A week before a critical townhall meeting on the condition of Dorchester's streets, roughly 86% (126 votes) of Times readers say they want to consider paving. That is according to the results of a Dorchester Times online poll.As of 9 a.m. this morning, 147 readers participated in the online poll, which will be active for another week.
Approximately 13% (19 voters) of readers would rather see more gravel applied to the town's roads. About 1% wants nothing done.
Earlier this month, town residents attended the Dorchester village board meeting and presented photos showing street conditions in their neighborhood. Those residents told the Times that the village board is not nearly as supportive of paving as readers of the Times.
According to various reports, two of the five current town board members oppose paving, while only one member publicly supports it. The other two members appear to be undecided.
Three of the board members will not be returning to the body next year. Those who want to run for the village board have until Aug. 1 to file at the county election clerk's office in Wilber -- unless they already hold another elected office, in which case they have until July 15.
A week from tonight, on April 5, a special townhall and town board meeting will be held at the Dorchester Community Building. The meeting will start at 7 p.m. All town residents, regardless of position on paving, are encouraged to attend.
May I be blunt?
ReplyDeleteIt's do or die time for our town. Either we put down paved streets or you can kiss Dorchester goodbye.
Without streets suitable for the 21st century, no one will ever build here again. No one will bother to fix up their homes. We will become a magnet for the impoverished who think it's perfectly fine to park a dozen rusty cars on their front lawn.
It's our choice: PAVED STREETS WITH REAL NICE CURBS ... OR THIRD WORLD CONDITIONS FIT FOR TURDS.
pave my street pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!
ReplyDeletefYes lets pave and while we are at it fix up the few paved streets we DO HAVE !!!!! They look so bad...
ReplyDeleteour county roads are just as bad or worse than our city streets.
ReplyDeletewe pay money to have these roads smooth also.
Lets get a packaged deal and pave the whole county.
Dorchester is not going to dye, it has been here for over a hundred years, some people just like to scare everyone, it happen in 1979, and was the same scare. It will not change the town, sure it would be nice, but dont think that paving will make or break the town, people live her because they like small communities. There are still people that went to school that are coming back to Dorchester, and it isnt because we dont have paved street. Its because they like our town, and probably grew up here, I dont see the farms complaning about the county roads having paving, people just live, and dont sweat the small stuff. Lets worry more about the sewer plant, drainage, and the water tower, I would worry much more about that, then good roads, its mother nature. It works out, and always has.
ReplyDeletefor the may I be blunt comment, you are so very very right!!!
ReplyDeleteI am a recent DHS graduate. I am pondering whether to live in Dorchester or move to the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal.
ReplyDeleteI am leaning towards Mount Everest. They have better streets there.
Anonymous 7:52 that is the thinking that got us here in the first place. Everything will take care of itself. In this day and age just like then we need to be pro active in cleaning up this town not it will take care of itself.
ReplyDeleteDear Dorchester,
ReplyDeletePlease DO NOT pave your streets. We do not want the competition and we prefer you stay at the bottom of the barrel, where you belong.
Love,
The cities of Friend, Crete, Wilber, Milford, Exeter, Cordova, Denton, Pleasant Dale (your neighbors, all of who have paving)
I don't Think any of you guys realize how much paving would cost the concrete in front of most of the houses would cost more that the houses are worth. As taxes rise here people will just move closer to their jobs and away from the small towns.
ReplyDeleteDon't make up your mind until you hear the figures. One city employee with an agenda going around telling folks that paving will cost them an extra $1,000 a year in taxes is not a good source to use to form an educated opinion.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any idea of the number of people I have spoken to who are holding off on home improvements? They want to see if paving is approved first. Only then will they invest in their homes. Otherwise they will never get their money back on their investment.
I've heard people from York, Jefferson & Seward counties say Saline County roads are in better shape then theirs. But I haven't heard anyone say Dorchester's streets are better then York's, Seward's or Fairbury's.
ReplyDeleteTo dear dorchester, what a nasty thing to say, If you dont have any thing nice to say dont say anything at all.
ReplyDelete99% of the retired people don't pay property taxes. they qualify for homestead exemption. wonder who will pick up their share? how about the property owner who already paid for paving in front of their property? probably need someone to pay there share. I'm thinking it will be a little more then $1000 a year for most homeowners. I agree that the paving will cost about what the average property is valued at in town! Also wondering where the pond water will be directed from the park intersection? If it is captured; every ounce has to go thru the sewer plant. hope they built the new plant big enuff to accomadate the town run off? just some food for thought!
