Rep. Pappas seeks comments on Dover projects competing for federal funding

posted on 4/8/2021

New Hampshire First Congressional District Congressman Chris Pappas is soliciting comments for federal Community Project Funding that will allow local governments and qualified non-profits to receive a one-time, small to medium-sized allocation to complete projects of local importance and priority. Public comments are due to Pappas' Office by the end of the business tomorrow, Friday, April 9. 

The City of Dover has submitted planned projects, many of which are shovel-ready, that demonstrate a clear need and that will have a positive impact on the community. The projects proposed by the City of Dover are listed below. The full-slate of submitted projects seeking Community Project Funding throughout New Hampshire’s First Congressional District is available at http://pappas.house.gov/sites/pappas.house.gov/files/CPF%20for%20Website.docx.pdf.

To comment on any project click this link, and enter in the project name and comment related to the project. After the submittal period, a Community Advisory Board with members appointed by Pappas will hold a meeting to review and vet project requests. A Community Advisory Board set up by Congressman Pappas that will evaluate the submitted projects and provide recommendations to Congressman Pappas for ones to include for federal funding.

• Central Avenue Reconstruction: Complete street reconstruction of a high-traffic volume downtown gateway between Stark Avenue and Silver Street to tie into construction previously completed on Silver Street. Following “Complete Street” policy guidelines, the project addresses road surface and stormwater drainage issues, adds bicycle and pedestrian amenities, improves intersections with lighting, and adds intelligent traffic signalization with public transit/emergency vehicle preemption. Amount requested: $3,000,000
• Whittier Street Sidewalk: Install a new sidewalk along the existing roadway providing a needed pedestrian connection between adjoining residential neighborhoods, including Dover Housing Authority and grocery and other retail shopping locations in Dover’s north end. Currently, there is no direct link nor a sidewalk for pedestrians to travel along this busy section of roadway. This project has been delayed and repeatedly pushed back in time due to a lack of local funding. Amount requested: $650,000
• Downtown Waterfront Shoreline Stabilization/Riverwalk: Stabilize the entire site along the edge of Cochecho River from Washington Street southward along the river’s edge. Extend a public river walkway across undeveloped city-owned downtown property connecting with trail system on conservation land located downstream. Features to include a living shoreline and best management practices (BMP’s) for stormwater management and anticipation of sea-level rise. This project will facilitate public access to the river and long-envisioned development plans for the underutilized city parcel. Amount requested: $700,000 - $3,500,000
• Chestnut Street Bridge Repair: Replace the deck on a downtown multi-lane vehicular/pedestrian bridge that provides a critical crossing across the Cochecho River and access to a nearby multimodal transportation center. Amount requested: $800,000
• Henry Law Avenue and River Street Reconstruction: Reconstruct a downtown section of Henry Law Avenue adjacent to Children’s Museum of New Hampshire and Henry Law Park and continuing along River Street into an undeveloped city-owned waterfront parcel. Reconstruction will follow “Complete Streets” policy guidelines to include pedestrian and bicycle amenities, streetscape improvements and placement of underground utilities in the park area. Amount Requested: $900,000 - $2,400,000
• Neighborhood Street Reconstruction: Reconstruct Grove, Fifth, Trakey and Richmond streets in the downtown area following “Complete Streets” policy guidelines to include pedestrian and bicycle amenities, lighting, stormwater BMP’s, streetscape and underlying utility replacement. Amount Requested: $1,100,000 - $2,400,000
• Community Trail Development: Extend Dover Community Trail from Dover High School through Bellamy Park along the Bellamy River and adjoining woodlands to Knox Marsh Road. It will link with an existing trail network extending from the north end of Dover along former railbeds to the downtown multimodal transportation center and continuing to Route 108/Durham Road connecting with residential neighborhoods. It currently terminates at Dover Middle and High Schools. The project includes constructing a pedestrian bridge crossing the Bellamy River. Amount Requested: $800,000
• Public Safety Fire/Police Training Structure: Construct and install a training structure with modular features for Dover and other area fire and police personnel to simulate various emergency response scenarios. Amount Requested: $600,000 - $1,500,000