Dover Download

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Dover School District Superintendent Dr. Christine Boston about the 2025-26 school year, then reviews recent city government activities with Erin Bassegio from the Planning Department and Brian Early from Media Services.

Parker and Boston discuss the major changes facing students and families, particularly the new state-mandated cell...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Aaron Williams about the Strong Towns movement and its local group in Dover. Williams explains that Strong Towns was founded by civil engineer Chuck Marohn, who identified that North American communities were building more infrastructure than their tax base could sustainably maintain. The movement focuses on practical, data-driven solut...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with George Maglaras for the second installment of their series about the Cochecho River and Dover's waterfront history. Building on their previous discussion about river pollution and cleanup efforts, Maglaras shares his extensive knowledge of the diverse industries that once thrived along the river from the late 1600s through the early...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Makayla Edgecomb, Assistant City Planner for the City of Dover, and Lindsay Watkins, Strafford County Forester with the University of New Hampshire's Cooperative Extension, about the critical issue facing Dover's downtown ash trees.

The conversation centers on the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle from Asia that has devastated ash tr...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Abby Galloway-Burke, Dover's new housing planner, about the recently released Ad-Hoc Committee to Address Community Housing Needs report and her personal experience purchasing a home in the city.

Galloway-Burke discusses her background working on housing programs at Community Action Partnership of Strafford County and Granite Uni...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with newly appointed Dover Rotary Club President Cathy Beaudoin about the organization's century-long commitment to community service. Beaudoin discusses how the club, now in its 101st year, raises approximately $100,000 annually through weekly bingo operations to support local charities and community projects. She highlights the club...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with former Mayor George Maglaras, owner of George's Marina, about the dramatic transformation of the Cochecho River from one of the most polluted waterways in America to the recreational resource Dover residents enjoy today.

Maglaras shares the history of river pollution that began after Dover's Black Day flood in 1896 and intens...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Eric Chinburg and Chad Kageleiry about Dover's use of public-private partnerships (PPPs) as an economic development tool. Both developers have extensive experience working with the city on various projects over the past decade.

Eric Chinburg, who owns and operates several historic mill properties, including the Washington Street ...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Eric Sanderson, the city's project manager, and Library Director Denise LaFrance about the ongoing renovation of Dover's historic library. The project, which began six months ago, is nearing the completion of demolition work and has started putting new elements back in place. Key structural work includes steel installation in the baseme...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Margaret Joyce and Jed Allen from the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce about the upcoming 39th annual Cochecho Arts Festival. The festival features a diverse lineup of Friday night headliners from July 11 through Aug. 15, including The Coastals, Moon Boot Lover, New Norde and Donaher, Harsh, Toby McAllister and the Sierra Sounds, and W...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with outgoing Dover School Superintendent Dr. William Harbron about his eight-year tenure and upcoming retirement. Harbron reflects on what drew him to Dover from Ohio, particularly the quality and supportiveness of the Board of Education and the community's commitment to education. He discusses his role in "healing the district,&qu...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Erin Bassegio from the Planning Department about Dover's 2025 Land Use Chapter update to the Master Plan. Bassegio explains that this critical chapter, one of two required by the state, hasn't been updated since 2014 and encompasses much more than just land use, including demographics, economic development, housing, and community charac...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Rob Simmons, director of development for Cathartes, and Jamie Stevens, the city's project manager for the Waterfront Project, to discuss the mid-year progress on Dover's waterfront development.

Rob Simmons provides an update on the private development portion, highlighting that the mixed-use buildings are fully framed with ro...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Community Service Director John Storer about major construction projects underway and planned for Dover. The episode also features updates on City Council and Planning Board activities from May.

Parker and Storer discuss the downtown streetlight replacement project, which began as a pilot program near Franklin Square and will expand ...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Suzanne Weete, a 24-year Dover resident and community mental health advocate who works at Community Partners, a local community mental health center. Weete discusses her role in founding the Dover Mental Health Alliance, a grassroots coalition dedicated to promoting mental health awareness and education in the community.

The conversa...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with COAST Bus Executive Director Rad Nichols and Operations Director Michael Williams.

COAST operates both fixed-route bus services, connecting 10 communities, and demand-response services for older adults and people with disabilities across 13 communities in the greater Seacoast area of New Hampshire and Maine. The organization is prima...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with former Planning Director Steve Stancel about his career with the city from 1986 to 2007, followed by a conversation with City Engineer Ken Mavrogeorge about Public Works Week activities.

Parker and Stancel discuss Stancel's journey from growing up in Dover to becoming its planning director. Stancel reflects on major accomplishmen...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Kirt Schuman about his 15-year tenure on the Dover Planning Board. Schuman shares his journey from joining the Main Street Design Committee in 2004 to eventually becoming Planning Board Chair. He discusses his involvement in developing the 2007 Land Use Master Plan and the 2012 Community Visioning Chapter, which prioritized downtown rev...

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with John Swartzendruber, a former Planning Board member who served from 2003 until the 2010s. This is the third episode in a series looking back at the Planning Board over the years. Swartzendruber discusses how he joined the board after his father-in-law, who had been a planning director in Portsmouth, suggested he get involved in the comm...