ReplyDeleteEleven current and former Lincoln City Council members turned out Tuesday to voice support for a plan to redevelop the historic Haymarket district, including building an arena to house Husker basketball, concerts and other public events.
ReplyDelete"If you stop growing, you start dying," said Joe Hampton, a real estate developer who served on the City Council from 1977 to 1998.
...Dorchester should pay attention to that quote above...
Okay, here we go again, spouting off so called facts and figures as use as scare tactics.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, there are several different funding mechanisms for paving. (Ones that don't include attaching the costs associated with the paving to the entire village tax base, but to the individual property owner that realizes the paving improvement.)
Attend the April 5th meeting with an open mind and find out the true facts about development tactics.
I WAS TOLD BY A VERY INFORMED ECONOMIC DEVELOPER THAT IT'S LIKELY DORCHESTER RESIDENTS COULD PAVE THEIR STREETS FOR AN EXTRA $100-$200 A YEAR SINCE THE LEVY IS ALREADY SO HIGH.
ReplyDeleteMORE TO THE POINT, WHAT IS THE CITY DOING WITH ALL THAT REVENUE GENERATED BY THE CO-OP PROPERTY? WE SHOULD HAVE STREETS OF GOLD!
Anything over 60% is a mandate!
ReplyDeleteI think we should be looking at a water tower and some new wells first.
ReplyDelete86% of the communinty may want to " consider" paving but I bet 86% of the community dosn't want to PAY for paving.
ReplyDeleteI am guessing paving would pass by a 60%-40% margin if put before the town's people. Just like the school issue.
ReplyDeleteA certain city employee needs to quit using scare tactics and intimidation to push his agenda of no progress. We all know he doesn't give a darn about Dorchester's long-term future, but no one elected him. We pay his salary. If I want paving and I pay his salary, he needs to quit pretending he runs the town or quit his job and run for town board. C'mon ... let's see what you have got.
ReplyDeleteIts kind of funny, they say a peittion is going around, how untrue, I have never seen it, or signed it. Himmmm, so who is telling the truth, kinda like the 86% are for the paving, himmm, kinda of make me wonder where the truth really lies.
ReplyDeleteI know for a fact that a petition has gone around because I have signed it myself. You may not have been home when they came to your house. Also they only need a certain percentage of signatures to get it on the ballot so they do not need to go to every house.
ReplyDeleteTrue, but they probably went to the people who they have talk to and wanted it, not to the people who do not care. That would make sense to me. It would make the vote matter that way. I think there is alot more people against it than for it.
ReplyDeleteI signed the petition also along with a lot of citizens
ReplyDeletePut it to a vote, town leaders and paving opponents.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you have to fear ... but fear itself and progress????!
10 Reasons To Pave
ReplyDelete1.) Community pride
2.) Town longevity
3.) Change to have your house appreciate in value
4.) Better air quality
5.) Savings of over a $1 million in 10 years on labor, gravel
6.) Fewer mosquitos and other insects due to less standing water
7.) Less damage to vehicles
8.) More building and home repair in town
9.) Better storm water drainage
10.) Happy citizens who care about their town.
Paving.
ReplyDeleteBy any means necessary. Just get 'r done!
Sure we should vote it with NO idea how much it will costs!!!!
ReplyDeleteafter last night's meeting, I am convinced more than ever that we need paving!
ReplyDeleteSo how did the meeting go last night? I grew up in Dorchester but live in Crete now. I have been watching this story since I would like to move back there some day.
ReplyDeleteHartington, a community of about 1,650 in Cedar County, is the latest community to earn the designation of Nebraska Economic Development Certified Community. The program, sponsored by the Nebraska Diplomats, is one of a handful nationally that recognize communities’ economic development preparedness. DED administers the application process. In 2007, Hartington passed LB840, the Local Municipal Options Sales Tax, which earmarked 1 percent revenue for economic development projects. The City then began planning for a new 38 residential housing division in 2009 to help meet projected needs for new homes during the next 15 years. That same year, a local telecommunications company invested $5.6 million of a Rural Utilities Service loan to link each Hartington home and business with fiber optic cable.
ReplyDeleteIf they can do it, why can't we?
Talking about spending this kind of money sure gets people mad. hopefully we can find away to take care of the water and sewer and take on the rest shortly after.
ReplyDeleteI don't think people will be able to get much out of there houses if the paving is to go. It will be pretty hard to get the $30,000 extra for paving in front of their homes if people try to sell their homes, I think this needs some more thinking before anything is voted on.
ReplyDeleteI think some people will say anything to stop progress and the will of the majority.
