Dorchester street project change order on the horizon

The Dorchester Village Board received an update on nine items that are to be included in a change order for a street project that occurred over the summer months in 2022. The change order includes potential items which will be approved at a later date.

The change order is a part of the street and utility project completed by Steen Construction over the summer. The contractor will still need to address some punch list items and spring clean up items as the ground thaws this spring.

Seven parts of the change order currently have Steen Construction requesting and Cooper Engineering recommending additional money from the village while the other two items currently have the village recouping money or not being charged for additional work.

Cooper Engineering’s Scot Balsavich told the board that one of the items on the list of changes was being dealt with by the contractor. The item involved the contractor removing and disposing of abandoned gas service lines that contained asbestos. Balsavich noted that the item may be covered by WE Energies but that would be determined in ongoing talks with both WE Energies and the contractor.

More details about the change orders and what it might cost, or return, to the city financially will be released after the order has been finalized and approved by the council.

n Resident Ron Robida wrote a note which had an update on how dances have gone at Memorial Hall over the past few months.

Robida said there were two successful dances in January that drew in dancers from over 35 communities in a 65 square-mile radius of Dorchester. Robida enclosed a check for $175 for the fuel bill for the events. The rest of the proceeds were to be given to the veterans memorial that will be going up in Dorchester Park in the coming years.

n The lift station is in operation and the generators are in place. Landscaping for the site will be conducted in the springtime as well as the installation of a chain link fence.

n The board approved an operator’s license for another snowmobile race that will be held on Saturday, Feb. 11 at Dorchester Lake.

n The board approved the usage of folding chairs for the Central Fire and EMS fish fry fundraiser that will happen on March 31.