Dorchester Times: Dorchester's Citizen Of The Year: Penny Keller

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Dorchester's Citizen Of The Year: Penny Keller

The Dorchester Times is proud to name Penny Keller as its "Dorchester Citizen of the Year."

Keller is receiving this honor based largely on her efforts to clean up neglected properties throughout Dorchester. Many small towns in Nebraska -- from Wymore to Lyman -- have neglected to be proactive in this area, and it shows.

One reader told us: "I’d like to nominate Penny Keller. She cares about the community of Dorchester. She is a loyal and tireless citizen who wants to make our wonderful village an even a better place. She has passion for Dorchester."

In the summer of 2016, Keller was hired by the village board as Dorchester's new nuisance abatement and code compliance officer to ensure that residents and other property owners are keeping their properties up to community standards and ordinances.

Keller, who is working as a contract employee, started her duties in early August, according to official documents. Her job is to help ensure the continuation of property clean-up notices and enforcement originally initiated by SENDD.

Within just weeks of Keller starting her job, residents noticed the difference. For example, one clean-up of commercial property south of the city park received rave reviews. The Times received several e-mails and online comments praising the village for requiring action.

"It's good to see property owners willingly and promptly complying with the village requests for clean-up," we wrote in August. "They, too, should be applauded for their efforts. Those who ignore the warnings and requests should face consequences."

Run-down, neglected, and unsafe pieces of property trample the rights of those who live nearby. Moreover, they harm Dorchester's public image, which matters if we want to grow our village. Approaching people to tell them it's time to clean up their mess -- whether in person, by phone or by mail -- is no easy task. We commend Keller for the work she has done over the past several months.

If you suspect a property in Dorchester is non-compliant with village standards, call 402-418-8670 or to i.comply@outlook.com.

Keller has also volunteered for several years by serving on the Dorchester Planning Commission. This commission is charged with guiding village efforts to grow and improve Dorchester's quality of life. Among the actions the commission undertakes is dealing with zoning issues.

Our previous Citizen of the Year winners include Carol Olson, Dale Hayek, and Bill Velder.

Honorable mentions submitted to the Times (Dorchester.Times@gmail.com) this year and in years past include: Peg Bergmeyer, Lyle Weber, Greg Tyser, Todd Axline, all members of the Dorchester Volunteer Fire Dept. and Rescue, Ben Haufle, Brent Zoubek, Kyleigh Jo Lewis, Phil Weber, Steve Ottmann, Scott Pohl, Eric Stehlik, Joyce Karl, Adam Briggs, Rob "Bert" Parks, John Bruha, Mark Bors, Tom Cerny, Amanda Cerny, Julie and Joe Holly of "The Well", LJ Barley, Bob and Marva Kasl, and Ryan Voelker.

Congratulations to Penny Keller, our Times' Citizen of 2016!

4 comments:

Fulton St. GalDecember 15, 2016 at 7:27 PM
Congrats, Penny! You probably didn't want the recognition but I'm glad someone pointed it out!!
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AnonymousDecember 16, 2016 at 9:00 AM
WHY?
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AnonymousDecember 17, 2016 at 10:13 AM
"Those who ignore the warnings and requests should face consequences."

Dweller be tough like Trump. Ha!!!!!!!!!!!1
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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."