Dover Download

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Ryan Pope and George Regan from New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority about the state's housing challenges. Pope, formerly Dover's housing navigator, now works in multifamily development, while Regan serves as director of community engagement. They discuss the state's significant housing...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Dover Public Library Director Denise LaFrance and City Facilities Project Manager Eric Sanderson about the library's renovation and temporary relocation project. The discussion covers the library's move to the McConnell Center for approximately one year while the more than 100-year-old building...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Dave Dinzeo of the Solid Waste Advisory Committee and Bill Stafford about Dover's transition from a bag-and-tag waste collection system to an automated collection system using wheeled containers ("toters"). The conversation explores how Dover's solid waste management has evolved over 35 years, from pri...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, the second of two parts, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Nate Bernitz from UNH Cooperative Extension about building and maintaining public trust in local government. Parker discusses Dover's approach to strategic planning, transparency, and accountability, explaining how the city tracks roughly 700 metrics monthly and regularly repor...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, the first of two parts, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Nate Bernitz, a field specialist for Community and Economic Development at the University of New Hampshire's Cooperative Extension, about transparency and public trust in local government. The conversation explores Dover's various approaches to building trust through outreach an...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Dave Carpenter, Community Development Coordinator, and Ryan Pope, Housing Navigator, about Dover's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and the upcoming five-year consolidated plan. Carpenter explains that Dover has been an entitlement community since the 1970s, receiving direct federal fun...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Bill Hunt, Chairman of the Conservation Commission, and Anna Boudreau, founding member of the Open Lands Committee, about their combined 40-plus years of volunteer service preserving Dover's natural resources. Hunt, a retired teacher and farm owner, discusses the Conservation Commission's role in provi...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Rick Mikulis and Heather Twombly about recent changes to Dover's Recreation Advisory Board. They discuss how the board has been restructured to combine three separate entities - the Recreation Board, Arena Commission, and Pool Committee - into one comprehensive board. The consolidation aims to streamli...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Utilities Superintendent Mike Nadeau and City Engineer Ken Mavrogeorge about Dover's ongoing lead service line inventory initiative. The discussion centers on a federally mandated program requiring cities to document the materials used in water service lines, with particular attention to identifying po...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Doug Glennon from Jewelry Creations and Shelby Meyrowitz from Hip Finds Company about upcoming holiday shopping events in downtown Dover. They discuss several initiatives including Plaid Friday (Dover's version of Black Friday), Small Business Saturday, Artists Sunday, and a Holiday Stroll. The guests...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Transportation Advisory Commission (TAC) Chair Michael Williams and Police Lt. Marn Speidel about the unique structure and function of Dover's TAC. The commission consists of nine members, including three voting staff liaisons and six citizen appointees, making it distinct from other city boards. They...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Perry Plummer, Dover's new Fire Chief, who is returning to the role after previously serving as Fire Chief from the late 1990s to early 2000s. Plummer discusses his extensive career, including his time as director of New Hampshire Homeland Security and Emergency Management and assistant commissioner fo...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Kevin Hebert, Dover's new Recreation Director, who replaced longtime director Gary Bannon in April. Hebert discusses his 25-year background in education and athletics, including roles as Athletic Director at various schools, including Somersworth High School and Spaulding High School in Rochester. As a...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with City Clerk Jerrica Vansylyvong-Bizier about voting in the upcoming General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 5. They discuss Dover's six polling locations, voter registration processes, absentee ballot procedures, and ballot counting methods. Vansylyvong-Bizier explains the rigorous checks and balances in plac...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Dana Lynch, a long-time advocate and member of the Cochecho Waterfront Development Advisory Committee, and Jamie Stevens, the city's project manager for the waterfront development project. They discuss the progress of the project, which has been in the works for over 30 years. Lynch reflects on the pro...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Planning Director Donna Benton about the Capital Improvements Program (CIP) for 2026 to 2031. Benton explains the process of creating the CIP, which begins in the summer with department heads submitting requests for new projects or changes to existing ones. The program covers various categories includi...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Jackson Kaspari, former Resilience Manager for the City of Dover, about the one-year anniversary of Dover's Community Power program and the city's resilience plan. Kaspari explains that Community Power is a coalition of New Hampshire communities that have joined together to provide competitive electric...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Margaret Joyce and Jed Allen from the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce about the upcoming 40th annual Apple Harvest Day on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. They discuss the event's growth from its humble beginnings to becoming a major regional attraction, drawing visitors from far and wide. The conversation co...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, the final in a three-part series, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Amanda Russell, a former Dover School Board member who served for 10 years from 2012 to 2022. Russell discusses her experiences on the board, including her initial motivation to join due to concerns over budget cuts and program eliminations. She reflects on the challen...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Britt Ulinski Schuman, a former Dover School Board member who served from 2007 to 2009. Schuman discusses her roots in Dover, her educational background, and her decision to run for the School Board as a way to give back to the community. She shares insights into her experience on the board, including...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Sam Allen, who served on the Dover School Board from 1993 to 1996. Allen reflects on his time as a board member and later as chair, discussing the challenges and accomplishments during his tenure. He describes the community's atmosphere in the early 1990s, the board's efforts to increase accoun...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with William Harbron, the superintendent of Dover schools, about the upcoming school year and recent developments in the district. Harbron discusses the implementation of a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) for students, ongoing facility improvements, and his upcoming retirement. He also touches on curr...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Dover's Facilities and Grounds Superintendent Mark Colonna, Planning Department intern John DesRoches, and Dover's Resilience Manager Jackson Kaspari about Dover's street tree replacement program. They discuss the multiple benefits of street trees, including aesthetics, drainage, reducing h...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Vicki Harris, the Police Department's Prevention Services Unit Supervisor, and three Youth to Youth program participants about their recent campaign launch and press conference. Harris explains that the Youth to Youth program, initiated by the Dover Police Department over 30 years ago, empowers you...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Police Lt. Marn Speidel, the traffic coordinator from the department, and Kelley Tidball from the Police Records Bureau about the process of obtaining permits for community events in Dover. They discuss the recent change in administering these permits, which has moved from the City Clerk's office t...