Dover’s new plan for downtown lights as diseased trees are being taken down

This holiday season will bring a change to the traditional lighting downtown along Central Avenue in Dover. Instead of lighting diseased trees that are currently being replaced, along with light poles, a new community effort will illuminate buildings and bring other holiday decor.

Think “Hallmark moment,” said Stephanie Bolduc, a member of the newly formed Dover City Lights Committee, and Dover nonprofit, Communitively, working together.

The project is called the Festive Fronts Program. It’s planned to span over many years, said Bolduc. The initiative started because typical decorating of the trees downtown is not feasible this year, said Bolduc. The volunteer group is working to carry on the beautification of Dover, taking on a downtown light project previously led by the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce and other community members.

Ash trees downtown are being removed because they are being killed by invasive emerald ash borer beetles.

Central Avenue buildings planned to shine

The project’s first phase is planned to light up Central Avenue buildings with commercial-grade lights, said Bolduc. They aren’t just holiday-focused but intended to stay up throughout the winter and be taken down in March.

The lights are planned to be a warm, white tone, the scheme with a “classic” New England feel. The committee is currently doing outreach to downtown businesses, said Bolduc, and they’ve already received a lot of good feedback.

“It’s just going to be the exclamation point on an already amazing city,” said Bolduc.

Project fundraiser has goal of $50,000

A goal of raising $50,000 for the project has been set through a community fundraiser. The goal is to raise approximately $25,000 to $30,000 through business sponsors, said Bolduc, and through community donations.

Tuesday, Oct. 21, Dover’s Otto Pizza will donate 10% of its total dine-in and take-out orders to the fundraiser, not including vendors such as Grubhub, according to a press release.

For more information, or to make a donation, go to lightupdover.com or email Communitively at [email protected].

Mural for vacant Ear Craft Music building planned, decoration of holiday tree

Doug Glennon, a local merchant and chair of the board of Communitively, said they’ve been granted access to do a mural at the vacant former Ear Craft Music building. It’ll be a winter scene, and said they’re hiring a muralist to paint it. The project ties in with Communitively’s initiative to make Dover a place to visit, and this is another way to do it, he said. Bolduc said the mural is planned to create an almost Norman Rockwell-like scene.

Dover colors of greens and golds will be the scheme, said Bolduc. There will be professional holiday decor to adorn storefronts, too.

Lights to the buildings along Lower Central Avenue aren’t the only areas planned for enhancement. The large holiday tree at the Rotary Arts Pavilion, near the corner of Henry Law and Washington Street, will also be decorated, said Glennon, and the city will support getting the tree up. The goal is also to light City Hall and Rotary Arts Pavilion stage, said Bolduc.

Lighting along the fence at Joe B. Parks Garden is also being looked at within the project’s first phase, said Bolduc. Additionally, Waldron Court will get some TLC as lighting currently exists, but new lights could possibly be strung. She said the project hopes to get started in November.

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat. Reporting by Sarah Donovan, Foster’s Daily Democrat.