Dorchester Times: Considerable Progress Being Made On School Project

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Considerable Progress Being Made On School Project

Progress continues on the Dorchester School expansion and renovation project approved by voters on Sept. 11 this year.

On Monday, Nov. 26, the first steps were taken in constructing the walls of the new classrooms that will comprise the western portion of the newly renovated Dorchester Public Schools campus.

The accompanying photos of

the first "pour" of the west classroom walls were provided courtesy of the school.

According to information received by the Times, the last pour is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 19.

A large construction crane is slated to come to the work site soon after Christmas.

At that time, the walls will be erected and workers will beginning framing the roof, removing casting beds, pouring floors and starting interior work.

Construction on the western portion of the project will be continue into the spring, as the gymnasium side of the school campus will be completely enclosed. Demolition of the 1927 building will go ahead as planned sometime in May of 2008. It is not yet known whether there will be any special events to commemorate the 80 years of education provided in the 1927 school building.

12 comments:

AnonymousNovember 27, 2007 at 3:14 PM
Good to see. No wait, GREAT to see. It wouldn't surprise me if Dorchest is named as one of the regions best schools when this work is done.
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UnknownNovember 27, 2007 at 11:27 PM
Would love to see some kind of celebration or event coinciding with the day demolition starts. Maybe the Alumni Association can put out the call and see how many people would attend such an event?
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AnonymousNovember 28, 2007 at 9:25 AM
Although a bit early, perhaps something can be scheduled with the alumni tournament? A lot of people come back for that.

Have there been any initiatives started to try and capture the outside dollars that the construction workers can bring in?
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Village DwellerNovember 28, 2007 at 10:41 AM
'Father Andersen' and 'Mike' have made good suggestions.

We think downtown businesses could indeed see some benefit from the construction crews working on the school.

As for the alumni tournament, we have maintained for some time that there is ample opportunity for businesses and organizations to make money during that weekend.
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AnonymousNovember 28, 2007 at 10:46 AM
Too bad they couldn't do an implosion on the 4th of July!
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AnonymousNovember 28, 2007 at 1:47 PM
I agree with Mike. There should be a walk-through for us alumni before the old building is torn down in spring.
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AnonymousNovember 28, 2007 at 2:08 PM
A walk-through might be a good idea. That was done in Wilber before they tore down the old high school. However, the experience was very emotional. The class of 1956 was photographed shortly after the tour, and they looked deeply depressed
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AnonymousNovember 28, 2007 at 3:02 PM
Sometimes the look of depression can get confused with effects of old age!
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AnonymousNovember 28, 2007 at 4:48 PM
Heres an idea.......... the alumni association should seek out the oldest living alum ....... then publicize a special gathering for all alums before the old building is torn down..........
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AnonymousNovember 28, 2007 at 4:56 PM
The look of depression can only be confused with old age if you haven't had plastic surgery. Cheers! The walk-through is a good idea.
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AnonymousNovember 29, 2007 at 11:29 AM
Please do a walk through of the old school.I would love to do that for old times sake. Yes it will be a sad time for hey, things change for the good. Let the tears begin!
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AnonymousNovember 29, 2007 at 1:16 PM
I can tell it's tissue time!
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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."