Thanks to reader "Mike," the Times has learned of a nearby workshop that will help Dorchester leaders and candidates for office learn more about available funding for community and economic development projects.The public funding workshop will be held this Thursday, March 13, at York's Holiday Inn & Convention Center -- right off Interstate 80. There is no cost obligation.
According to an Omaha firm, Kirkham Michael, many communities whose leaders have attended the workshop have attained financing for infrastructure planning, water and wastewater system improvements, streets, and other needed improvements. The firm's staff will conduct the workshop, along with "experts in the area of public financing."
The workshop begins at 9:30 a.m. and ends at approximately 3 p.m. Lunch will be provided. For those interested in attending, call Rich Robinson with Kirkham Michael at (402) 255-3840 or Cindy Mainquist at (402) 255-3808.
I like this idea and hope ever body who filed for city board will take time to attend if they can.
ReplyDeletehey cj................
ReplyDeletewhy didnt you file?????????/
Maybe I did file :)
ReplyDeleteI am a council member in another city, but still pay alot of attention to Dorchester, and I was quite disappointed today when there was no one from Dorchester at this meeting. Dorchester is a prime canidate for a lot of grants and I hope someone in the village knows how to write grants, but more importantly knows where they are. If you need some help ask your neighboring communities Crete, Friend, Hickman, and Fairbury how they recieved there money they were all in attendance.
ReplyDeleteIf our office ladies were doing there job, they should know about these. If they cant, we need to get some in there that will have more time to look. Maybe the new board members, will do some changing.
ReplyDeleteOFFICE LADIES???....please stop with the patronizing tone. Tell the good ole boys to get on the stick.
ReplyDeleteRoseville, CA
It would not have mattered which Village staff member attended. The point is, Dorchester should have sent a village board member or village employee to this meeting. Period. Seems like that would have been a perfect agenda item to discuss at the last board meeting....
ReplyDeleteIt seems like the board members and employees just don't care about the town. Too bad.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it would have been a good showing for Dorchester if an official could have been present. A call to Cindy Manquist with Kirkham Michael did confirm that the Village Chairman and Clerk were sent the registration information.
ReplyDeleteWhat concerns me more is information that I heard regarding Dorchester Co-op's request for Village utility assistance and being told that they have 'grown too big for Dorchester' and have become 'a burden to the town'.
Now, I wasn't there and cannot confirm any of this, so please correct me if I'm wrong. However, if this is true and a Village official said this to a company that provides the largest economic impact to the town, than something does need to change.
All of our village board members have jobs and work. It is not easy to get off work to go to workshops......... this is money out of the pockets of these individuals who get no respect for the job they are doing.
ReplyDeleteYou can put anyone you want on the village board.....it wont change. So much of what is done is decided by the state and federal guidelines and the lawyers.
To the anonymous/city people who wrote above. How did every other town have somebody there and not Dorchester. Part of being on the board is PUBLIC SERVICE not just for oneself. Someone should of went.
ReplyDeleteI beg to differ...someone could have attended the workshop. The village would pay for their time/gas (which they do anyway) and have them gather needed information. I also don't believe for a minute that things can't change. If I believed that, I wouldn't be living here and I most certainly wouldn't be encouraging people, including my children, to move here. I also don't believe that the village board members are hindered by Federal/State guidelines. That is only an excuse not to change. Things can change--just look at our new school project....our school board members are respected and have many Federal/State guidelines they have to work around. I do agree it is a job that you can never make "everyone" happy but I also think that you have to move forward instead of just staying in the same place. Trying something is better than trying nothing.
ReplyDeleteMike - I don't know about the Coop remark either but I do know that the village hasn't been positive regarding requests from the school. Refusing a joint effort in a community library was 2 steps backwards. Also, why haggle over not paying for the new transformer needed for the new school project? Maybe I'm wrong but I thought transformers were the village's responsibility.
The anonymous poster who starts off with "I beg to differ" is a great writer. I have a feeling you may have moved back to Dorchester after living away for many years. Good luck in persuading your kids to move near you. You sound like a typical Mother!
ReplyDeleteH. L. Mencken
Bashing the co-op? Are you nuts?? The co-op probably pays 70% or more of the in-town property taxes to the school and city government. Without it, there would be no teacher salaries. There would be no city employee salaries.
ReplyDeleteBetter know who butters your bread. And quit spouting your socialist, populist remarks.
I think you need to distinguish between populists and socialists:
ReplyDeletePopulist-A member of a political party claiming to represent the common people; : a member of a United States political party formed in 1891 primarily to represent agrarian interests and to advocate the free coinage of silver and government control of monopolies.
Socialism-many of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods.
Both definitions are from Merriam-Webster dictionary.
Ironically, the Farmer's Cooperative was borne out of the Populist movement which at one time dominated Nebraska politics.
Well put anonymous, but just to add to that: populists and socialists agreed on the issue of government controlled railroads and shipping. - UNL HIST 202 (Kinbacher)
ReplyDeleteNot-so-well-put, Anonymous. One can be a democrat (a supporter of the democratic process) without being a Democrat. We are talking about philosophy here, not a political party. (The difference between a populist and a Populist.) I stand by my original statement. The people criticizing the co-op are anti-growth, anti-business populists who lean socialist.
ReplyDeleteI don't think calling anyone socialist is going to help the matter. However I am grateful the Farmers Cooperative not only has its largest elevator in Dorchester, but is also headquartered here. I agree that they "butter our bread" as stated above.
ReplyDeleteCheers to Gavin Rossdale and West Sider. Also, thumbs up to the Farmer's Co-op for maintaining our prairie populist tradition.
ReplyDeleteHenry Mencken
Baltimore, MD