Downtown placemaking, middle school HVAC upgrades among the resolutions on Council’s agenda

posted on 7/6/2026

The City Council holds its first meeting of fiscal year 2027 on Wednesday, July 8. On the agenda are a number of resolutions and four public hearings.

One public hearing is for the resolution to authorize using $125,000 generated from Dover Business and Industrial Development Authority land sales in Enterprise Park to invest in downtown placemaking and cultural infrastructure, including $60,000 for the Dover Arts Commission sculpture base program, $60,000 for the Light Up Dover project and $5,000 for Fish Ladder Park. The resolution received a unanimous recommendation from DBIDA. “These investments will activate public spaces, attract visitors, and create a cohesive downtown experience that will support economic activity in Dover,” it states in the resolution’s background materials. “Targeting the downtown allows us to maximize the community and business benefits of these investments by supporting a larger number of individual businesses.”

Another public hearing will be held on a resolution that would amend sections of the Vehicle and Traffic ordinance. One part is the changing of parking restrictions on select streets to aid winter snow removal and emergency vehicle access. Another part is adding parking permit areas on sections of Washington and Chestnut streets. There is a separate public hearing and resolution related to setting the fees for these new parking permit areas. These proposed changes were recommended by the Parking Commission. 

The last public hearing is on the resolution authorizing the City of Dover to conduct its annual appraisal of real estate for fiscal year 2027 (tax year 2026). It’s been the city’s practice for decades to conduct the annual assessment to ensure assessments are proportional to market value. This is the first of two public hearings of the resolution. Another will be held on Wednesday, July 22, with a City Council vote on Wednesday, Aug. 22.

The City Council will also vote on a resolution that would authorize bonding an additional $2,433,068 for the Dover Middle School geothermal HVAC upgrades and parking lot repairs as part of a fiscal year 2027 Capital Improvements Program project. The project would install geothermal well technology, a rooftop solar installation, and flat roof restoration work, as detailed in the School Department's energy infrastructure modernization plan. It would also repair the parking lot after the geothermal well installation is complete. The City Council has authorized $7,854,980 for the project in previous resolutions. According to background materials, the project is estimated to be eligible for $3,442,279 in rebate and incentive revenues. The City Council held a public hearing on the resolution at its June 10 meeting.

The City Council will also consider authorizing an amendment to the Jenny Thompson Pool renovation project for $120,606 that includes the patching of the collector tank, painting of both the pool and pump house, adding a fence and removal of steel ports, repair of the water line, door closers, installation of equipment pad, additional plaster demo and ledge removal, according to the background materials.

Also on the agenda are resolutions that would:

• Award the bid for construction oversight of the Henry Law Avenue and Payne Street Reconstruction to Kleinfelder Northeast, Inc., for $407,220
• Authorize the City Manager to sell surplus city property to fund Dover’s share of the county-wide warming center project being built on county lands in Dover
• Amendments to the Conservation Commission and Open Lands Committee bylaws
• Authorize the replacement and upgrade of the Dover Police’s digital management system for $28,850
• Award the bid to make accessibility improvements to Woodman Park and Sullivan Drive Park to William P. Davis Excavation, LLC for $99,165
• Award the bid to install decorative street lighting downtown and related electrical infrastructure to NEGM Electric, LLC for $29,600
• Authorize the purchase of a batch of ultraviolet light bulbs for the wastewater treatment plant disinfection system for $49,837
• Award the contract for the household hazardous waste collection services to MXI Environmental Services, LLC
• Award the contract for water hydraulic modeling to Underwood Engineers for $67,000
• Authorize the contracting with Haley Ward, Inc. for the operation and maintenance of the sewer pump station servicing the former municipal landfill on Tolend Road for $114,600
• Authorize the purchase of granular activated carbon media replacement for PFAS filters at the Pudding Hill Water Treatment Facility for $97,200
• Authorize the purchase of a heavy-duty pickup truck and plow for Community Services for $64,850
• Authorize the bargaining agreement between the Dover School Board and the Dover Educational Office Personnel Union for two years
• Authorize the purchase and sale agreement for parcels in Enterprise Park with Pioneer REI, LLC

The complete agenda and agenda materials are available online. The meeting will be held in City Hall’s Council Chambers starting at 7 p.m. It will be televised on DoverTV and online, where it will available on-demand.