ReplyDeleteAPRIL 7, 2010 (MITCHELL, NEB.)—With highly trafficked streets in desperate need of mending, the citizens of Mitchell (pop. 1,831) took the initiative to pave the way for repair. The City’s 1 & 6 Year Street Improvement Program listed the streets as a high priority for a number of years. Through the community’s membership in the Panhandle Area Development District, Mitchell officials became aware of available Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding in the Public Works category through the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. In 2008, the community applied for and received $250,000. Local matching funds were raised through bonds which will be retired with street funds.
ReplyDeleteThe funds were used to install curb, gutter, sidewalks and paving in three areas of Mitchell. The paved roads eliminated the large amount of maintenance previously needed for gravel roads, as well as reduced the areas with standing water after a rain. There is no longer a dust problem, and with the addition of sidewalks, residents are enjoying walks to class and around the neighborhood. More people have begun to use the streets which in turn lessened previous traffic congestion on adjacent streets. The community looks forward to seeing citizen improvements to private properties adjacent to the streets.
If you put paving on the ballot and it somehow passes you will hog tie the village and its residents financially then what? And since you cannot yet comment on the article at the top of the blog page the property owners in town that do not reside here have SHOULD have just as much say in the paving issue as the residents.
ReplyDeleteI agree with anonymous april 7, 4:06 p.m. this would be a huge burden on the older people in town and the ones who have already paid for their paving 31 year ago.
ReplyDeletethis blog should be shut down permanintly!its doing no one any good and only causing fightings. i would block this website on your home computers
ReplyDeleteYes this blog has made trouble for this town from the start It got the school pasted and This street project will run us all into a big mess that are kids will be digging out of. This is not the way to be doing things
ReplyDeleteJust like dirty babies, some small town people don't know when they are stinking up the place; they are content to sit in their soiled mess.
ReplyDeleteThree words: Pave. Pave. Pave.
some of us are not even in a soiled mess but we would have to pay for are streets again get a grip!
ReplyDeleteShut down this blog permanently? Wow!
ReplyDeleteIf ignorance is bliss, you must be very, very happy.
If you don't like it, don't read it!
DUH!!
Vote on paving.
ReplyDeletePlain and simple.
Paving would be nice, I have a house payment, some of the people that want it dont, or already have paying on their streets. The new school had increase my taxes, which is fine, it benefits the kids, but what I am going to have to pay to have paving, its just to big of chunk, if everyone houses were paid off, Iam sure everyone would want it. I would sure like to be payment free, but some people dont have that benefit. If we could get grants, that would help. Iam not trying to make the town, dry up like they say, I just what to be able to live. We drive country roads, and they are not paved, yes it was the worse winter, but progress comes at what cost. I say lets get the ditches done and new tubes put in and see how it works, in the mean time lets look at paving, because it will take 3 yrs or more to get it going. Lets get our streets to drain right, and fix that problem first, it has to be done, first before paving begins, anyway.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about Anonymous's April 7th 9:46am post: "This is not the way to be doing things", referring to the school & upgrading the community, so give your iedeas, what is the way to do things? As a wise superintendent always said,"agree to disagree agreeably" bring your ideas to the next board meeting, not as rants & raves but as constructive ideas that will help this community to grow & prosper. Change is hard for some people but once the improvements are in place the majority usually agree its was a good thing. Let's work together.
ReplyDeleteIf you want new people and business to move into town, there has be something done with the streets. The way of the streets are more people are going to move to Friend, Crete, Milford, Denton, Wilber, and other area towns around. That might give you something to think about.
ReplyDeleteDear Village Board:
ReplyDeletePut it to a vote.
Put it to a vote.
Put it to a vote.
Trust the will of the people.
Look at the facts people.. The water is going to crap and all we care about is paving streets. People how can the streets give you water. They can't. I think we need to fix the water problems first..
ReplyDeleteWHY ARE A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE SCARED TO LET THE PAVING ISSUE TO BE DECIDED BY A VOTE?
ReplyDeleteJUST LIKE 30 YRS. AGO AND 30 YRS. FROM NOW, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE OTHER COSTS AND REPAIRS. THAT'S NO EXCUSE TO STOP IMPROVING YOUR LIVING CONDITIONS.
Readers:
ReplyDeletePersonal communications to the editors and staff of this blog should be sent directly to our e-mail: Dorchester.Times@gmail.com.
We will not publish comments directly addressing our staff in the reader comments.
Thank you.
VOTE, BABY, VOTE...
ReplyDeleteCertain city employees need to quit commenting .... they are public servants of we the taxpayers. Put the paving issue to a vote.
ReplyDeleteWhats happends when this passes and we have to come up with about 4.5m to pay for water sewer and paving?
