Dover Download

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Eric Chinburg, owner of Chinburg Properties, which has owned and redeveloped the mills in downtown Dover for the past 15 years. They discuss the changes Chinburg has spearheaded in redeveloping the mills into vibrant mixed-use spaces, the process and incentives involved in rehabilitating historic build...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Bill Simons, the city's Parking Manager. They discuss the evolution of paid parking in Dover over the past 25 years, including the rollout of multi-space "master" meters to replace single-head meters 15 years ago and the recent shift to pay-by-plate technology. Simons explains the move to...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with City Manager J. Michael Joyal, Jr. about the strategic goal-setting process that the Dover City Council recently held. Joyal explains that the city has conducted goal-setting with each new council for over 30 years. The process allows new council members to bring ideas from their constituents, while al...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Heather Worrall, the new Human Resources Director for the City of Dover. Worrall discusses her background in HR and recruiting and what attracted her to the field. She talks about the various responsibilities of HR, including labor negotiations, benefits, liability analysis, and recruitment/retention....

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with John Storer, Community Services Director, and Brian Landry, Public Works Supervisor, about winter preparations and challenges in snow removal. The conversation covers the extensive planning and preparation undertaken by the team before snowfall, including equipment readiness and crew briefing. They dis...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Ryan Pope, the City of Dover's Housing Navigator. They discuss the state's ongoing housing crisis, emphasizing the complexity of housing issues, including infrastructure, transportation, and the need for more housing units, particularly smaller ones. Pope highlights the community's feedback...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Mike Gillis about the evolution of the podcast over its first two seasons and what listeners can expect going forward. They discuss improvements in the podcast's production quality, as well as shifts toward more authentic, informative conversations that tell the story behind policies and decisions...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with former Dover City Manager Bob Steele about his time working for the city in the late 1970s and 1980s. Steele recounts growing up in Maine and falling into a career in city management after graduating from the University of Maine. He shares what drew him to take the Dover city manager position, includin...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with former Dover City Councilor John O'Connor about his time serving on the council from 2014-2017 and 2020-2021. This episode is the fifth and final in a series with Dover policymakers over the decades. O'Connor discusses running for City Council, the steep learning curve in understanding the city...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Jason Hindle, who served on the Dover City Council from 2000-2008. This episode is the fourth in a series with Dover policymakers over the decades. Hindle reflects on major events and policy decisions during his tenure, including the city's response to 9/11, transportation and infrastructure invest...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Parks "Skip" Christenbury, a former Dover City Councilor and lifelong Dover resident. This episode is the third in a series with Dover policymakers over the decades. They discuss the issues facing Dover in the 1990s when Christenbury served on the City Council, including financial struggles a...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Donna Benton, Director of Planning and Community Development, about Dover's Capital Improvements Program (CIP). They discuss what the CIP is, the process for creating it each year, how projects are financed, the timeline for approval, and how residents can provide input. The CIP will be presented t...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with former Dover Mayor Jesse Andrew Galt about his time as a policymaker in Dover during the 1980s. This episode is the second in a series with Dover policymakers over the decades. Galt served on the Dover City Council beginning in 1983, and then as mayor. Galt explains that he first got involved with loca...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with former Dover Mayor Jack Buckley about his time as a policymaker in Dover during the 1970s. This episode is the first in a series with Dover policymakers over the decades. Parker and Buckley discuss Buckley's various roles in Dover, including as a city councilor, mayor, and director of the Dover Hou...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Leah Garnett from the Finance Department and Patty Moniello from the Office of the City Attorney. Garnett and Moniello discuss their backgrounds and what brought them to work for the City of Dover. They talk about the learning curve coming from different sectors into government work, the surprises and...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with City Clerk Jerrica Vansylyvong-Bizier and Deputy City Clerk Annie Baker about the upcoming municipal election in Dover on Nov. 7, 2023. They discuss voter registration, absentee ballots, polling locations, hours, ID requirements, and more. In This Week in Dover History, we learn about three boys from D...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Kristian Theodore, co-owner of Forward Merch, a Dover-based entertainment merchandising company. Theodore discusses the history of his company, which prints T-shirts, hoodies, flags, and other merchandise for bands, Broadway shows, and immersive experiences. He shares how his business has grown over th...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Jamie Stevens, the Cochecho Waterfront Development project manager, and John Storer, Director of Community Services, about infrastructure projects around Dover. Stevens provides an overview of the multi-year waterfront redevelopment project, including installing new municipal infrastructure like water,...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with two local business owners, Derek Fisher of Wing-Itz and Christina Van Blake of Home and House & Home, about locating and expanding their businesses in Dover. Fisher and Van Blake discuss their entrepreneurial journeys and share the sacrifices they made to get their businesses off the ground. Both e...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Margaret Joyce, Executive Director of the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce, and Hope Anderson, Program Coordinator for the Chamber, about the upcoming 39th annual Apple Harvest Day festival on Oct. 7. Highlights of this year's event include the 5K road race, pie baking contest, over 300 vendors, l...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Patty Falconer, the newly appointed Deputy Director at the Dover Public Library. They discuss Falconer's background and career at the library, from starting as the Children's Librarian in 2016 to her new leadership role. Falconer talks about the library's focus on community outreach and eng...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Jackson Kaspari, the city's Resilience Manager and board member for Community Power New Hampshire, and Henry Herndon, the Member Services Director at Community Power New Hampshire, about the recent rollout of the community power program in Dover. They discuss how community power allows the city to...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Chad Kageleiry, a longtime real estate developer in Dover. Kageleiry discusses growing up in Dover, getting started in real estate by buying and fixing up small properties, and gradually expanding into larger commercial and residential projects over his 35-year career. He talks about some of his most s...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Katherine Ferguson-Iacovelli from Snapology, a child-enrichment center focused on STEM education through classes, camps, and creative play, and Kristen French from Gallivant Global Eatery, a globally-inspired restaurant specializing in brunch. They discuss the challenges of navigating permits and regul...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Superintendent of Schools Dr. William Harbron about starting up another school year in Dover. They discuss Dr. Harbron's seven years as Superintendent, changes being implemented this year, such as further development of multi-tiered systems of support, meeting students' social-emotional and men...