alphabet towns" on the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad line built west from Lincoln. The town site was selected for its pleasant location in the northern part of Saline County, about eight miles west of Crete. This situation is an attractive one, being on the level prairie land, midway between the West Blue River and Turkey Creek. The first named stream is three miles north, and the latter about the same distance south from the town. Dorchester was platted in 1870 and incorporated in 1881. The name "Dorchester" came from either for a suburb of Boston by that name or a town in England. No one is sure. Two of the very first settlers were James Seely and Edward McIntyre, who both made Dorchester their permanent home.

Dorchester: In The Beginning

Here is a look at Dorchester around 1890, less than a decade after its official incorporation, as documented by Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska:
* POPULATION: "About 300, and is made up of a substantial and progressive class of citizens, who are moral and industrious. ... The town grew but very little until the year 1879, for the reason that Pleasant Hill, on Turkey Creek, a short distance south, was the county seat and naturally drew a trade for quite a large scope of country."
* BUSINESS: "The business and professional interests of the town are represented by three general merchandise stores, two drug, one grocery, one furniture, two hardware, and two millinery stores, one bank, two restaurants, two hotels, three livery stables, a post office, one newspaper office, two elevators, two lumber yards, two coal yards, two blacksmith shops, two lawyers and four physicians."
* SCHOOL: "The schoolhouse is a good one. The schoolhouse was built in 1872, since which time the public schools have been continually kept up. The present schoolhouse is 24' x 40' in size, two stories high. The school is graded and consists of three departments. The house is found too small, and arrangements will soon be made to increase its size."
* CHURCHES: "There are three substantial churches."
* HOMES: "The residence portion of the village is made up of neat houses of different styles of architecture, but none of them very large."
* NEWSPAPER: "The Dorchester Star, which was established August 21, 1881, by H. C. Bittenbender, who edited it until January 19, 1882, when he sold it to Ryerson & Bullock, the present proprietors. The Star is a bright weekly paper, five-column quarto, in size, and is Republican in politics."