ReplyDeleteSome people want to know how can they afford paving. Let's use some common sense. If you buy your lunch everyday, pack it, probably save $750/yr, if you eat out for supper every week, start going out every other week $750/yr, some people go to the boats every week, go every other week (I have no idea how much you could save on that) if you smoke 2 packs a day, do your health & community some good & cut back a pack a day $1800/yr. Don't drive everywhere you go, walk, again improving your health (thus saving on doctor visits & medicine) & save gas money. Even if paving passes, it's going to take awhile, plus if you have it put on your tax statement, it takes almost a year before your payments are due. Start yourself a "Dorchester's Bright Future" savings account, by the time you have to make your first paving installment, the money will be in the bank.
ReplyDeleteSo the people that own homes in Dorchester, that don't live in Dorchester, don't get a say on the paving?
ReplyDeleteHow much is that not called COMMUNISTIC DICTATOR BULL CRUD? Is this not a free country where people have the right to a FREE vote? Especially when the vote will consist of money they will have to pay?
Have they not done their part in getting people to live in those houses? and are those people putting money in the town like going to the bar, store, let alone paying their water bill and buying the gas here in town?
How selfish can you be? Who owns your house? And pays the taxes on it? If you are the owner and payee of taxes, then great. But that’s not the case for many others.
I’m glad out of town people have invested in the houses in our town.
If you don't want the home owners from "other towns'" opinions or comments, go move to Russia, they could use more people just like you!
we don't really need paved roads, just need the village to get off their duffs and do their job to the BEST of their abilities. put some rock, gravel, dry dirt, what have you, just do something!!
For everyone's information we were for paving 30 years ago and am still in favor of paving. How do you think we got paving on the north side of our property? Why wouldn't we want paving on the east side of our property?
ReplyDeleteEd and Pat Dvorak
How about giving the people/homes that already have paving a 50%-75%break in any tax increase, depending on how much paving they have in front of their homes?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think people at intersections need to be given some consideration. Last time that issue caused normally sane people to get irrate.
To Anonymous April 12 - 2:09pm. Get a grip. Nothing has been decided on how paving would be voted on or paid for when & if it is approved. If you own land in another school district, you don't get to vote on the school bond issue, so not getting to vote & ending up paying for something is not new. At least if you're renting your property out you can recoup some by raising the rent, not something those of us who own our homes can do. You say Dorchester doesn't need paving, I just heard of another young couple who is considering moving if paving doesn't pass, they won't build a house on a gravel street, they can build on an acreage if they want to do that. Don't you get that paving will encourage people to build, building brings in more tax dollars & lowers the taxes of existing homes. It's no different then keeping your house upgraded, if you do nothing for 30 years & try to sell it, it's not going to be worth near as much as if you invested in it as you went along to keep it modern. Look at paving as an investment in both your community & your house.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know the actual cost and broke it down into how much money it would cost a person per month? Some of these post make it sound like it going to cost hundreds of dollars a month. I would like to see the break down.
ReplyDeleteyes its is going to cost, but they wont post this becaucse it wont benefit the paving they want.
ReplyDeleteEnough of the renter as consumer only mentality, and enough of the landlord vs. rentor junk. Landlording and Slumlording are both profitable. Out of those profits property taxes are paid, insurance, repairs, and the profit also. If there is a morgage on the rental property then at least the profit is paying for the loan which will pay off the house in the end which equals profit. If you can't afford the expenses of being a landlord, then you made a bad investment. One other thing if you are going to be a landlord you have the responsibility to take care of the property, just as the renter has the responsibility to return the property in the same if not better condition. There's more at stake here than an economic transaction.
ReplyDeleteI am a Dorchester grad and long time Saline County resident. I have resided in three towns in Saline Co in the last 15 years, 1 with most streets paved and 2 without most streets paved, and too be quite frank, the one with streets paved has been the most enjoyable (and this is where we will/are sending our kids to school).
ReplyDeleteI don't have much say in the matter, but Big D residents, please pave your streets. Yes, it could possibly lead to higher property tax valuations. However, to me it is worth it. Paved streets are great, and I believe that the increase in property taxes are worth it when it BETTERS YOUR CHILDS EDUCATION! Feel proud in what Dorchester schools has to offer now!
From an outsider once insider looking in: PLEASE PAVE YOUR STREETS! HELP DEVELOP YOUR GREAT TOWN!
Dorchester has always been great paving or not paving. I wouldnt live anywhere else, paving doesnt make any difference. Its the town that I love, its like living in the country, farmers love. And so it was.
ReplyDelete