Dover Board of Selectmen Approves $31,941 in Community Center Change Orders

DOVER -- April 17, 2025, Dover Board of Selectmen unanimously approved $31,941.91 in Community Center change orders and a $111,000 state permitting grant at its April 17 meeting. Chair Robin Hunter and member David Havlin, the only two board members present, approved nine change orders and construction change directives covering items ranging from a $1,785.78 door dimension adjustment to an $8,939.82 concrete sidewalk modification designed to preserve a large pine tree near the building's south entrance. Two items, foundation paint and a roughly $3,031 window void-infilling charge, were tabled after Havlin questioned why the town appeared to have already paid for similar window work under a prior change order, saying he needed documentation before approving. Havlin also flagged that the contractor's 21-day schedule extension claim tied to custom interior signage colors could expose the town to roughly $52,500 in disputed delay costs, calling it "a negotiation tactic as best we can tell." The board separately reaffirmed Dover's Level 1 mild drought declaration, limiting non-essential outdoor watering to one day per week, with a directive to remove drought signage immediately if the state lifts the drought at its May 7 review. The $111,000 Community Compact IT grant, accepted in the consent agenda, will fund online permitting software the board called a transparency improvement for residents tracking neighbor permits.