We want your feedback! The Dorchester Times is conducting its first-ever poll, as we ask our readers: What one thing in Dorchester needs immediate improvement? Perhaps the streets? The commercial buildings? The school? Recreational areas? Housing? Something else? You tell us.
We do have a couple of rules. First, please list only one item -- the one you think must be prioritized. Use your vision and choose the priority you think will lead to other improvements to enhance the community's quality of life.
Also, only one response per reader, please.
We will publish the results Friday, May 4, and send the results to the city board. This is your chance to let Dorchester leaders and other area residents know your opinion. So tell us: What one thing in Dorchester needs immediate improvement? Just click the "comments" link below.
We do have a couple of rules. First, please list only one item -- the one you think must be prioritized. Use your vision and choose the priority you think will lead to other improvements to enhance the community's quality of life.
Also, only one response per reader, please.
We will publish the results Friday, May 4, and send the results to the city board. This is your chance to let Dorchester leaders and other area residents know your opinion. So tell us: What one thing in Dorchester needs immediate improvement? Just click the "comments" link below.
I think that the roads need to be paved
ReplyDeleteI believe that needs to come first is pave all the streets in Dorchester along with new sidewalks in front of the bulidings downtown.
ReplyDeletePaved streets
ReplyDeleteI think first of all we need to get the downtown (the heart) of our town cleaned up and looking much better than what it does currently. I think if we are going to try and get new younger families to look and move to our town, that is one area they will be lookin at. It is run down and offers NOTHING to those with young children! I would suggest to start there and head to other areas after that. There should be guidlines in keeping the owners in check of the buildings they own downtown in good shape and looking good, at least from the eyes looking in from the street. I would be ashamed to send friends to our downtown area in the shape it is in. Look how many people come to our July 4th celebration, it is just as good if not better than most comunities events around here, however what does the apperiance of the buildings and what can be seen through the windows say about us ???
ReplyDeletePAVE THE STREETS!!!
ReplyDeleteDorch needs a new baseball/softball arena. It would have a lower price tag than the street pavement idea, especially if some land rich farmer would donate a few acres.
ReplyDeleteThe village should offer without charge, to remove non-running vehicles from town and tow them to Ben's Iron. After 60 days, those that have not been removed will be fined $50 per week until they are removed.
ReplyDeletePave the streets. It would make the town look much cleaner and more appealing to people that are looking for a place to live. This would get more long term families which in turn saves your school and businesses.
ReplyDeletePaved streets will never happen, it might someday, but there need to have some guidelines inforced. We need our down town cleaned up first main street is nothing to look at, if that could get fixed, we could go on from there. There are to many vechiles, on properties and streets, that just sit there, old buildings that need torned down. Who wants to see that when you enter town. We need fines set, and enforced, it will make people sit up, and know if it isnt tooken care of, they will be fined.
ReplyDeleteThat might get the ball rolling. But it has to be enforced. It doesnt cost a thing to cleaned up yards, just hard work.
Paving the remaining of the streets would help our little town look nicer, however; if anyone can remember back in the day about this issue is that there was a lot of resistence w/ our community. Some of the same citizens still live in the village so what can change there mind?
ReplyDeleteNot sure if this is an option, but if dorchester could get a cop in the town that would be good. I know that it isn't improving the look of the town, but it would make it safer. Especially after the things that just happened this last weekend. Like I said though, I don't know if this is even an option.
ReplyDeleteI would like to see the streets paved. I would also like to see the park project come to fruition
ReplyDeleteI agree that paved streets will probalby never happen in Dorchester, although it would be nice. I think main street, from Coop, all the way north needs to cleaned up. Maybe a "new" or better car wash, something done with all the buildings on the west side and east side. Fresh paint would do wonders! I also agree that if people dont move non working vehicles, they should be towed to Bens. You wouldn't be able to get by with cars sitting around in Lincoln! Main street is my vote and more things at the playground. There's a huge area where the tennis court and basketball court used to be, but it looks so junky now! That area could be used for something else.
ReplyDeleteI would say the one thing that Dorchester needs improvement on is paving some additional streets within town.
ReplyDeleteTo the anonymous writer who mentioned the need for a town policeman: What took place this weekend? Feel free to let us know at dorchester.times@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteI too would like to see paving but first we need to improve our mainstreet. Let's do something to create a positive impression. Can we improve store fronts and do something with what use to be Sehnert's Garage and Conner's Gift Shop??? We aren't the only small village in NE...our apprearance needs to be as great as the people in Dorchester. Let's work on an environment that will allow us to keep our young people and possibly invite ones that have left back. Could we investigate inviting a small company to build or relocate here???? I realize that changes can't happen overnight but feel strongly that we need to start working now to secure the future of our village.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the need of a town policeman, what I heard is that quite a few cars were broken into on the east side of town, and one was actually stolen. This is kind of a scary thing to think about happening in Dorchester. I just think that having a cop could keep the small town safety that many people living in Dorchester enjoy, or at least should enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI am wondering why we paid for new water lines and have NO water pressure?? I have heard numerous people say they dont have pressure either. I have noticed the water portion of the bill has went up in price now also. Why are we paying for all of that and getting nothing in return?
ReplyDeleteVD:
ReplyDeleteI saw a press release from the Saline County Sheriff's Dept., stating that in the early hours of April 28th, Dorchester experienced "a rash of vehicle break-ins." Approximately 19 cars were broken into, and a 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix was stolen. Three individuals from Crete have since been arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property and a fourth, Benjamin Pecher, has been arrested on a felony warrant for theft.
With the leadership and urging of the village board, residents must first clean up their own act. Junk and unused vehicles need to be removed from lawns and driveways.
ReplyDeletePaved streets.... nice... clean up main street... needed.... remove junk cars.... free to Ben's ... great please pick up mine... take my son's too for that matter... LOL.. Sidewalks... okay ... All great but a more pressing issue to resolve would likely be the water systems... and leaning electical poles... dangerous...
ReplyDelete#1 priority = Paved Streets
ReplyDeletePlease, I am tired of ‘old timers’ talk about the picketers against paving. I don’t remember them. But more importantly, just because they picketed, did that make their opinion correct? I think not. The only thing it did is give isolationist ammunition to talk about every time we bring up paving. Shame. Do I dare to ask what we accomplished by not paving them? We kept our community stagnate and more importantly showed no vision of growth in our community. No incentive for commercial or residential development. Don’t get me wrong, I do realize the financial burden, but the cost to our community has been greater by not paving. It is not too late. Why don’t we start to implement a 5 year plan on paving approximately ten blocks a year? We need to show that we want to progress, move younger families to town, and let older couples retire here.
ReplyDeleteDo I remember the picketers?......NO! However, I do remember today, driving down muddy streets, dodging mud holes….. I do remember yesterday, driving down washboard streets that are rarely graded……I do remember never being able to open a window in my house because the dust from the gravel streets gets everywhere.
the way uor town looks when you drive in matters alot. our town does not look good. it is run down the front of the stores,the weeds. junk cars sitting around. peoples lawns not mowed. kids wreaking the park. it needs some controle and inforsement.
ReplyDeleteThank you to all who participated in our survey. The results were delivered to City Hall and Village Board members.
ReplyDeletei would like to say thank you county sheriffs for being around more since the thefts we had, seeing them more in town, makes me feel better anyway.
ReplyDelete