Strafford News

City of Dover issued the following announcement on March 4.

The City Council received an update from the Community Action Partnership of Strafford County (CAPSC) on the operations of the Strafford County Extreme Weather Warming Center and provided the Council with a proposal to operate a permanent shelter year-round shelter.

Betsey Andrews Parker, CAPSC’s chief executive officer, provided the update, which can be seen in its entirety here. Her update included how many people utilized the warming center, where they came from and what services were provided. Andrews Parker also discussed a proposal for operating a year-round shelter, including the estimated cost.

The warming center, located at 30 Willand Drive in Somersworth, is a partnership of the cities of Dover, Somersworth and Rochester and CAPSC, which provides staffing and oversight.

The last day of warming center operations is scheduled for April 1. City Manager J. Michael Joyal, Jr., said there are no immediate plans to sell the warming center, and any proposal to sell the building would have to be approved by City Council through a public process, including a public hearing. The City of Dover purchased the property with grant funds in 2020 to provide adequate space for those who need temporary shelter from life threatening weather conditions.

Joyal said that with COVID-19 restrictions diminishing, the City of Dover would return to its regular practice of utilizing the police department lobby and the three fire stations as year round, 24-hour emergency locations for residents in need to get out of extreme weather – hot or cold.

Being a workshop, the City Council took no action on any item discussed.

Original source can be found here.