Dover Download

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Kathy Beebe, executive director of Haven, as part of the podcast's continuing look at local nonprofits. Haven is the Seacoast's domestic violence and sexual assault prevention and support agency. It was formed through the merger of A Safe Place and Sexual Assault Support Services. Beebe explains that the new name was chosen deliberately to make clear its services are for anyone affected, including men, teens, adult survivors of childhood abuse, and family members.

Haven offers a 24-hour support line, court and hospital accompaniment, support at the Child Advocacy Center, a transitional shelter and a federally funded rent subsidy program. Its educators reach about 13,000 students a year in kindergarten through 12th grade with age-appropriate lessons on body safety, bullying and healthy relationships. Beebe describes staff as "navigators" who connect clients with partner organizations when their needs go beyond Haven's own services.

Haven has a $3 million annual budget, about a third of which comes from fundraising, and has more than doubled in size since its merger 10 years ago. A capital campaign is now underway to move its Portsmouth office and build a new shelter at an Episcopal church on Route 1. The project is a partnership with the Portsmouth Housing Authority, the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire and a child care provider, with occupancy targeted for late spring 2027. Beebe also highlights volunteer opportunities, from outreach events to board service.

In This Week in Dover History, we look back at the September 1849 opening of the Cochecho Railroad, which carried passengers about 18 miles from Dover through Rochester to Farmington. The line later extended to Alton Bay on Lake Winnipesaukee, helping make Dover an important rail junction between northern New Hampshire and Boston.

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Lily Hanscom, Dover's new director of Public Welfare, about the city's role as a local safety net.

Hanscom, a Rochester native, traces her path into the field: volunteering at Haven at 19, an internship with a Strafford County Corrections transition program for young women, and six years with the state Department of Health and Human Services before coming to Dover earlier this year. She gravitated toward resource-focused work over crisis work, she says, and appreciates that local decisions take days rather than years.

She describes a small office on the third floor of the McConnell Center, guided by Dover's welfare guidelines, which she calls the rulebook that keeps casework consistent and fair for everyone, herself included. Beyond meeting the emergency in front of her, Hanscom emphasizes long-term sustainability, pointing to job fairs, New Hampshire Employment Security programs, and close partnerships with My Friend's Place, Cross Roads House, and other area nonprofits. She also stresses prevention, such as collecting donated backpacks and school supplies so families don't spend money they will need later for a utility bill. Parker and Hanscom agree the office should be a place people can walk into without shame, and that anyone can end up a missed paycheck or an accident away from needing help.

The Public Welfare office is in the McConnell Center, Room 334, and is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. No appointment is necessary.

In This Week in Dover History, we return to 1857, when workmen excavating a house foundation on Nelson Street uncovered an old chimney and cellar wall, human bones believed to be a woman's, and a spoon of a style unused for 150 years. The ruins were thought to belong to the garrison house of Peter Coffin's son, or possibly Dover's first tavern. The segment traces Coffin's remarkable life: an original purchaser of Nantucket Island, a sawmill owner, a lieutenant in King Philip's War, and later chief justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court.

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Jennifer Elliott and Christopher Kozak of Community Partners, continuing the podcast's look at nonprofits serving the Dover community.

Kozak, the organization's president and CEO, and Elliott, the organization's communications manager, describe Community Partners as a large social service agency serving primarily Strafford County, with a mission of helping people participate fully in their communities. It is both the county's designated community mental health center and its designated area agency, supporting people with developmental disabilities and acquired brain disorders through case management, early supports and services, therapy, psychiatric care, and residential programming with more than 120 home providers. Its rapid response mobile crisis team, dispatched through 988, serves the county and neighboring regions.

They also discuss the Aging and Disability Resource Center, formerly ServiceLink, which handles Medicare Part D open enrollment and the Choices for Independence program that helps older adults stay in their homes. Recent growth includes acquiring Southeastern New Hampshire Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services, bringing the Turning Point residential program and the Kane House sober living program under the agency, and purchasing a 28,000-square-foot building in Somersworth. Kozak explains the coming transition to a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic model, which will broaden eligibility and better integrate mental health, substance use, and physical health care.

The conversation also covers the agency's board and advisory councils, its more than 500 employees, internship and volunteer opportunities, mental health first aid training that has reached over 2,400 people, and how listeners can get involved.

In This Week in Dover History, we look back at the General Sullivan Bridge, which opened across Little Bay on Sept. 5, 1934, carried traffic and later cyclists and pedestrians for decades, and is now being demolished under a state project expected to be complete by early 2027.

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Director of Media Services Mike Gillis about what Dover's boards, committees and commissions accomplished at their August meetings. At the City Council's Aug. 5 workshop, the police chief reviewed youth outreach programming and shared statistics showing steep declines in 30-day alcohol, cigarette and vaping use among high school students, while stressing the work continues. The fire chief reviewed the Continuity of Operations Plan and the Local Emergency Operations Plan, the latter adopted Aug. 12. On Aug. 12, the council approved a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement for a 1.5-megawatt solar array off Littleworth Road, the city's largest private solar project. The council also accepted a highway safety grant for speed enforcement, extended the teachers union contract a year at no added cost, and awarded the Littleworth Road water and sewer project to GBC Construction. The Aug. 26 meeting brought a voluntary water conservation request amid regional drought, formal acceptance of Mineral Park Drive and Hampshire Circle as public streets after decades of city maintenance, and authorization of the annual real estate appraisal. Parker closes with Planning Board business: a still-tabled request at 54 Back River Road, added units at 96 Broadway, a residential conversion of the Oak Street roundhouse, and a culvert repair that will close part of the Community Trail, along with Parking Commission and School Board items.

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Superintendent of Schools Dr. Christine Boston about the start of the 2026–2027 school year. Boston discusses the district's 30 new teachers, about 10% of its roughly 300-person teaching staff, noting a strong mix of recent graduates and experienced educators new to Dover. She describes the behind-the-scenes summer work by facilities and IT staff, including new printer/copier systems and wireless access point upgrades, and introduces four new administrators joining Dover's public schools. Boston previews Campus Parent, a new online portal replacing Meal Time that will let families manage lunch balances, payments, and automatic replenishment digitally. She reflects on last year's cell phone ban, calling it a success that boosted library use and student social interaction. The conversation turns to enrollment trends: kindergarten numbers are unusually low while high school enrollment stays stable, driven by school choice, career and technical education (CTE), and strong athletics and AP offerings. Parker and Boston discuss the demographic shifts behind this, including smaller families, people having children later, and new housing that isn't attracting families with school-age kids. Boston highlights the growth and prestige of Dover's CTE programs, including biotechnology and firefighting, which now set students up for strong careers after graduation. She closes by pointing to the district's strategic pillars and ongoing data review as the foundation for continued academic improvement heading into the new year.

In This Week in Dover History, we look back to 1999, when nearly 100 teachers and staff got their first tour of the new $15 million, 160,000-square-foot middle school under construction on Daily Drive, replacing the outdated 1934 Dover High School building. The state-of-the-art facility—featuring a 190-seat theater and a spacious gymnasium—opened to students on schedule in January 2000 and still serves Dover's middle schoolers today.