Sign Sweep Rundown

The Dover Department of Planning and Community Development would like to thank owners of business in the City for compliance with its sign ordinance. This recognition comes after staff held the first illegal sign sweep of 2012. The sweep occurred between Wednesday, January 11^th and Friday January 13, 2012. A total of 21 signs were confiscated during the sweep.

I had announced the clean-up of illegal and unpermitted temporary advertising signs throughout the City of Dover, on January 3rd as part of a winter cleanup around the community.  Illegal and unpermitted signs include those on utility poles, or in the right of way.

The illegal sign removal action was warranted because the placement of these temporary signs in public right-of-ways and medians of streets, on utility poles and attached to trees is not permitted by the Dover Sign Ordinance and may cause a safety hazard for traveling motorists or create a visual blight that is unsightly for residents.  These signs detract from legitimate business signs that have gone through the proper permitting process.

I am very pleased with our results. Overall, Tim and I collected 21 signs, compared to this time last year, when we collected almost 24. When you consider that the last sweep was over six months ago, it appears that our education and outreach campaign has continued to succeed.

Furthermore, it was a good experience for Timothy Corwin, our new Assistant City Planner. He noted that none of the signs collected were from local Dover based business. The signs collected advertised tree removal, firewood and hot tub sales provided by business outside the community. “It’s very rewarding to work in a community whose citizens and businesses value such a high quality of life.  I’m looking forward to helping Dover maintain that quality of life by reducing clutter with future sign sweeps,” Corwin told me.

Business owners that have placed these signs were advised to remove the illegal signs in advance of this clean-up effort.  Any sign that was confiscated will be held for thirty days prior to being recycled or destroyed, unless the sign is claimed by the owner after paying a reclamation fee based on the actual cost of man-hours and equipment use.  Repeat offenders may be subject to prosecution and fines.

This was the fourth sweep the we have conducted since the summer of 2010. Staff has been monitoring signs and holds the sweeps every few months. At the same time, efforts have been made to reach out to businesses to explain regulations and the safety concerns associated with the placement of signs within the right of way.

Winter Sign Sweep

The Dover Department of Planning and Community Development announces that it will be conducting a clean-up of illegal and unpermitted temporary advertising signs throughout the City of Dover during the week of January 9th as part of a review of zoning compliances around the community.  Illegal and unpermitted signs include those on utility poles, or in the right of way. This clean up will be the fourth one conducted by planning staff in the past year.

The illegal sign removal action is warranted because the placement of these temporary signs in public right-of-ways and medians of streets, on utility poles and attached to trees is not permitted by the Dover Sign Ordinance and may cause a safety hazard for traveling motorists or create a visual blight that is unsightly for residents.  These signs detract from legitimate business signs that have gone through the proper permitting process.

 “I am confident that we will continue to see less signs than we have in the past,” Christopher Parker, Director of Planning and Community Development said. “I am always happy to see that the sweeps take less and less time to complete as we have more and more compliance from business and property owners. We have seen dramatic reductions in these illegal signs. I hope that this trend continues and we have only a handful of illegal signs at the end of the day.”

Parker continued to explain that the goal of the sweep is to reward those business owners that have properly placed and permitted their signs. “We hope to both remove the safety hazard, improve aesthetics and also ensure that those that follow the rules the community has established for signs are followed.”

This will be the first sign sweep conducted with the City’s recently hired Zoning Administrator, Tim Corwin. Corwin joins the City staff on January 3, and will be learning the nuances of Dover’s code. “This sweep is a good way for Tim to see how seriously we take zoning and code violations in Dover.” Parker explained.

Business owners that have placed these signs are advised to remove the illegal signs in advance of this clean-up effort.  Any sign that is confiscated will only be held for thirty days prior to being recycled or destroyed, unless the sign is claimed by the owner after paying a reclamation fee based on the actual cost of man-hours and equipment use.  Repeat offenders may be subject to prosecution and fines. 

The Planning Department has a facebook fan page in which residents can learn more about projects and applications. Additionally, the Department has a twitter feed @DoverNHPlanning.

For more information please call the Planning Department at 516-6008.

A Diverse Week of Planning Activities

Last week was a great week to work for the Planning Department. We tend to have our fingers in more than a few activities going on in the community, whether we are overt or covert about it is another thing.

Last week was one of those weeks, when I'd say to my sweet wife, I'm doing this today, or today I met with X and she'd say really how is that Planning? I get that a lot. People don't always see the connections, which I think is cool, because when you point them out they tend to make a lot of things clearer.

The diversity of my position and department is one of the strong appeals to me. It keeps things light and keeps the stress level constant (high, but constant). I've got a great group of people working for me and one reason they are great is that they are always looking for things to do, and projects to benefit the residents.

