Dover survey, House for ME auction: Community news update

Portsmouth Herald
·3 min read

National citizen survey seeks opinions from Dover residents

DOVER — The city has released its biannual National Community Survey. Dover residents are encouraged to participate to help the city measure service performance and quality and assess community needs.

The community survey results, combined with other feedback, help the City Council, various city boards and commissions, and the city administration understand and respond appropriately to the community’s needs in the upcoming years and make comparisons to other peer cities. The questions focus on community livability, quality of life, local policies, rating of local government services, and resident use of services.

The online survey can be accessed here: https://polco.us/dover2023op. Randomly selected residents were mailed in May either a physical copy of the survey or a postcard that directed recipients to an online survey via a private link. If you received the survey's paper version or a private online survey link, please complete those versions instead.

Survey results will be available after the survey concludes on June 16.

A House for ME announces upcoming auction

A House for ME is an innovative project to provide supportive housing for people with developmental disabilities. Formed and recognized as a 501c3 charity in 2016, they have now provided safe community-based housing in Kittery for over five years.
A House for ME is an innovative project to provide supportive housing for people with developmental disabilities. Formed and recognized as a 501c3 charity in 2016, they have now provided safe community-based housing in Kittery for over five years.

KITTERY, Maine — A House for ME has announced its fourth annual online auction – to be held June 17-24.

Many groups, businesses and individuals across the Seacoast community have supported A House for ME in many ways. Kennebunk Savings is the lead sponsor for the auction and dozens of businesses and individuals have donated items as well. There are already over 200 items up for bid.

The auction is found at biddingowl.com/AHouseforME.

Beautify Rollinsford Project's first annual fundraiser

ROLLINSFORD — The Beautify Rollinsford Project, an extension of the town Conservation Commission, announced its first fundraiser.

A fundraising Garden Party to support the Hill Garden will take place on July 30, from 3 to 6 p.m. on the river at the American Legion in Rollinsford.  Games, raffle prizes and live music by June and the Honey Badgers, The Desperate Strings Trio and Southern NH Ukulele Group are planned. The Association for Rollinsford Culture and History (ARCH) and Belletete Ballet Studio will also be a part of the festivities.  Beverages and food will be available by donation and served up by the Dover, Rollinsford and South Berwick Lions Club.

The Hill Garden will overlook what was once known as the Salmon Falls Village.  Phase One has already started and is near completion.  The garden design, by Dan Coad, incorporates many local flowering plants and a fish design reflecting the Salmon Falls River next to the garden.

Funds are necessary for Phase Two to complete the project.  Laurel Vincentio, one of the organizers of this project, stated “The Hill Garden will provide a beautiful landscape that welcomes residents and visitors to our historic town on the Salmon Falls River.  Transformation of this vacant lot will make the entrance to the town a pleasing vista that we can all be proud of.  Trees, shrubs and flowers on this lot will provide fertile ground for birds and pollinators.”

For more information, email beautifyrollinsford@gmail.com.

Bedrock Gardens in Lee becomes a public garden

View across the ‘Grass-Acre, or central portion of Bedrock Gardens
View across the ‘Grass-Acre, or central portion of Bedrock Gardens

LEE — At a celebration on June 3, the deed to Bedrock Gardens was signed over from its creators, Jill Nooney and Bob Munger to the Friends of Bedrock Gardens Board of Directors.  This was the final step in turning this private garden into a public non-profit garden for the region.

Over the last five years, the Friends of Bedrock Gardens committed to creating the infrastructure and staffing to support sustainable operations. During this time, a new entryway with a 98-car parking area, restrooms, admissions building, garden shop and an attractive gateway to the gardens were built.  The gardens have quickly grown to see an annual seasonal visitation of more than 12,000 visitors, a staff of eight, a large volunteer base and nearly 1,000 members, donors and business partners.

Bedrock Gardens is open select days May through October.  There are daily garden tours at 10:15, regularly scheduled education programs and fun outdoor family events.

Information: bedrockgardens.org

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Dover survey, House for ME auction: Community news update