Dover seeks grant to add sidewalks to alley near middle school

Jon Baker, The Times-Reporter
·2 min read
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DOVER ‒ The city will be submitting an application to the state Safe Routes to School program to improve an alley between Dover Middle School and North Wooster Avenue.

The money, if approved by the state, would be used to straighten the alley that runs beside East of Chicago Pizza and to provide sidewalks for students going to and from the school.

The project is expected to cost around $163,000.

Mayor Shane Gunnoe said the project was identified as a significant priority in a study conducted in 2018.

More on water safety:Health department: Train derailment poses no immediate threat to Tuscarawas County

The mayor also reported at Monday's council meeting that the city has received many emails and phone calls from residents regarding the train derailment in East Palestine on Feb. 3 and how Dover's water might be affected.

The city's water comes from an aquifer more than 100 feet below ground level. Dover does not draw water from the Tuscarawas River or the Ohio River, he said.

The water was tested on Feb. 7, and the results did not detect any VOCs (volatile organic chemicals) of concern, the mayor said. "However, in order to provide additional reassurance to the residents of Dover, I have requested the water department to conduct additional and ongoing testing of our water supply into the immediate future."

Demolition work on houses to begin soon

Gunnoe also reported:

  • Dover is in the process of awarding contracts to contractors to demolish five houses approved under the state brownfield grant program. The houses are located at: 516 Broad St., 504 River St., 114 W. Fifth St., 1016 Winkler Drive and 205 S. Tuscarawas Ave.

  • Waterline replacement projects will begin in the near future in the 100 block of W. 12th Street and the 200 block of N. McKinley Avenue.

  • The Parks and Electric Field departments will soon begin the second phase of the LED light replacement project at the city baseball fields. Phase one was completed last year. "Each phase we complete saves Dover about $10,000 annually in electricity costs," Gunnoe said.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Dover seeks money to improve alley near middle school