Last week those projects included a permaculture class, green commute week, with free breakfast on Friday and the Cochecho River Field Day/Clean up Day. Also we participated in Commute Green Week with a local project. These are atop regular meet with residents/property owners etc that we do daily, and atop zoning administration and enforcement.

The Permaculture class was interesting, informative and out of a comfort zone that I think many of us appreciate. The idea behind permaculture is that we should think about development (whether your backyard, your neighborhood, or your community) as it incorporates into nature, and not as a replacement for the environment around it. The class was 12 people and was a good and interesting bunch of people. It reminded me of graduate school where you are focused on a topic and it can be more investing than undergraduate classes were (just saying for me at least).

The Commute Green week was an outgrowth of an event designed to encourage people to travel by bike. The goal of the week is to inform the public about the benefits of carpooling, walking, biking, or taking transit. We had great partners for the week, including Adelle's coffee shop, C & J, COAST, Holey Rosary Credit Union, and New Hampshire Coffee Roasters. According to http://commutegreennh.org, over 48,000 vehicle miles were saved last week in NH, by commuting.

We saw almost 50 people stop into the transportation center on Chestnut Street between 6 am and 10 am. I got to pretend I was a barista (or barrister as auto spell check suggests), and serve coffee (not very well, I forgot sugar - we got some, and stir sticks. It was great to chat with the people who commute everyday. The pastries were a success and the interactions with the Station Hosts were the best part.

The Station Hosts are a great group of individuals who volunteer their time to come and meet the train when it is in Dover. The hosts open the transportation center a half hour prior to the arrival of the train and help people with the quick track ticket machine. While they might be there for the train, they are also quite aware and educated about the COAST, Wildcat and FastTrans systems in place as well. Their service really benefits the community as a whole.

Saturday was the clean up day. This event is great. It allows three areas we are working on to come together. The Community Trail, conservation efforts, and sustainability efforts, all come together with the assistance of Great Bay Trout Unlimited, the City and Measured Progress.

Trout Unlimited and Measured Progress have been tremendous partners and community members. Their assistance, leadership and efforts have made Dover a better community, and made it easier for many projects to get completed along the rural portion of the community trail. If you haven't been down to that end, please check the trail, starting at Watson Rd. Speaking of Watson Rd, starting in June work will commence on the trailhead/parking lot off Watson Road. This will make it easier to visit the trail. Not only easier, but I should add, safer.

One last item, I began week four of walking to work. Its been successful and enjoyable. If you can try it, I encourage you to do so. Its worth the time and effort.

OK, one more last item, if you listen to podcasts, check out How to do Everything, a whimsical cast about doing very odd and different tasks (how to catch a fish with your hand etc...).

Cleaning Up with Pride

How did you spend your weekend? Maybe some mulching, maybe some planting of flowers, maybe some raking? Did you do this at your house, or in downtown Dover? If both you are dedicated.

I spent Saturday morning leading a great group of volunteers outside of City Hall pruning, mulching and raking. There were probably 15 of so people at the height of involvement and the volunteers did a great job. Drive by the Central Ave side and check out their work. All involved should be proud.

Clean up day, or its proper title "Dover Pride Clean Up Day" is probably my favorite community day here in Dover. It is great to see so many people from all sections, sectors, and walks coming together for the common goal of sprucing up our downtown. As in years past this was a family affair, not just my family - my sweet wife lead a group of volunteers on the brick walk way from Washington Street to Orchard Street - but it seemed that almost everywhere you looked there was a family working side by side.

We (all volunteers) did a lot of work. The City looks great. Check out Henry Law Park, where plantings/trees were trimmed, flowers planted, and mulch freshened. Continue onto River Street, where the view was opened up tremendously and you can see the beautiful river that much clearer. Walk the Community Trail or Joe Parks Riverwalk and see the wonder of nature in the heart of downtown, and swing through the Transportation Center or Library, where visitors will now be met with spruced up plants and trees. All of it looks tremendous (If I missed your area, I apologize - truly).

I challenge us all to appreciate what has been completed here, and dig in and help next year. Better yet don't wait until next year. Take pride in your neighborhood and get together with your friends and families and pick a Saturday, clean up your neighborhood park or other amenity and then have a barbecue and get to know everyone you might pass by daily that much better. It doesn't have to be a 4 hour commitment, just get in and get it done.

You can take pride in your community every day and grow and become more connected to it, by just reaching out, even a little. Take a walk, and don't ignore that piece of trash or debris, pick it up. Let your kids - or dog - play at the park, and look for litter. Smile and be part of the community.

Taking ownership in the place you live is an important lesson that everyone can learn. We try to teach our children to be aware and educated about life, do we do the same about community? Hopefully. The more people are involved and the more people are aware of the community around them, the better that community will and can be.

