New townhomes, traffic signals, police equipment, summer help on the horizon in Dover
DOVER – City officials are getting ready for the change of seasons – from snow plowing season to construction season.
Mayor Shane Gunnoe says the city is ordering its last shipment of road salt, and that 1,000 tons should last the rest of this winter and well into the next one.
Meanwhile, Builder Brothers construction broke ground last week on its Iron 24 project to build 24 townhomes on East Iron Avenue near Union Hospital. Gunnoe says demolition is complete and he expects construction to start within the next month.
Planning is also ramping up on a few other projects set to start when the weather clears. Those include three traffic signal projects.
The city will replace two traffic signals, one downtown at 3rd and Walnut and one a few blocks north at Walnut and Slingluff. ODOT declined to include those two lights as part of a larger project last year, so Dover must pay for them. Officials have said that could cost as much as $500,000.
The third traffic signal is at Wooster and Crown Road where the Schaeffler Group is building a manufacturing facility on Dover’s north border. The city has received grants to help pay for the work around the Schaeffler plant.
Gunnoe highlighted a couple of other items in the budget for 2025. That includes a new boiler to replace a 30-year-old one at Memorial Hall. Also, the Dover Police Department has ordered a new in-car camera system, interview recording system, and body camera system, and is finalizing pricing for new duty weapons and tasers.
Dover is also starting its search for summer help, particularly at the city pool, where Gunnoe wants to hire a part-time assistant pool director.