Whale's tail finally in place

DOVER — The whale is finally diving into the Dover Indoor Pool.

The 26-foot stainless steel sculpture of a whale's tail named Marti and commissioned by an anonymous donor two years ago to complement the Dover Adventure Playground was hoisted into position Tuesday afternoon.

"Absolutely amazing," said Paul Cox as he looked upon the newly installed tail. Cox and his late wife, Martha, were involved in the creation of the Dover Adventure Playground, which is dedicated to her memory. Marti is also named for her. The couple is also credited with having the idea for a sculpture to go with the playground. "It was a dream of my wife and I," Cox said.

Whether Cox, 81, would be able to witness the tail installation was in doubt only a few weeks ago due to a serious infection he had after having knee replacement surgery. He recalled calling city Recreation Director Gary Bannon, who has overseen the project, and telling him that he didn’t think he would able to see it through. But Tuesday afternoon Cox was all smiles as he walked about, talking with Bannon and sculpture artist Dale Rogers of Haverhill, Massachusetts.

"It really is amazing," Rogers said as he stood next to Cox while looking at the tail.

Rogers finished the Marti sculpture in 2017 and had it delivered to Dover, where it sat on city property. While Bannon was initially hopeful the tail would be installed in 2018, there were times whether the tail would ever be installed on the roof was in doubt.

"It’s been quite the journey," Bannon said.

The central challenge was securing the Marti to the rooftop of the Dover Indoor Pool. The tail had to be able to withstand 105 mph wind, and it also couldn’t void the warranty of the roof, which was replaced a few years ago. Engineers had to design a base to be secured to the roof for attaching the sculpture.

After getting initial estimates to fabricate the base that was much higher than expected, there was even discussion about installing the tail on the ground rather than the roof.

Bannon credited a community effort with making the sculpture a reality.

"It’s been a great team effort," he said.

Nearly all costs for the project were covered for the project by donations. The only cost to the city was a consultant to review the engineering plans of the tail’s installation, which Bannon said was a few thousand dollars. The rest came from outside sources, he said.

Moores Crane of Dover donated its services to hoist Marti into place. Moores Crane was also involved with lifting the Edward H. Adams gundalow into the playground, which is right outside of the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire. Tri Cast Inc., which was also involved with creating a base for the gundalow, fabricated the base for the tail. Skyline Roofing was also involved with the project, Bannon said.

The sculpture was commissioned by an anonymous donor, in coordination with the city, Children’s Museum and Cox family, during the development and construction of the Adventure Playground, which opened in June 2017. The playground was dedicated in memory of lifelong Dover resident Martha Cox, as noted on an engraved marker at the park’s entrance. The donation of the sculpture was accepted by the Dover City Council in 2018 and plans for its installation have been in the works for over a year.

"It’s a great example of how the community works together," he said. "It would have never been done by one person."