Dorchester bans parking on portion of 4th Street
Dorchester’s elected officials voted last week to make parking illegal on several blocks of North Fourth Street — reversing a decision made two years earlier by a different set of village board members.
Responding to safety concerns from a resident, the village board directed the public works crew to put up no parking signs on both sides of North Second Street, from Washington Avenue north to village limits.
Trustee Clem Klimpke said he went and checked out the street after a resident, Angela Reader, spoke to the board at its July 7 meeting about the difficulties she and her husband have with pulling out of their driveway due to all of the cars parked alongside the road.
Klimpke said he barely made it through there with his own vehicle when he encountered an SUV parked on one side of the road and a pickup truck on the other.
Village president Kurt Schwoch said all the board needs to do is add the blocks to its map of no parking areas and have road signs put up.
“It gets rather narrow right there,” he said, referring to the stretch of road north of Washington.
The board previously considered banning parking on that stretch of Fourth after several residents complained about the congested roadway in 2019, but a motion to do so was defeated in June of that year. Trustees at the time said they were reluctant to permanently stop people from parking on the street.
Deputy clerk Christie Erikson wondered about all of the heavy farm equipment that uses North Fourth to exit and enter the village.
Schwoch said the village’s truck route on Fourth Street only goes as far as Washington, so heavy machinery really should be turning there instead of leaving the village on that narrow stretch of road. (An exception is made for Dorchester Days weekend, when heavy trucks are allowed to go up to Kennedy Avenue).
Klimpke predicted that “a whole flock of farmers” would show up at a meeting if the board tried to prevent them from using Fourth Street.
Farm traffic on Fourth Street was not on the agenda, so the board took no action on the topic.
Board members also reviewed a local ordinance regarding fireworks after Klimpke complained about the number of residents shooting them off throughout the month July.
Village president Kurt Schwoch said he spoke to someone at the sheriff’s department, who said they will investigate the illegal use of fireworks if someone from the village calls in a complaint. He said photographic evidence can help make the case. Schwoch also noted that letters need to be sent out regarding other ordinance violations as well. Klimpke, however, said he’s “sick and tired” of all the fireworks going off by his house, but if he were to call the sheriff’s department, he feels the illegal activity will be over by the time a deputy arrives.
“I can’t call Clark County every five minutes to come up and check on fireworks,” he said. “I think we need to be little bit more proactive as a board and do something with our ordinances. We should send something out in the mail.”
Klimpke said he spoke to offi cials in local townships and learned that the village could take action itself to clamp down on ordinance violations.
“We have the authority to enforce our ordinances by sending a letter to them, and if they do not comply, we can take it directly to the district attorney, is what I’m told,” he said.
Erikson said trying to enforce the fireworks ordinance like that will likely require the involvement of village attorney Bonnie Wachsmuth, who would have to represent the village in court if someone contested a citation. Erikson said she would like to consult with Wachsmuth before moving ahead with sending letters to residents.
No action was taken on the matter.
Other business
_ Utility operator Rick Golz said the village’s water tower would be drained this week for a DNR-required inspection and cleaning done every 10 years. A 5,000-gallon pressure tank will be put in place to temporarily provide water storage while the tower is empty, he said.
_ The board tabled a motion to issue Brody Halopka a new address for a business he is building on Meyer Drive. Schwoch said the village needs to wait until a structure is actually established at the location before an address can be assigned.
“They don’t get a number until they get a front door,” he said.
_ The board approved an alcohol operator’s license for Aleesha Helgeson.
_ The board voted to keep bowling fees at Memorial Hall the same, $8 per person, for the 2021-2022 season.
