The Power of an Hour: Dover's Earth Day Cleanup and City Updates

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Deb Clough about the upcoming "Power of an Hour" litter collection event scheduled for Saturday, April 26, 2025, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Clough explains that this will be the second annual citywide cleanup, organized by ward, with volunteers meeting at their respective voting locations 15 minutes before the event starts. Last year's event saw 283 volunteers collect over a ton (2,000 pounds) of litter in just one hour. Clough encourages participants to wear bright colors and comfortable shoes, bring gloves, and notes that bags will be provided. After collection, volunteers will consolidate trash into blue "New Hampshire the Beautiful" bags, take group photos, and the three wards with the most participants will win "trash trophies." Deb also mentions her "Don't Trash Dover" walks, which have been running monthly for seven years, with the March event attracting a record 55 participants who collected 28 bags of litter.

In the second segment, Parker speaks with Erin Bassegio from the Planning Department and Brian Early from Media Services about recent city developments. Bassegio discusses Planning Board activities, including the approval of a second extension for a 173-unit residential project at 47 Chestnut Street, various conditional use permits, and updates to site review and land subdivision regulations. She also mentions the formation of a TDR (Transfer of Development Rights) subcommittee and conservation efforts. Early details the City Council's focus on the fiscal year 2026 budget, including workshops, departmental presentations, and the School Board's $2.4 million budget reduction. He notes that the final budget adoption occurred on April 2. He covers other council actions, including approval of seasonal paving contracts and updates on the Dover High School Athletics Complex project.