Dover's Riverfront Spends the Next Three Falls at Nebi Park

Where does a weekday hour by the Cochecho River happen in Dover this October? For a long time the answer was Lower Henry Law Park. That changed on August 10, when the city began rebuilding Henry Law Avenue and Payne Street. The city has said Lower Henry Law Park stays closed for the whole project.

The timing is the part most people missed. Nebi Park, the new public park on River Street, opened on July 14. Construction fences went up at the old park 27 days later. Dover did not lose its riverfront this summer. The riverfront moved downstream, and the new spot will be the default for longer than most people assume.

Three Falls of Fencing

The city awarded the contract to Northeast Earth Mechanics, LLC on May 13, 2026, for $12,836,872.50. The rebuild covers Henry Law Avenue from Washington Street to Payne Street, plus Payne Street and lower Henry Law Park. Here is the schedule the contractor and city staff presented at the July 23 public meeting:

The park work comes in the last phase, which is scheduled to end in late October 2028. If that holds, this October, October 2027, and most of October 2028 all go by with the lower park behind fencing. That is three Apple Harvest Days and three leaf seasons. Anyone planning a fall routine around the river has a few years to settle into the new location.

What Still Works at the Henry Law End

The closure is narrower than the fencing makes it look. City notices say the Dover Indoor Pool, the pool parking lot, the Adventure Playground, and the Children's Museum of New Hampshire all stay open. What's changed is how you get there.

• Henry Law Avenue is closed around the clock from Washington Street to the Indoor Pool lot.
• Between George Street and the pool lot, traffic runs two ways and all parking spaces on Henry Law Avenue have been removed.
• Williams Street is closed to through traffic but can still be reached from Central Avenue, and the southbound left-turn lane on Central Avenue is coned off.

The latest update from Ward 2 Councilor Bret Carmichael says the new sewer line is finished. Drainage work was set to start near the Indoor Pool lot the week after Apple Harvest Day and then move toward Washington Street. The closed stretch of Henry Law Avenue will likely stay closed through the end of the year. A family headed to the museum's play patio or the pool can still get in. Anyone coming for the lawn by the water should go to River Street instead.

Nebi Park Is the Riverfront Now

The city's park page says Nebi is named for the Abenaki word for "bend in the river." Most of what made the lower Henry Law lawn useful has been rebuilt here, with a few things it never had.

At the opening, Deputy City Manager Chris Parker told Seacoastonline about the park's features. The pavilion's upper level has two unisex restrooms, plus Adirondack chairs and tables. Three swing benches face the river, with more benches, picnic tables, and spaces for wheelchairs around the park. The walkway is the part worth knowing about. It starts at the park entrance, runs along the river to the plaza behind the pavilion, passes the paddle sports dock, and continues into the woods just below Maglaras Park. Parker said that rougher riverside stretch was "designed to give you a real up close and more natural feel as you walk through the park."

Before planning an evening there, check two details from the city's park page:

1. Hours changed on Oct. 1. The park is now open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through March 31. Summer hours of 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. come back April 1.
2. Parking is on River Street. Dogs must be leashed. Alcohol is not allowed anywhere in the park, and smoking is not allowed inside the pavilion.

The paddling season has already ended for this year. Cochecho River Recreation is run by Maya and Paul Halthore-Kelley out of the riverside level of the pavilion at 28 River St. They offer kayak and canoe rentals, boat storage, and a snack bar. Their posted weekend hours ran until October 5. Next season, groups of 10 or more should call ahead, and the business also books birthday parties and work outings.

The rest of River Street fills out the area. Topolino, Evan Hennessey's restaurant at 9 River St., is open in the Waterfront District. Perch Cowork opened on the ground floor of The Truette as a public coworking space. A walk on the river path in the late afternoon and an early dinner both fit inside the new 7 p.m. closing time.

The Fall Calendar Is Still Catching Up

Apple Harvest Day on October 3 showed how much the closure moves around. With construction at Lower Henry Law Park, organizers spread nearly 250 vendors around downtown. Food trucks and vendors set up at Upper Henry Law Park, the Cocheco Mill Courtyard, and the usual Third Street food court. The Cochecho Kid's Club went to the play patio outside the Children's Museum. Wildlife Encounters and yard games went to Upper Henry Law Park. Seacoast Area Bicycle Riders ran a new free bike valet next to the Orchard Street Parking Garage. Under this schedule, that dispersed layout could come back for the next two festivals as well.

Smaller events haven't all updated their listings. The Dover Farmers' Market holds the last Wednesday of its 2026 season on October 7. The organizer's page still names Lower Henry Law Park as its temporary site and says it would move back to Nebi later in the season. The state agriculture calendar lists the same day at "Nebi Park - River Street (temporary relocation)." The two listings also give different closing times, 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Check with the market before you go.

Other dates later this fall:

• Oct. 24, Pumpkin Stroll at the Joe B. Parks Riverwalk Public Garden. It's free, starts at 5 p.m., and takes pumpkin drop-offs from noon to 3 p.m., with Oct. 31 as the rain date.
• Oct. 24, Zombie Walk. The Dover Main Street listing says it meets at the Chamber and heads to Henry Law. The listing doesn't give a route, so check with organizers given the fencing at the lower park.
• Nov. 29, holiday parade, on the Dover Main Street calendar.

What Isn't Settled Yet

Three practical questions don't have answers yet. First, no source confirms a continuous walking route from Nebi Park back to downtown and the Henry Law end during construction. Plan to drive between the two or work out your own route.

Second, the rural Community Trail segment through the former Liberty Mutual property is also closed. The 1.5-mile stretch shut on September 28 so a failing 42-inch corrugated metal culvert at Indian Brook could be replaced with a 48-inch pipe. The city expected the work to take two to four weeks. As of October 6 that window hasn't run out, and the city hasn't posted a reopening notice.

Third, the Dover Arts Commission lists "River Roots," a sculpture for Dover's 400th anniversary, as planned for Nebi Park, with rotating art to follow. Coverage of the opening mentioned a canoe sculpture near the pavilion but didn't name it. Whether that canoe is River Roots is still unconfirmed.

What Henry Law Gets Back

Most of the work at the old park is underground. The plans include two subsurface soil-filtration systems for stormwater, designed by Kleinfelder Northeast with the UNH Stormwater Center to treat runoff before it reaches the Cochecho and Great Bay. They also include drainage and outfall upgrades, shoreline stabilization, and burying the overhead power lines. Above ground, the plans add a roundabout at Henry Law Avenue and George Street, new sidewalks and crosswalks, a new parking lot on Payne Street, and power for the stage, the pavilion, and decorative lighting. The city says trees removed for the underground work will be replanted, more trees will go into the park afterward, and sidewalks will be raised to street level.

When the fencing comes down, Dover will have two finished parks on the river. Nebi Park will have been the city's main riverfront space for three years by then.

Projects this long change how a neighborhood works day to day, from parking to event routes to which end of downtown gets the foot traffic. If you'd like to talk through how the Henry Law work and the Waterfront District affect your corner of Dover, the team at Williams Realty Partners keeps a close eye on these projects. Let's Connect.