Park Street Park

Last week I attended a meeting with the group of civic leaders, led by the the Dover Rotary Club, working to rehabilitate Park Street Park. This project began almost a year ago and has been an effort in public/private partnerships, but also an experience in refining the neighborhood desires.

Approximately thirty five years ago the City of Dover took possession of a parcel of land which formally had a factory on it, between Park Street and East Concord Street. The land is just over an acre in size. Using Community Development Block grant monies, the City developed a park for the use and enjoyment of the neighborhood. In the late 1970s vandalism and illicit use of the park brought about the installation of a chain link fence and hours of operation for the park. The early 1990s saw the neighborhood band together and approach the City about reinvesting in the park. At that time changes to the amenities were installed and a neighborhood watch was instituted.

Like many things in life, the life of the park has had a cycle to it. A year ago, neighbors reported concerns about crime, vandalism and lack of care for the park. City staff, from Community Services, Recreation, Police and Planning as well as Ward 1 Councilor Bob Carrier met with residents over two Saturdays to discuss the park. Pledges to work together were made and communication lines were set forth.

As part of the 2009 update to the Recreation chapter of the City's Master Plan, there was discussion about the relationship between the city and users of the neighborhood parks. It has been long recognized that with the City's limited funds, there is a need for help with watching over the parks. Additionally, I have long wondered if there is a way to broaden Dover Pride Clean up day. This expansion would take the limits of work from the downtown core to other neighborhoods.

The basic idea is that maybe instead of coming to downtown, your family would go to your neighborhood park. The city would have deposited mulch and you and your neighbors could spread the mulch and tidy up the park and take pride in your neighborhood. The idea is not to replace downtown's clean up, but to enhance it.

Park St might be the first trial of this. Over the past year, the Rotary Club of Dover has stepped forward and facilitated discussions with neighbors on the value of recreation at the park. They retained a landscape architect to design a new park layout based upon the input. Above all they fund raised to afford the improvements. The City itself has agreed to do some drainage and other improvements. The work has begun and should be completed this summer.

My hope is that as the project winds down, we will see a continued effort by the neighborhood to work together to watch and maintain the park. At one meeting, a neighbor said that she always encourages her children to clean up garbage and such at the park, and reminds others not to leave waste behind. Another abutter reminded his neighbors that they don't need to rely on the City to pick up the park, we are all part of the community and can all be responsible and accountable.

These are great comments and thoughts. Ones which I hope stay with the community and neighborhood for years to come.

Community Development

This past Saturday, April 24, 2010, was Dover Pride Clean Up Day. This event, organized by Dover Main Street, brings together members of the community to spruce up the downtown area. My family has volunteered in each of the 11 years the event has been in place.

This year my wife led a group at Henry Law Park and I oversaw the City employees who were working the event, filling in for the Community Services Director. As in the past, the event was a success on a few fronts. A drive through Dover will show the tangible benefits (mulch, raking, pruning etc). What you can't see if you weren't at Clean Up day is the intangible benefits.

The intangible is building community. I have spoken in the past about the role I see my department playing in Community Development, and will probably do so many times in the future. On April 24th you had people from all sectors of the community coming together towards one goal, betterment. Remember while I work for the "City" of Dover, I am also part of the "Community" of Dover. One need not be a resident of Dover to be a community member, and I am not sure whether Main Street asks if you are a resident to participate. I doubt it.

Community building is a valiant effort. The all knowing Wikipedia loosely defines community building as bringing people together to improve various aspects of local communities. We need to build community and be a part of that community at the same time. This is true whatever the economic condition.

We saw evidence of that community building on Saturday. Groups of kids, Scouts, business owners and residents picked one of 13 locations in the area to clean up. The Community Trail got a good once over as did the Transportation Center and City Hall. People in teams of 2 or 3 all the way to almost 100 were dotting the central business district taking pride in their Downtown.

Main Street deserves a lot of credit. It organizes the event and Britt Schuman and Mary Krans work hard to give people the opportunity to give back to the community and take part for a few hours. Main Street is sometimes viewed as an economic development engine, but I see it (surprise, surprise) as a community development initiative which happens to have an economic component.

Main Street doesn't create jobs, instead it helps to refine the atmosphere downtown to encourage a sense of place. In turn that sense of place encourages people to want to work and play in Dover. Not a bad goal.

I'd be remiss if I didn't toot my own horn a bit here. Recently the Planning Department was recognized by PlanNH a non-profit group which recognizes innovative and sustainable planning. Dover's Form Based Code is viewed as both. Additionally, the NH Planners Association also awarded us their 2010 Project of the Year award. These are great awards to be recognized for and I am proud of our work.

As proud as I am of the awards (come on down to our office and check them out), I am more proud of being a part of a community that cares and is giving. I grew up here, my wife and I specifically bought a house here, and I like the idea that in 15 years (well maybe 20) my son can bring his family to Clean Up day and be part of the fabric of Dover.