Dorchester to work on utilities
The Dorchester Village Board received updates on a street project that is set to begin on June 20.
Project Engineer Scot Balsavich of Cooper Engineering is heading up the execution of the project and was at the meeting on June 1. He assured that although there is a slight hang-up in the financial portion of the project, he intends to begin staking off dimensions for the project shortly after Dorchester Days concludes.
The Department of Natural Resources is reviewing an annual audit of the village before they release the funds for the safe drinking water loan that Dorchester had applied for.
“It’s a pretty common event for us to want that audit in the door so that we can close out on any loans or anything of that nature that are project related,” Balsavich said. “We’re waiting for that audit. It helps with the closure as far as closing out a loan and locking in the funds.”
Balsavich reiterated that the delay in the audit completion would hopefully not result in a delay for the project.
“The project was bid late last year with the idea that the contractor realistically couldn’t get going on some of the project until after Dorchester Days,” Balsavich said. “Because of that, the contractor elected to wait until after Dorchester Days. Then they’re free to start. It’s just a matter of how the community is going to pay for it.”
Streets affected will be North and South Third Street as well as North Front Street from West Kennedy Ave. to County Road A and is scheduled to take 14 weeks. For the Third Street sections, the contractor will be replacing the sanitary sewer which is approximately in the center of the street.
The contractor will also be replacing a water main on those sections of road. This will result in the loss of most of the street and will require the road to be resurfaced at the conclusion of the project. The section of County Road A where Third Street crosses will be closed for a short time while crews replace water and sewer lines. A detour will be provided during that time.
“A portion of the street reconstruction is funded as a part of the sewer and water project,” Balsavich said.
A Community Development Block Grant will also help cover the cost of the project for the village. Community Financing Specialist Amy Kelsey of Cooper Engineering helped secure the funds for the project.
Other business
_ The board decided to postpone a conversation about stray dogs and where to place them. Currently, the dogs are put in an outdoor kennel within the city where they can be kept until the owner is found. Commissioner Daniella Schauer said she is tired of getting calls about the dogs and would like to see the village adopt a different method of dealing with them.
She suggested Kelly Gunderson take in stray dogs instead as she lives a few miles out of town and has the adequate resources to hold dogs, check them for a microchip and return them to their owners. The board ultimately decided to table the conversation until more information can be presented by Gunderson at a future meeting.
_ The board approved a proposal to pay Haas Sons, Inc. for part of the materials for the lift station project that is scheduled for this fall. The materials were purchased to get them at current prices but there is no room to store them at the job site. Haas is willing to store them but asked for half of the money spent on those materials as a down payment for storing and purchasing the products. That total came to $5,625. The board was unanimous in paying the amount.
_ The South Fourth Street paving project came in under budget so a proposal was brought forth to use the excess money to cover an extended section of Fourth Street. The work would add $43,825.73 in cost to the project. According to the board, those funds would be covered by unused money from past improvement budgets as well as the leftover money from the Fourth Street project budget.
_ The department of public works is still waiting on parts for booster pump No. 2.
