Dover accepts grant to pave trails at park

Council accepted a grant of $343,000 from the most recent state capital budget that will be used for paving the path at Canal Dover Park at their meeting Dec. 1.

“We have met with our staff and the city engineer, and we've decided that the best use for those funds is to pave both the main trail that runs through the riverfront park, it's about a little over a mile long, as well as the connecting trails that get to the park from Tuscarawas Avenue and from Front Street,” Mayor Shane Gunnoe said. “We think that will be a nice improvement to the park for accessibility, as well as reduce some of our maintenance costs on upkeep of the current gravel trails."

The grant will cover much of the project costs with Gunnoe estimating the city’s portion to be around $15,000.

Council approved two pieces of legislation for the project. Emergency Resolution 24-25 authorized the mayor to enter into a grant agreement with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for funding authorized for the park in the state budget. Emergency Ordinance 51-25 was approved authorizing the service director to advertise for bids and enter into a contract for the paving of walking paths within the park in an amount not to exceed $358,000 including engineering, construction administration and inspection.

In his report, Gunnoe congratulated Auditor Nicole Stoldt and her staff for receiving an Auditor of State Award with Distinction. The award is given to public agencies that show exceptional financial reporting, transparency, and a clean audit. Only about four percent of cities earn the honor each year.

Gunnoe reported the city is already preparing for a number of upcoming spring projects in addition to the park project. These projects include closing on the Mason property that's required for a stormwater management project and receiving a construction permit from ECOBA for a picnic shelter to be placed next to the new pickleball courts with a completion date of spring 2026.

“We are finalizing our grant paperwork with ODNR for the splash pad at the city pool and hope to have an assignment to council this month for authorization to move forward with that project,” Gunnoe said.

The city has received a preliminary site plan regarding a new housing development off St. Peter's Church Road.

“The plan calls for creation of 83 new housing units in total and will be reviewed for feedback by the City Planning Commission at its next meeting Dec. 9 at 10 a.m.,” Gunnoe said.

The Ohio House and the Ohio Senate have both passed Senate Bill 217, which, among many things, allows for the sale of unused Ohio National Guard Armory land along Ohio Avenue for commercial development.

Leaf collection is continuing in the city and can be tracked on the city’s website or Facebook page. For those with debris to dispose of, the city compost collection site will close for the year Friday, Dec. 19. The Dover Downtown Lighting Ceremony and Annual Christmas Parade will be held Dec. 6.

In other legislation council approved Ordinance 49-25 adopting the city’s cybersecurity program. They approved Emergency Ordinance 52-25 which retroactively authorized the repair and rebuilding of Dover Light and Power’s Fairbanks Morse Diesel Generator without competitive bidding due to damage caused by a fire in June 2021.

Emergency ordinance 50-25 was approved setting salaries and compensation of current elected officials. The salaries must be set before a new term begins for incoming council members in January 2026.

The annual salary for council president will be $8,786.93 in 2026 rising at about 3% per year to $9,713.58 in 2029. Council-At-Large will earn $8,666.56 in 2026 rising to $9,580.52 in 2029, and the treasurer will receive $19,579.12 in 2026 rising to $21,643.88 in 2029.

The next Dover Council meeting will be held Dec. 15, in council chambers, 121 E. Second St., Dover.