this week: growth sets the tone for Dover Mayor Scott Myers

In 2007, Dover weathered a number of violent storms. Two natural floods hit the city, each causing extensive damage to public and private property. But the fiercest storms took place within council chambers at Dover City Hall. Sporadic hostility erupted over various issues, such as the Children’s Museum, the Waterfront Development project and the tax cap. As the city continues to grow, residents and officials juggle the need for expanded services and facilities, while attempting to keep taxes and the cost of living low. While a number of issues were put to rest in 2007, that doesn’t mean it will be smooth sailing for Dover in 2008. But one thing is for sure: As a wave of growth carries Dover into the new year, Mayor Scott Myers will be at the helm once again to try and steer the city in the right direction.

On Monday, Jan. 7, Myers took the oath of office for his third term as mayor, a time-consuming position with very little financial reward. On Tuesday, he took a break from his responsibilities as co-owner of Galley Hatch Catering in Hampton and Popovers on the Square in Portsmouth to speak with The Wire.  

“Dover’s come a long way, not only over the last 20 years, but over the last 10 years. And I think what we’re doing down in the waterfront and what’s happening with the Children’s Museum complements what’s been going on,” Myers said.

When the Children’s Museum moves from Portsmouth to Dover this July, it will take up residence in the Butterfield building in downtown Dover. Some residents and city counselors have opposed spending town funds on the museum. But, according to Myers, it’s been estimated that the Children’s Museum will bring in more than 100,000 visitors each year, which will provide a boon to downtown businesses. “It helps spur additional economic development within the urban core, and to me, that’s also positive for the residential property owners in the city, because it will expand the tax base and help share some of our tax burden,” Myers said.

Another major project that will change the face of Dover is the Waterfront Development project, which will create a small community of office, residential and retail space on 30 acres of property along the Cocheco River. The project, which has been in the works for years, will also include walking trails, open space, a boat launch and several boat slips. While some people preferred selling the property to private developers, Myers was pleased the city ultimately decided to create a public-private partnership, which will allow residents to have more involvement in the project.

“The waterfront has always been proposed to be a complement to downtown and to not be competing with it. And, I think, with the plan we have going forward, it’s going to do that,” Myers said. “It adds the right mix of residential, and you need that vibrancy of activity going on 24 hours a day, as opposed to something that’s open Monday through Friday, 9:00 to 5:00, and then is dark for the weekend. I think the open space and the walking trails, the extension of the river walk, access to the water for kayakers and canoers, transit boat slips for day trippers to be coming in—I think these are all positive aspects of the development, which, again, enhance what’s already been happening in the downtown over the past 10 years.”

Recently, it was announced that the deadline for a contract between the city and Dickinson Development—the firm designing the waterfront project—was extended beyond Dec. 31. Myers expects a final contract agreement within the next six months. “From last year, when we definitively passed this, the anticipation always was that ground would be broken sometime late winter (or) early spring of 2009. To my understanding, that time table has not changed at all,” he said. 

With ongoing development downtown, parking is sure to be an issue. Last fall, the city commissioned a study to look at possible sites for a new parking facility. While a number of sites were recommended, the best option appears to be a lot located on Orchard Street, which runs behind Central Avenue. At his inaugural ceremony, Myers announced that, with the City Council’s support, he intends to form a committee to look into building a parking facility at the Orchard Street site.

“The other thing I stressed in my inaugural was, any plans that include the construction of a parking facility must, with emphasis on the ‘must,’ provide for a funding mechanism that is supported by downtown commercial property owners and users of the facility and not, with emphasis again on the word ‘not,’ the taxpayers of the city,” he said.

The city should also use caution regarding the environmental impact of each new project. In July, Willand Pond, located on Route 108 near the Somersworth town line, was shut down due to contamination. One of the factors that likely contributed to the pond’s contamination was the scale of commercial development nearby. Myers noted that some of the development that affected the pond occurred in neighboring Somersworth, but city officials still must enhance their awareness of the environmental impacts of growth, both in and around Dover.

“It does bring up an issue. As growth happens, we need to look at tree clearing. We need to look at the amount of surface area that we’re covering with either construction or parking surface areas and see how it does impact,” Myers said. “I think this is an area that we’ve certainly learned that we need to have much stronger lines of communication with neighboring communities when properties and areas do cross city lines.”

