Community Comes Together To Keep Dover Swimming Pools Open

By Candi Enman
Staff Columnist
DOVER—
When the Dover City Council, in its efforts to finalize the 2011 city budget, began talks this past spring about the possibility of having to close the city’s swimming pools due to a $400,000 shortfall, it didn’t rest well with local swimmers. The news resulted in a community led movement to keep the city’s two pools - the Jenny Thompson Outdoor Pool on Route 4 and the Indoor Pool at Henry Law Park – open this year and for years to come.
Dover pools are open all year long, seven days a week. “Pool users comprise a broad group, some who come to do laps, for hydrotherapy or for swimming lessons, swim teams and master swimmers; as well as kids who come for summer camps and school field trips,” said Gary Bannon, Dover’s Recreation Director.
The Jenny Thompson Outdoor Pool is the only 50-meter competition pool in the region. Stressing the importance of keeping the pools open, Bannon added, “The pools are a regional draw. They bring people into Dover who also use local services, retailers and restaurants.”
Bannon went on to say, “The city has $4.7 million in assets in these aquatic facilities. To close them would be a loss.”
Dover resident, Terrianne Chambers, swims at the Indoor Pool four days a week. “I began swimming after recovering from an illness,” said Chambers. “Physical health brings a healthy mental state. For me, swimming is as important as breathing, walking and eating.” With her restored health Chambers is currently training for an upcoming triathlon, an endurance competition that involves swimming, cycling and running.
Seacoast Swimming Association is the largest customer of the Dover pools. The association rents aquatic hours at both pools, which serve as the host facilities for the nationally registered swim team. As many as 120 seacoast area swimmers, aged 5 to 26, depend on the Dover pools to practice, train and compete.
The threat of closing the pools became an opportunity. SSA President, Tim Paiva, said “We needed to mobilize to ensure that the pools will still be available for us and open to the public as well.” A meeting of the SSA parents group was held to discuss viable solutions, and Dawn Haines, mother of a 14-year old swimmer, stepped up to lead the effort.
Haines set out to get community support and brought together a cross-section of all stakeholders and pool users. The group, calling themselves Save Our Swimming, got right to work to develop a comprehensive business plan to present to City Council.
Save our Swimming was determined to look at everything reasonably possible to help the city find ways to reduce operating expenses and increase revenues. Discussions also focused on awareness events, fundraisers and grants. One supporter, Peter Markos, donated an initial $5,000 to establish an endowment fund.
On Wednesday, May 26th hundreds of swimmers and pool supporters marched from the Jenny Thompson Pool to City Council chambers to attend the public hearing on the issue. Olympic medalist Jenny Thompson herself, namesake of the outdoor pool, came back to Dover to participate in the march.
City Council members liked what they saw and heard. Community members, city staff and the council saw a partnership opportunity to keep the pools open for the long term. The council voted on June 2nd to save the pools for the next 12 months, with help from Save our Swimming.
At its recent June 23rd meeting, the council adopted a resolution to form an official Pool Advisory Committee that would oversee donated funds and pool policies, and make recommendations to the city. The committee, consisting of seven regular and two alternates, will meet regularly and report to City Council. A member of the council will serve as a liaison to the group.
“We thought we needed to fight city hall,” commented Haines. “We realized they didn’t want to close the pools and that we needed to help them. The real work begins now,” Haines added.
Remarking on the work of Save our Swimming, Ward 6 City Councilor, Gina Cruikshank, said, “when I learned the details and how they were approaching possible solutions, it convinced me that they could help close the budget gap.” Cruikshank continued, “Theirs is a commitment you don’t often see, and that’s the difference between a city and a community.”
Access to the city’s pools is not limited to Dover residents. Community members from throughout the region are welcome and encouraged to take advantage of the recreational resources available to them. To attract more swimmers, fee structures and rental rates have been lowered to make access affordable to more users.
Seacoast swimmers who want to learn more or get involved with Save our Swimming to keep the pools open for future generations may contact Dawn Haines by email at dawn.haines@unh.edu.
For more information about the Dover pools including hours, rates, lessons and schedules, visit www.dover.nh.gov/rechome.htm or call (603) 516-6441.
Photo caption: Swimmers dive in at the Jenny Thompson Pool in Dover. (Courtesy photo)

