Dover taxpayers with Dover tax dollars will fund the fix of the fiasco of the flawed Dover, Tennessee City Hall, municipal officials said during their most recent meeting.
In recent months it has been disclosed that Dover City Hall has major foundation problems and large cracks are erupting in parts of the relatively new brick building. The building itself seems to be pulling away from the foundation, some have observed. Some doors and windows of the building do not funciton properly and there is a huge crack that is getting wider at the drive in window at city hall. (So watch that when you come by to pay your taxes or pay a utility bill.)
Some experts have estimated the cost to fix the flaws will be on the upper side of $600,000 (Six hundred thousand dollars) and some say $600,000 won’t cover it and it will be more .. possibly much more.
At the most recent Dover City Council meeting, one council member asked for an update on the plan to repair and/or stabilize the building.
The city administrator said he was in contact with USDA Rural Development in seeking a low interest loan. The city also plans to include a sewer plant UV system upgrade. The city administrator said it may be six months to a year before the city hears back on if the low interest loan will be approved. It had been stated at a previous meeting that it was “hoped” and “a possibility” that some non-payback grant dollars would fund the project. Apparently that did not pan out on the free money, so it is tax dollars that will fund it — but the good news is that it will be low interest tax dollars and will likely be on such an extended term that our children and grandchildren will be the ones paying off the tail end of the loan .
The mid-1990 era Dover City hall has serious foundation and structural issues because the city fathers in the mid-1990s decided to build the facility in a hole. Some say there was little to no compaction and now Dover taxpayers will fund the fix of the fiasco that could have and should have been avoided.
In the mid-1990s, several Dover residents, and others, implored the Dover city officials NOT to build the city hall where it was built and if they did to make sure the ground was compacted properly.
Neither one of those ‘pleas’ were heeded — apparently …
This story, unfortunately, will update
Story and Photos by David R. Ross _ LBLUS.com
