Dover Download

In this episode of Dover Download, the last of season one, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker introduces "A Day in the Life," an occasional series showcasing various city services and functions. This episode digs deeper into the work of a firefighter with Fire Chief Michael McShane and Firefighter Jonathan Demers. In This Week in Dover History, we look back to a radio program that sparked a Ch...

In this episode of Dover Download, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker discusses how Dover Police and the City of Dover are responding to mental health calls for service and needs with Dover Police Chief William Breault and Police Social Worker Kaitlin Jones. Among the topics discussed in this episode are how police are responding to those in need of mental health services, the role of the Poli...

In this episode of Dover Download, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker discusses the Willand Warming Center with Tory Jennison, Strafford County's Population Health Systems Chief; and John Burns, the director of SOS Recovery Community Organization. SOS was awarded a bid by the cities of Dover, Rochester and Somersworth to operate the tri-city warming center this winter. Strafford County is over...

In this episode of Dover Download, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker sits down with Mike Gillis, the city's director of Media Services, to answer some of the questions received from listeners and residents. Some of the topics include community engagement, the City Manager and City Council form of government, and plans for the redesign of the city's website.  In This Week in Dover History...

In this episode of Dover Download, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Cathy Beaudoin, Dover's former longtime library director, a local historian, and a past Citizen of the Year. Parker and Beaudoin discuss a variety of topics, including the history of Dover's mills. In This Week in Dover History, we look back to 1924 and one of the worst storms to hit Dover.

In this episode of Dover Download, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker discusses infill development and how it's used in Dover. Infill development typically involves reusing underutilized urban land for new construction. Parker is joined by Dover's Director of Media Services, Mike Gillis. In This Week in Dover History, we revisit a terrible tragedy atop Garrison Hill.

In this episode of Dover Download, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with City Manager J. Michael Joyal, Jr. and Finance Director Dan Lynch about the city's budget process, including how the budget is prepared, deliberations by the City Council, and what happens after a budget is adopted. This year's budget process is already underway, beginning with the presentation of the School Depar...

In this episode of Dover Download, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Gail Daudelin, Chair of Dover Main Street, and Jennifer Brown, Dover Main Street's Treasurer, about what's on tap from the organization this holiday season, including the annual food drive, the popular ice sculptures, and the Santa Parade. Daudelin and Brown also discuss Dover Main Street's mission, some of the or...

In this episode of Dover Download, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Deputy Mayor Dennis Shanahan about the city's new ward boundaries, and why the boundaries changed after the last Census. In February, the City Council adopted new ward boundaries through an ordinance change to ensure near-equal representation in Dover’s six wards based on the 2020 Census data.   In This Week...

In this episode of Dover Download, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Jane Bard, president of the Children's Museum of New Hampshire, and former Dover Mayor Jack Buckley about the Children's Museum of New Hampshire's move to Dover from Portsmouth in 2008, and why the museum is a vital hub of Dover's downtown. To learn more about the museum, visit https://childrens-museum.org/ . In T...

In this episode of Dover Download, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with City Clerk Susan Mistretta about the upcoming General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. Mistretta discusses how to register to vote, absentee ballots, polling places and times, and much more. For more information about the upcoming General Election, visit https://www.dover.nh.gov/government/open-government/electi...

In this episode of Dover Download, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Community Services Director John Storer and Environmental Projects Manager Gretchen Young about stormwater. Stormwater, which comes from ran, snow and other precipitation, is absorbed by soil and plants or remains on impervious surfaces, like pavement or rooftops. Young and Storer discuss how Dover manages stormwa...

In this episode of Dover Download, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker talks with City Manager J. Michael Joyal, Jr. and Director of Media Services Mike Gillis about how citizens can stay informed and be engaged. The Lothrop family businesses were once staples in the downtown. In this segment of This Week in Dover History, we look back to a day when the J.E. Lothrop Piano Company turned potenti...

In this episode of Dover Download, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker talks with Jonathan Nichols, the executive director of the Woodman Museum in Dover. Nichols discusses the museum's varied collections, previews upcoming events, and shares his favorite piece at the museum. For more information about the museum, visit https://woodmanmuseum.org/ . September 1911 offered good news about Dover's...

In this episode of Dover Download, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker talks about the city's strategic planning and how Dover's Master Plan works, including its history and which chapters of the plan are currently in the works. Dover's form of government -- City Council-City Manager -- hasn't always been how the city governed. In This Week in Dover History, we look back to when the city's form...

In this episode of Dover Download, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Director of Planning and Community Development Donna Benton about the Capital Improvements Program (CIP), and how it helps the city manage its infrastructure over several years. The proposed CIP for 2024 to 2029 will be presented to the Planning Board and City Council during a joint session on Sept. 21, 2022.&nbsp...

In this episode of Dover Download, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with City Attorney Joshua Wyatt about the role and duties of a municipal city attorney, and takes a deep dive into the City of Dover's charter. The charter is Dover's most significant legal document, which defines the organization, powers, functions and essential procedures of the city government.  For more inform...

In this episode of Dover Download, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Community Services Director John Storer and Environmental Projects Manager Gretchen Young about the city's water resources. They discuss work to protect the city's aquifers, the construction of a new treatment plant to remove per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) from the Pudding Hill aquifer, and how drought...

In this episode of Dover Download, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Rad Nichols, the executive director of the Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation about the COAST mission, the role of public transit, state funding, and COAST's future plans. When a United States president addressed a crowd in Dover from a public square in 1902, he drew thousands to the city. Find out w...

In this episode of Dover Download, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Jackson Kaspari, the City of Dover's Resilience Manager. Kaspari discuses how the City of Dover is supporting a commitment to become a more resilient community, and the Resilient Dover initiative.  Conscription of soldiers was first used during the Civil War, and Dover saw many of its men drafted. Find out ho...

In this episode of Dover Download, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Planning Board Chair Gina Cruikshank and Director of Planning and Community Development Donna Benton about development in Dover and the role of the Dover Planning Board, following up on last week's episode about the planning process in Dover. In 1925, more than 20,000 people flocked to Dover to witness the unveili...

In this episode of Dover Download, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Director of Planning and Community Development Donna Benton about the planning process for projects before the Planning Board, including departmental review by city staff and the Technical Review Committee process. Also discussed are some of the upcoming projects before the Planning Board or already approved. Did...

In this episode of Dover Download, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Dover Housing Authority Executive Director Ryan Crosby about the DHA mission, as well as the need for more attainable housing. In This Week in Dover History, Dover's Director of Media Services, Mike Gillis, revisits Dover's remarkable Marilla Marks Ricker, a woman of many firsts.

In this episode of Dover Download, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Kevin McEneaney and Sam Allen, the president and vice president of Dover400, about what the nonprofit committee is planning for Dover's 400th anniversary in 2023, including a special event on the eve of the new year.  In This Week in Dover History, Dover's Director of Media Services, Mike Gillis, revisits the...

In this episode of Dover Download, Recreation Director Gary Bannon chats with Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker about how Dover's McConnell Center transitioned from a former school to a successful community center. The McConnell Center now boasts a variety of nonprofit organizations, as well as city and school facilities, including the Butterfield Gym, Fitness Center and Community Senior Cent...