The restoration of Willand Pond will end up costing a pile of money. While some funding will come from the state, Dover will probably have to chip in. This is just one of the significant expenses Dover faces in 2008. Almost every municipality struggles with city spending, but Dover faces particularly tough challenges, especially in light of the newly instituted tax cap, which will prohibit the city from increasing taxes above a certain level. While taxes remain steady, the city might have to cut certain services. 

“If we are looking at cuts, my philosophy is, we would not be looking to make those cuts in the core services. And those, to me, are public safety—police, fire and ambulance services,” Myers said.

Dover recently broke ground on a new north end fire station near the Liberty Mutual building on Sixth Street, but funding for its construction was figured into last year’s budget. However, the city must hire four employees to help staff the new station, and their salaries and benefits will come from next year’s budget, which falls under the tax cap. Myers insists that the Fire Department will not suffer under the tax cap, although other services might.

“You start looking at areas of recreation or other services that may fall under the budget of the Police Department, but may deal with prevention programs, D.A.R.E. programs and youth services. Those are probably the areas that are going to be reviewed. There probably will have to be some cuts, but I don’t have any specifics for you at this moment, because we have to see where certain numbers come in,” he said.

The tax cap, which was spearheaded by Councilor David Scott, was probably the most controversial issue discussed in 2007, but it wasn’t the only instance in which Myers presided over a hostile Council. A big challenge he faces heading into the new term is establishing cohesion and boosting public faith in the Council.

“I think it’s incumbent upon myself, as mayor, to control decorum in council chambers. But it’s a fine line between determining what I would allow to be said during council chambers verses trying to control debate or control comments, and I’ve always aired on the side of inclusiveness on anything I’ve done during my four years as mayor,” he said. “Beyond that, the other thing that I’ve stressed all the way along, and I’ll continue to stress, is that, as councilors, we probably have more of a burden and a responsibility to be dealing with credible, factual information. While I agree that healthy debate is important and there’s going to be differences of opinions, one thing that I’ve never tolerated and will continue to not tolerate from a councilor is intentional misrepresentation of information and facts.”

Myers believes all councilors and residents can rally around the issue of energy efficiency. In 2007, he created an Energy Advisory Committee to investigate ways the city could cut down on its energy use. The committee will present its final report in March. “That’s when we’ll be getting the comprehensive report of recommendations, suggestions and findings,” Myers said. “Ultimately, it’s my hope the Council will be looking to implement some of those.”

The city has already adopted some of the committee’s initial recommendations. The lighting system in the city’s ice arenas was replaced with a more efficient system. The city is also looking into purchasing more fuel-efficient vehicles.

“I don’t see the downside to something if we can look at financial savings, as well as improvements to our environment. As more data and more research comes down, I certainly think there is a place for having a sustained Energy Advisory Committee working within the city,” Myers said.

As Dover continues to grow, some people worry it will become prohibitively expensive for low-income families, artists and students. Myers acknowledged this concern, but did not offer a solution.

“That’s a difficult question and it’s one that I know communities have struggled with over the years,” he said. “Part of change in housing prices deals with the desirability of a community and is driven by market forces. It’s something that I’m certainly sensitive to, but I don’t know if anybody has got the magic answer on that.”

One thing that has made Dover a more desirable place to live is its growing art community, which has benefited the entire town.

“It’s just been proven conclusively that, as a community becomes stronger in the arts and more people are attracted for that reason, you have the economic trickle down, with additional arts coming in, additional restaurants coming in, boutiques and other stores,” Myers said.

The growing importance of Dover’s artistic community was made evident with the opening of the McConnell Center, which Myers helped establish, and the revitalization of the city’s Arts Commission. According to the mayor, the Arts Commission is at a critical juncture. “I think they need to have a mission statement, if you will, as to what their objectives are. We need to take an inventory of what our assets are within the community,” he said. “How can we harness that energy and those spaces collectively and put it into a little bit more of a comprehensive format, almost a master plan or business plan for the arts? I think those are some of the steps that have to take place.”

All these issues amount to a very full plate for Scott Myers in 2008, but it is a challenge the mayor embraces with high hopes for the Garrison City.