Council postpones vote on proposed High School athletic complex

posted on 12/17/2024

The funding proposal for the Dover High School athletic complex was withdrawn at the City Council’s Dec. 11 meeting to allow the Joint Building Committee to further refine design alternatives and costs and allow the School Board to complete its FY2026 budget planning. With the funding proposal withdrawn, the City Council has canceled its Wednesday, Dec. 18 special meeting.

City Manager J. Michael Joyal, Jr. told the City Council that when a refined athletic complex proposal is brought forth in 2025, it will go through the same three-meeting process to authorize debt financing: one meeting to refer the resolution to a public hearing; a second meeting to hold the public hearing; and a third meeting to vote on a resolution at least one week after the public hearing.

JBC Chair and Ward 6 Councilor Fergus Cullen and JBC Secretary and Councilor At-Large Linnea Nemeth updated the City Council at the Dec. 11 meeting during its Committee Reports, which can be viewed here. The JBC’s report followed a lengthy public hearing at the beginning of the meeting.

During the discussion, Councilors sought better cost estimates of the design alternatives and their potential tax impact.

The JBC was hopeful of beginning construction in the spring of 2025 to have DHS’ Dunaway Field ready to play on by the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year. With refining the design alternatives and costs, the proposed project would be pushed out another year, if authorized by the Council in 2025.

For more information, visit the JBC’s committee page, which includes meeting agendas, minutes and design documents at https://www.dover.nh.gov/government/boards-and-commissions/joint-building-committee-athletic-complex/.