Residents reminded to not disturb utility markings and flags
In the mayor’s report, Shane Gunnoe announced new officer Kyler Hanlon was sworn into the police department. The addition brings the department back up to full strength.
Dave Douglas, city service director, gave a quick lesson in utility markings at the May 15 Dover Council meeting. Many utility projects have been ongoing in Dover with a new project by Dominion just getting started.
“We’ve received, for the last year, a lot of calls regarding more underground utilities being marked. If any of the residents have seen all these markings, keep in mind red is for electric, the green is for sewer, water is blue and then yellow is gas,” Douglas said.
The utilities were marked due to the fiber optics line work that is now down to home installations around the city. The companies doing the work are required to report this ahead of time, and then Dover workers go out to place the markings.
“It's very cumbersome. It takes a long time, and we've really been stretched thin marking all these houses for utilities,” Douglas said. “Now what's happening is we're seeing Dominion gas working on the north end and installing all those gas lines, but they're doing a residential meter relocation project. So if you have a meter inside your house, there's a chance they're going to come in and take that meter and put it on the outside of the house.”
The work is a Dominion project, not a city project, and Dominion will notify those affected. There are about 750 residents within both Dover and New Philadelphia the project affects.
Residents should keep in mind not to disturb any markings or the little flags that are placed in their yards. It’s not only a safety issue, but also if the utility work is not completed within two weeks, Dover is responsible for marking the utilities again.
In the mayor’s report, Shane Gunnoe announced new officer Kyler Hanlon was sworn into the police department. The addition brings the department back up to full strength.
Gunnoe encouraged residents to join in many things happening around Dover. The Canal Dover Festival will kick off Friday, May 26. The festival parade will be held Saturday, May 27 at noon.
The Dover City Pool will open May 27 and 28, and then it will open for the summer on June 3.
The Dover Fire Department will hold an open house at Station #2 in honor of its 150th anniversary on May 20.
The Downtown Dover Chocolate Walk is scheduled for June 10 from 5-7:30 p.m. The proceeds will benefit the Canal Town Book Festival, organized by the Dover Public Library.
Gunnoe hopes to have Jason Hall, power plant superintendent, compile the cost savings this year versus other years on the power plant shutdown.
“The power plant shutdown should conclude next week, and work remains in budget and on schedule,” Gunnoe said.
The city hopes to work with a county agency on one project.
“The city is looking to partner with the Tuscarawas County Health Department to tackle nuisance residential properties within the city,” Gunnoe said. “Our building and zoning administrator is compiling a list of properties which may meet the criteria of a nuisance structure under Ohio Revised Code. Once the list is compiled, our recommendations will be forwarded to the health department for their review.”
Businesses and landowners are encouraged to complete a survey for the Tuscarawas Arts Partnership. It can be found at www.doverohio.com.
“The results of this survey will be submitted to the Tuscarawas Arts Partnership to help us plan and better support public art in our downtown area,” Gunnoe said.
Gunnoe then requested committee assignments: one to draft an ordinance to authorize the purchase of a bucket truck for the electric field department and one for the consideration of a resolution to authorize the lease of fire equipment that has been replaced and declared surplus by the Dover Fire Department to the Village of Newcomerstown to assist them in re-establishing their fire department. The items included four thermal imaging cameras and three hoses of varying sizes.
Legislation approved at the meeting included the following:
—Resolution 9-23 recognizing, commending and thanking Jim Roudebush for his service to the Dover Fire Department from 1998-2023.
—Amended Emergency Ordinance 9-23, which supported the modification of the subrecipient agreement with Tuscarawas County and modification of the participation in the building demolition and revitalization project with Tuscarawas County and the Ohio Department of Development and authorizing the deletion from the ODOD application for any work located at a property currently owned by Nicholas Homrighausen. The application, which was submitted while Homrighausen’s father was still mayor, created a conflict of interest. Two counsel members, Gina Space and Bob Mueller, voted against the ordinance. Space had previously said she believed the ordinance was not necessary.
—Emergency Ordinance 11-23 authorizing the continuation of a reserve balance account — special revenue fund — capital projects fund. The ordinance was originally approved in 1990 and is supposed to be revisited every 10 years. The reserve funds are used for any kind of major breakdown in the water, sewer and electric departments.
“The original ordinance just says 10% of gross revenue should be moved to the reserve account. However, it doesn't take into account what the actual fund balances. So we could actually wipe out these fund balances by doing the 10% removal,” said Nicole Stoldt, city auditor. “My suggestion was for us to say that we want to continue it because we're past the 10-year limitation and it's up to my discretion if we have the amount in the fund balance to make the whole 10% or a portion of it.”
The next Dover Council meeting will be held June 5 in council chambers, 121 E. Second St., Dover.