Helping to Keep Old Ironsides Shipshape

By Larry Favinger
Staff Columnist
SOUTH BERWICK—
For two-and-a-half years a South Berwick man fought the commuter traffic to and from Charlestown, Mass, five days a week to work on a piece of United States history.
Sunday (July 4), Barry Person and a host of others will sail out of Boston Harbor as part of the USS Constitution, the Navy’s oldest commissioned warship.
“It was a bit of a challenge but really exciting,” Person said in a telephone interview from his South Berwick farm.
Person’s work was part of a three-year project to refurbish the renowned Old Ironsides, a project that should come to a close in November. The work was done partly to ready the ship for the centennial celebration of the War of 1812. It was during that conflict that the Constitution earned her nickname.
The Constitution gained fame in August of 1812, when under the command of Connecticut native Isaac Hull she met and defeated the HMS Guerrier. English shots bounced off the Constitution’s thick oak sides, thus gaining her name while she was destroying the enemy ship.
Hull went on to a distinguished Naval career including becoming the commander of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in 1813 and building Quarters A at the yard, a building which still stands and is the oldest structure at the yard.
Each year the Constitution goes on a turnaround cruise from her berth in Charlestown which allows her to remain a commissioned Navy vessel and allows each side of her to face outward during the year.
“I never did any service,” Person said of not being involved with the military, “but it felt like that is what I was doing” while working on the ship.
Person was part of the Naval Historical Center, Detachment Boston, Department of Defense, which was charged with the refurbishing.
Person said it was a “temporary, fulltime position” which meant when “the time frame ended you left.”
Upon his arrival with the first group of additional carpenters hired he said he did “odds and ends” as they awaited the arrival of the necessary materials.
One of the first things Person did was replace the two “cat heads on the ship.”
The cathead is a large beam located on either bow of the ship, angled outward. It is used to support the ship’s anchor when raising or lowering it, keeping it away from the sides of the wooden vessel.
Person said large equipment was needed to put these in place as they weighed in at about 2,300 pounds each.
It was a common practice to carve the projecting end of the beam to resemble the face of a cat.
Once that was accomplished he helped the entire crew replace the spar deck of the ship, the first level when visitors come on board the ship.
After that, he said, “they moved me around to different places” including a project to foremast in the front of the ship.
He has done historic restoration of old houses and barns and learned of the project while doing a barn repair for the late Joseph Frost of Eliot. He applied and was among the initial group of carpenters hired. More was added later in the project, he said.
While not working on historic ships Person said he “loves to farm” and “loves raising pigs. I’ve been doing that since I was a kid.”
He combines his love of farming and historic restoration doing work with the New Hampshire Farm Museum in Milton repairing buildings to their original configurations.
Originally from the Midwest, Person came to New England in the summer of 1987 and has remained ever since.
He is married to Julie Person, a guidance councilor at the Rollinsford Elementary School, and the couple has two children, Madison, 8 and Baylor, 10.
Person said the time spent on the job “took a toll on everybody” in his family. The drive took between 50 minutes and an hour each day. He was up and out early every day performing farm chores before leaving for work. He was there between 5:45 and 6 each morning, returning home in late afternoon.
In addition to his farming Person also does wood carvings, especially large herons. His work is available in galleries including the N.W. Barrett Gallery on Market Street in Portsmouth.
Photo caption: A South Berwick resident has spent the past two-and-a-half years helping to restore the USS Constitution. (en.wikipedia.org photo)

Dover 4th of July Celebration

DOVER—
Enjoy a full day of family entertainment, including the City’s annual fireworks display. The day will begin with an authentic-costumed historic re-enactment of the Declaration of Independence on the steps of City Hall at 11 a.m., followed by a Patriotic-themed Children’s performance by local storyteller, puppeteer and musician Marcus Gale at the Rotary Arts Pavilion beginning at 1 p.m. Following the Children’s Show will be a Gundalow Race on the Cochecho River. Families may purchase small wooden Gundalows and participate in the race, with prizes being awarded to the owners of the winning Gundalows. The proceeds from this event will benefit the Historic Gundalow, which will be on site throughout the day, affording people a chance to step aboard and learn about the role that the Gundalow played in Dover Mills commerce during the 1800’s. As the Gundalow race concludes, there will be a series of musical performances at the Pavilion, featuring Mike Morris at 3 p.m., followed by the Dan Walker Band at 4:15 p.m., and the day’s headline performance by Livingston Taylor beginning at 7 p.m., and concluding with the City fireworks display at 9:15 p.m. Throughout the day, there will also be a variety of additional events, displays, vendors and demonstrations, including a kayaking exhibition, a firefighter’s Touch-A-Truck Exhibit, food and refreshments.