A bid opening was held for the Highway Operations Project at the Dorr Township Office.  A copy of the bid tabulation sheet is available here.  All bids from the previous bid opening on July 23, 2024 were rejected.

A Special Town Meeting was held May 21, 2024 at the Highway Operations location. The Township received approval from the electors at the meeting and the project is in the final planning stages. Testing has been performed, the proper permits are being applied for and then the project will go out for bid.

Highway Operations for Dorr Township is located at 12322 Davis Road, Woodstock, Ill. The Township plans to replace one pole barn storage building built more than 50-years ago with two modern buildings for maintenance and storage of equipment, and offices for Highway Operations staff.

Originally planned in 2012 when the Township constructed three other buildings, this project was postponed until funding has been accumulated to finance the project to minimize the impact on the taxpayer.

Buildings of 5,000 square feet or more require sprinkler systems. By dividing the total size of the project into two buildings, the Township will realize significant savings while continuing to ensure safety throughout the entire project.

Each of the two buildings will be 4,995 square feet in size with higher ceilings than the current building, allowing for greater ease in maintaining equipment and vehicles on site.

In the 1970s, pole barns were constructed as inexpensive and quick to build. Their supports are wood and subject to rot. Patches on the garage doors and ceiling of the existing structure are representative of short-term fixes to continue to make the building functional. Maintenance of equipment is cumbersome as the ceiling is too low to raise up the trucks. As a result, vehicles are shuttled from the old building to the newer buildings for maintenance. The building is not energy efficient, space is not adequate for staff to meet, and it continues to degrade.

No new taxes will be required to pay for the new buildings. Funds have been set aside for this project as it was long anticipated by the Township trustees.

Highway Operations will be more cost-effective with more energy efficient buildings. The management of the equipment will be streamlined as vehicles will not need to be transferred from one building to the next for repairs. Staff will be working in a better environment allowing for more staff satisfaction and retention.

Dorr Township Highway Operations supports all roads and bridges in the township that are not within incorporated municipalities. The Highway Operations district is a public corporation like a township, but is a separate corporation, receiving its own tax dollars through its own independent line item on McHenry County tax bills. State law requires townships to maintain their unincorporated roadways. Dorr Township Highway Operations strives to provide the best possible roads and services at the most economical expense to residents.

Dorr Township Highway Operations currently maintains 65 lane miles of roadway. The Township is in central McHenry County, bordering Seneca, Grafton, Nunda and Greenwood Townships.

Among the duties of the Highway Commissioner are constructing and maintaining roads and bridges, snow and ice removal, removing debris, downed trees and any wildlife struck by traffic, storage of tools and equipment and installation and maintenance of traffic signs. The Highway Operations approves all driveway permits.

Work on the new building will begin following approval at a special voting meeting to be held in May 2024. Details will be announced at the April 9, 2024 Annual Meeting of the voting date for residents to vote in-person and on-site.

After the special meeting, the architect will begin the pre-construction phase of planning after which the bidding process can start.

For more information on the project, please read this article featured in The Woodstock Independent on March 20, 2024.