Dover nears move to new municipal building

Dover Mayor Shane Gunnoe announced at the end of the June 15 council meeting that it could be the last time the group meets in the council chambers at 121 E. Second St. The city expects to receive their certificate of occupancy for the new municipal building soon.

All inspections have been completed for the new city municipal building.

“The last thing we are waiting on is the installation of the Zoom system. We expect to have a timeline on that in the next day or two. So, this will either be our last meeting here or the next meeting will be our last meeting,” Gunnoe said. “Once we have received a certificate of occupancy from ECOBA, I will announce a community ribbon cutting date and an opening in the near future for the facility.”

Earlier in the meeting, Gunnoe announced that Dover had been awarded $300,000 through Senate Bill 450 in the state of Ohio capital budget. It recently passed the Ohio House and Senate and was signed into law June 15 by Governor Mike DeWine.

“These funds will be used in the near future as part of a major playground improvement project at Dover City Park,” Gunnoe said. “The city will utilize this grant and seek additional outside funding over the remainder of this year to replace some playground equipment near at the end of its useful life, and to replace the rubber safety surface at the playground next to field nine.”

The city will also look at adding inclusive playground equipment pieces into the project.

The Dover Chocolate Walk, held last weekend, was a bright spot for the community.

“The event was a great success, despite the heat, and was sold out with hundreds of families visiting many of our downtown businesses,” Gunnoe said.

Gunnoe reported on city projects that are ongoing.

The reconstruction and paving of Crown Road is now complete.

“This marks the successful conclusion of our fourth major North End construction project,” Gunnoe said.

Construction of the splash pad at the city pool is expected to begin in a few weeks.

“Longer lead times than expected for some of the components delayed the project, but we are still hoping for completion by the end of this summer.” Gunnoe said.

After the annual maintenance shutdown, the Dover Light and Power plant is expected to be back in normal operation Wednesday, June 17. The steam turbine valve rack, which was repaired was in the process of installation as of June 15.

With summer weather and the possibility of weather-related service disruptions, Gunnoe wanted to remind residents that help is available through 24-hour emergency lines.

In the event of a power outage, residents can immediately contact Dover Light and Power at 330-343-3442 and any urgent water or sewer concerns should be directed to the Dover Water Department at 330-343-3443. Refrigerator magnets are available at some city offices with these numbers too.

In legislation, council suspended the rules and approved Resolution 14-26 approving the distribution of bed tax money in the amount of $4,109.12 for Tribute Bistro façade improvements to the building on 205 N. Tuscarawas Ave.

The amount is half of the total $8,218.24 in the facade work to be done.

In the Community and Economic Development committee meeting, a discussion was held on the need to establish guidelines for handling facade improvement applications. This was the first application considered for facade improvement assistance since it was established four years ago.

Ordinance 19-26 was approved rezoning a parcel of real estate at 605 Bond St. from H-1 to R-2. The Dover Planning Commission recommended the property be rezoned. The new designation will match the zoning of other residential properties in the immediate area of Bond Street, North McKinley Street and East Iron Avenue.

Emergency Ordinance 26-26 was approved authorizing the city’s participation in the ODOT road salt contracts awarded in 2026. The city is requesting 1,600 tons of salt. Service Director Dave Douglas noted about 2,000 tons of salt were used last winter, and the city has 1,300 tons remaining.

Dover City Municipal Offices will be closed June 19, in observance of Juneteenth, and Friday, July 3, in observance of Independence Day.

The next Dover Council meeting is scheduled for July 6. Since the city offices may be moving soon, look for a notice on the location.