City of Dover 'incredibly proud' of Hunter Armstrong
Hunter Armstrong of Dover with the gold medal he won at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Dover Mayor Shane Gunnoe went immediately to the most important and exciting news at the Aug. 5 council meeting.
“I would like to begin my report by congratulating, on behalf of the residents of the City of Dover, Hunter Armstrong on his outstanding Olympic swimming performance,” Gunnoe said. “Our city is incredibly proud of his efforts.”
Gunnoe then asked for committee assignment to draft a resolution recognizing and congratulating Armstrong for earning a gold medal in the 4x100 freestyle relay and a silver medal in the 4x100 medley relay at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Paris wins bring Armstrong’s medal count to three. He earned one gold medal in the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo.
The End of Summer Celebration was announced for Sept. 1 at Dover City Park.
“We hope that everyone will come and enjoy the events throughout the day. There will be something for everyone,” Gunnoe said.
Dover City Pool will offer free swimming all day. The live music schedule includes Greg & Shayne from 1:30-3 p.m., Moonlyterz from 4-5:30 p.m., and REO Survivor & Co., a tribute band to REO, Loverboy and Survivor, from 7-8:30 p.m. Fireworks will begin after the last song by REO Survivor & Co.
A vintage base ball game between the Dover City Sluggers and the Canal Dover Redlegs will begin at 1:05 p.m. At 3 p.m. the Dover High School Marching Tornadoes will perform on field nine. A car show sponsored by Chuck Nicholson Auto Superstore will take place from 5-8 p.m. at the park entrance. Registration will start at 3 p.m.
The Dover American Legion 5k Memorial March will be held in the morning with registration at 9 a.m. There will be free train rides for children from 4-7 p.m.
“There will be a great diversity of food trucks beginning at noon,” Gunnoe said. “This is a wonderful family event.”
Sponsors for the event include Krugliak, Wilkins, Griffiths & Dougherty Co. LPA; Atwood Trailer Sales and Service; Aultman; First Federal; BellStores; WJER; Dover Exchange Club; Subway; Dover Hydraulics; Comfort Inn & Suites; and Drug Mart.
“The parks department reports the tennis court resealing project is reaching its conclusion this week,” Gunnoe said. “The contractor is finishing the new red and gray paint job after completing the resealing of the courts. We hope the courts will be open to the public beginning again next week.”
Beginning Thursday, Aug. 8, the final phase of the youth baseball and softball field rehab project will begin. As part of the project, fields two, four, nine and 10 will be closed to the public while the contractor completes the work.
Gunnoe gave an update on Ordinance 40-19, which is the TNR ordinance regarding feral cats.
“I have been informed by organization leaders that since Dover, as the first community in the county to authorize TNR, over 1,000 feral cats have been trapped, neutered and released. An additional 300 kittens have been adopted through the program,” Gunnoe said. “The legislation council enacted continues to have a positive effect on the feral cat population within the city and remains a template for other communities throughout the state.”
In legislation council suspended the rules and approved Ordinance 37-24, which provides for the issuance and sale of bonds in an aggregate principal amount of $3 million to pay costs of improving municipal building facilities as it relates to the city’s acquisition of the First Federal Community Bank building in downtown Dover.
“First Federal has been very kind in that they are selling it to us at a substantial discount. The total acquisition price is $1 million, and that includes two buildings, the main building and then a (building occupied by a) realty company that leases off them in the rear, as well as all the adjacent property for parking,” Gunnoe said.
The purchase will kick off a series of renovations to the city’s existing facilities.
“The plan is we will move the auditor’s staff, the utility staff, the service director, building and zoning administrator, safety, mayor’s staff, safety director — a total of about 16 employees — into the First Federal building and those properties,” Gunnoe said. “Then we will renovate our existing facilities to increase available space for our safety forces, the auditor’s staff and the service director’s current offices. That space will go to the fire department, which is sorely in need of additional space, and all that space will be renovated for their needs.
“The current mayor's office, safety director’s area, those offices will go to the police department, and our plan is to renovate that space to allow for some additional ADA compliance, to get all of our officers on one floor. Currently, some work out of the second floor, which is not handicap accessible.”
The building that houses the police, fire and city offices was last renovated in the late 1950s.
“It's in need of some exterior work as well as some interior work,” Gunnoe said. “And then the final step is we would like to add an auxiliary storage garage behind the current fire station for storage of secondary equipment.”
The current building housing council chambers will become a dedicated safety forces training center for Dover and the surrounding area. Council chambers will move to the basement of the new city building.
It’s estimated that the current price tag including the purchase of the building and the renovations will come in at $2.5-$3 million.
The next Dover Council meeting will be held Monday, Aug. 19 in council chambers, 121 E. Second St., Dover.