June Monthly Report

I realized that I did not post the report I made to the City Manager for the month of June. My bad.... enjoy the reading and the weekend.

Continue to communicate with the community through hosting of periodic ward and neighborhood meetings such as quarterly Dover Discussions along with exploring new methods to increase interaction and participation by citizens in local governance and community forums.

The Department of Planning and Community Development continued to update its blog, face book page and twitter feed to communicate with the public. The Department of Planning and Community Development has 123 Facebook (City of Dover NH Planning) friends and 239 followers on Twitter @DoverNHPlanning).

During the month of June, five (5) Planning blog posts were drafted, including one on looking back at planning over the last 14 years in Dover, one discussingthe Planning Department’s use of Social Media, one on the basic history of zoning in Dover, one on redistricting and one on the departure of the Sustainability Coordinator.

The Department of Planning promoted the Dover Community Trail through the facebook fan page for the trail (with 275 fans), as well as a Sustainable Dover facebook fan page for the trail (with 108 fans). The Sustainability Coordinator promoted numerous events this month through facebook, as well as traditional media.

The Planning Director and Sustainability Coordinator co-organized and promoted a community open house for Dover residents to provide input on sustainable development in the City during a special U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) presentation on June 6. The presentation was the first phase of federally funded technical assistance the City of Dover received from the EPA through a Building Blocks grant, and was followed by a full-day work session involving City staff, including Department heads and the City cross-department Green Team members, and City volunteers from the Planning Board and Dover Energy Advisory Committee. A summary report from the EPA is expected within the next 1-2 month(s).

The Sustainability Coordinator has created a sustainability resource information webpage for Dover residents as part of the Sustainable Dover initiative. Residents seeking to reduce their personal environmental impact, and/or make home efficiency improvements can find a host of resources that cater specifically to action at the individual or residential level. The goal was to create a place for residents to find local and relevant sustainability information, for a user-friendly experience and to provide comprehensive information sources together on one web page. The page offers links to information on energy efficiency, fossil fuel use reduction, local food, public transit and other green travel options including bike route information, the city recycling program, residential composting, zero waste, permaculture, and sustainable landscaping.

The Sustainability Coordinator created a “Recent News” page on the City website to provide direct access to up-to-date information on the City’s sustainability efforts. The page provides links to all the news stories released this year by the City Media Coordinator related to sustainability, furthering the positive public image the promotion of these activities offer for the City.

The Director of Planning and Community Development worked with the Media Access Coordinator to produce Video Dover Download segments for 5 topics relating to planning issues in Dover. The topics were: Commute Green Week, land use regulation amendments, The Sustainable Dover initiative, an update on the Open Space master plan work.

Attend workshops and participate in other education opportunities to further continuing professional development.

The Director of Planning and Community Development was selected to present at the New Hampshire Planners Association annual conference on the City of Dover’s sustainability efforts. This conference occured in June, and the Sustainability Coordinator presented on behalf of the Department.

Develop a closer working relationship with the School Department and all other City Departments. Further explore and pursue opportunities where City and Schools can combine and/share services for the benefit of the community and report to the City Council.

The Sustainability Coordinator wrote a press release to inform the local public about the results of Dover’s participation in Commute Green week last month as the results were announced this week by the state program coordinator. The Sustainability Coordinator provided the updates for the City, including Woodman Park’s school event participation, to the media.

Support local businesses to aid in the community’s economic growth by working in conjunction with local economic development groups and business organizations.

The Department of Planning and Community Development met with local developers and business/property owners to discuss ways to create innovative and progressive regulations that do not discourage development or create a burden to economic growth.

The Sustainability Coordinator has set up meetings with numerous City residents who own or work for local businesses offering innovative green products and services to draw expertise to assist the City in becoming more sustainable. They are invited to become volunteers for the Energy Advisory Committee, the public advisory body for the sustainability program in Dover. Funding is available through the Eco-Ads program to make City CIP funded purchases as sustainable as possible, such as providing the difference in funds in purchasing a fuel-efficient fleet vehicle instead of an inefficient vehicle. It could also pay for alternative energy projects.

Complete the implementation of the ongoing energy efficiency improvements and provide periodic reports of energy savings.

The Department of Planning and Community Development hosted the EPA for a day of technical assistance on for June 7th, 2011. The EPA staff and consultants met with City staff and volunteers to perform the start of the energy audit of the City’s code.

The Department of Planning met with the Strafford Regional Planning Commission (SRPC) regarding the federally funded Energy & Technical Assistance program. The Sustainability Coordinator reviewed an initial draft of the Master Plan review by SRPC to identify areas where sustainability improvements can be made.

The air conditioning units for the server room were commissioned in late May. The City is waiting confirmation that Ewing Electric completed their punch list from the electrical inspector before the servers can be moved upstairs.

The Calgon system was delivered to the Waste Water Treatment Plant. Dean Peschel was informed by New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services that the Environmental Protection Agency is going to be monitoring our ARRA project at the Waste Water Treatment Plant for Federal compliance.

GENERAL DEPARTMENT UPDATES:

FOCUS/GOALS:

The Director of Planning and Community Development worked with the committee created by the City Council to review redistricting options created by the final numbers of the 2010 Census. The Director reviewed population by ward and developed recommended options for the Committee to review. Ultimately, the Committee presented its recommended ward redistricting to the City Council on June 22. The Council proceeded to authorize the City Manager to forward the proper materials to the State of New Hampshire for legal review prior to placing the redistricting plan on the November ballot for approval as a change to the Charter.

The Sustainability Coordinator worked with the City legal department to draft a resolution that will go to Council this summer to endorse the Natural Step for Communities framework and designate Dover as a community striving to become an Eco-Municipality. This framework is utilized across the globe by communities to guide municipal and business organizations to utilize a triple bottom line approach- incorporating social, economic and financial considerations in decision-making and has been endorsed by the Dover Energy Advisory Committee.

DEPARTMENTAL COLLABORATION & ENHANCEMENTS

Planning and Community Development staff assisted the Community Services and Inspection staff with a review of outstanding issues on several projects, and took the lead on reaching out to the developers. The plans/projects are as follows:
• Newington Dover bridge
• The Village at Thornwood Commons
• Gladiola Way
• Cedar Cove
• Cornerstone Crossing
• Bill Dube Ford/Toyota

Planning staff continues to assist the legal office with preparing pleadings and background information regarding the rezoning of Arch Street. Staff also assisted the legal office with reviews relative to the annual Great Bay Music Festival off Bay view Drive that occurs in August.

Planning staff worked with the Economic Development Director to draft a Request for Proposals to develop four parking lots located in the urban core. Planning staff reviewed the historic uses of the lots as well as abutting uses. Finally, Planning staff reviewed the RFP and RFQ used by the City for the River Street project to identify common elements and learn from the process to perfect the process for the infill RFP.

The Director of Planning and Community Development worked with the General Legal Counsel and the City Clerk to review and layout the process for reviewing the ward populations for proper distribution.

Planning staff worked with land owners of property at the following locations on development or redevelopment opportunities:
• Sixth Street, between Indian Brook Drive and Venture Drive
• Technical Review for intersection of Sixth Street and Indian Brook Drive
• 46 Arch Street
• Appaloosa Drive
• Basils Place
• Long Hill Road residential property
• The Village at Bellamy Commons
• Windbrook subdivision off Tolend Rd.
• Beacon Circle
• Pedestrian Bridge relocation
• 36 Dover Point Road