Show Notes
In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Director of Media Services Mike Gillis about September's board, committee and commission meetings.
The Planning Board tabled proposed zoning amendments after two public hearings and eight months of work, choosing to weigh public feedback before revisiting them in October. Board members also questioned a request to convert rental units at 54 Back River Road to for-sale units, focusing on long-term affordability. Applicant John Randolph withdrew the request, leaving the project as originally approved.
The City Council's Sept. 2 workshop covered the water system and the July 1, 2027, switch to toters for curbside trash pickup, with residents starting with 64-gallon carts. The related ordinance is now with the Ordinance Committee. On Sept. 9, the council adopted three ordinances, including parking provisions, along with a City Hall tower lighting policy modeled on the city's flag policy. It also approved the sale of tax-deeded property, a rare step. On Sept. 23, the council tabled the paraeducators' contract pending more financial information.
The School Board set its budget calendar, with Superintendent Christine Boston presenting Nov. 23, and approved a generative AI plan. The Zoning Board heard an unusual appeal over whether Tuscany Drive is a legitimate road, which the city attorney said fell outside its jurisdiction. Looking ahead, the council and Planning Board meet jointly Oct. 7 on the capital improvements program.
More from Dover Download
In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Dian Maruca, executive director of the Dover Housing Authority, as part of the podcast's continuing look at local nonprofits and social service agencies. Maruca, who has led the authority since March 2026 after joining as deputy director in 2023, shares how a teenage landscaping job at the Newmarket Housing Authority grew into a career in subsidized housing. She says that hands-on experience shapes her respect for her maintenance and administrative staff.
In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Director of Planning and Community Development Donna Benton about the FY28-33 Capital Improvements Program, presented to the City Council and Planning Board on Oct. 7.
In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Margaret Joyce and Jed Allen of the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce about the 42nd annual Apple Harvest Day. What began as a small craft fair on Orchard Street with about a dozen crafters has grown into a signature event often described as Dover's homecoming, with roughly 250 vendors, two food courts, a road race, an apple pie contest and entertainment on two stages. The festival runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the 5K road race starting at 8:30 a.m.
In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Kathy Beebe, executive director of Haven, as part of the podcast's continuing look at local nonprofits. Haven is the Seacoast's domestic violence and sexual assault prevention and support agency. It was formed through the merger of A Safe Place and Sexual Assault Support Services. Beebe explains that the new name was chosen deliberately to make clear its services are for anyone affected, including men, teens, adult survivors of childhood abuse, and family members.
In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Lily Hanscom, Dover's new director of Public Welfare, about the city's role as a local safety net.