By Mike Finney

DOVER — The city is prepared to swing open the doors of its facilities again, and Mayor Robin Christiansen is marking the milestone by cutting a ribbon at City Hall on Monday at 8:30 a.m.

Though COVID-19 numbers have been on the decline in recent weeks, Kay Sass, public affairs and emergency management coordinator for the city, said Dover will continue to be vigilant and practice coronavirus safety measures as its workers head back to their offices.

Ms. Sass said hours will vary for which buildings are open and when, “but we are looking forward to returning to some sense of normalcy.”

Mayor Christiansen said he appreciates the patience shown during the last year.

“I want to thank all of our employees but also our constituents, who have braved the effects of the pandemic,” he said. “We have tried to continue customer service the best we could without putting anyone in jeopardy.

“I believe we have strong protocols and safety measures in place to return to some normalcy conducting city business. We are looking forward to seeing all of you. We are ‘Dover strong’ — roaring back bigger, better and stronger.”

The city offices closed to the public and most staff Nov. 5 and were only expected to remain closed for two weeks. Then, the number of positive virus cases began to soar.

At that time, Assistant City Manager Matt Harline said that 50 city employees, out of a staff of more than 350, had tested positive for the coronavirus.

“Forty of those (positive COVID cases) took place between Oct. 28 and Dec. 10, so we had a lot of cases in a short period of time,” he said. “Out of all those cases, a very small number were transmitted at work, we believe.”

Ms. Sass said that as the city facilities reopen, safety will remain a top priority, and the city will be following all health guidelines, including face masks, 6-foot social distancing and hand sanitizer at the ready.

City Hall will be open from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. weekdays, with a maximum of two people in the front lobby. Individuals can also call the departments directly to schedule appointments.

“It is our hope that we continue some of the new practices that people have adapted to during the pandemic in order to limit exposure for the safety of themselves and our staff,” Ms. Sass said. “For example, we saw an increase in online bill payments. With people continuing to pay their bills online, it will help limit exposure to our staff and others.

“It was essential to make changes to electronic formats in order to continue services. We will continually evaluate the effectiveness of our protocols and the well-being of our staff and make changes as we deem necessary.”

Additionally, patrons will once again have access to the payment and records request window inside the Dover Police Department. The occupancy load for the lobby at the police station is currently 13, but individuals not from the same household must still be able to keep 6 feet of separation.

The Dover Public Library will be open for four hours a day, five days a week. Hours of operation will be Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and Wednesdays and Fridays from 2-6 p.m.

Patrons will be able to come in and browse, check out items, visit the children’s library or the teen loft and/or use the library’s computers to access the internet or print. Computer use will be limited to one hour per person per day, to make sure they are available for everyone who needs one.

The library’s passport center will be open for business, as will the Friends of the Dover Public Library’s book sale in the front lobby.

Attorneys can continue to access the city’s Tax Assessor’s Office from 9-11 a.m. weekdays. All other visitors need to schedule an appointment by calling 736-7022 due to limited space in the office.

The John W. Pitts Recreation Center is open for walking from 7-10 a.m. Mondays through Fridays. Indoor fitness programming will be returning next week, along with outdoor sports. Online registration is encouraged for all programs.

Staff at Dover’s customer service facility at 5 E. Reed St. — a building that also houses the city’s Department of Public Works, Human Resources Department and other support staff — will be available and accepting payments through the drive-thru and at the kiosk Mondays through Fridays from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Payments can also be put in the drop box, paid online or over the phone or mailed. Anyone wanting to schedule an appointment with Customer Service can do so by calling 736-7035.