Dover Board of Selectmen accepts $100,000 climate grant, debates intersection signal overhaul

DOVER -- February 5, 2026, Dover Board of Selectmen unanimously accepts $100,000 state climate grant and hears $1 million intersection redesign pitch. The board voted 3-0 Thursday to accept a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program 2.0 grant, with Sustainability Committee Chair Anna Nagi telling the board the funds will produce Dover's first formal climate action plan in roughly 11 months and unlock eligibility for larger follow-on state action grants. The board also heard a detailed presentation from TEC engineer Kevin DeAndre on a proposed overhaul of the Center Street, Springdale Avenue, and Walpole Street intersection, backed by up to $1 million in MassDOT construction funding with no projected cost to the town beyond police details. DeAndre reported the redesign, including new mast-arm signals, a left-turn pocket, ADA-compliant ramps, and video detection technology, could cut evening peak delays on Center Street by up to 60 percent. Board of Selectmen member Dave Havlin pushed back hard on proposed overhead signal arms, calling them incompatible with Dover's character as "a one-light town," while DeAndre said he has not designed a post-mounted intersection in 20 years and that MassDOT's funding may depend on the mast-arm design meeting current standards.