“FRIDAY
UPDATES”
January
9, 2009
Red-tailed Hawk -
courtesy Matthew
Carter
While it is certainly frigid in
Durham today, even on the coldest nights in central Germany, new energy
efficient “passive houses” and others of this design get all the heat and hot
water they need from the amount of energy that would be needed to run a hair
dryer. For information on this interesting design, go to http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/world/europe/27house.html?_r=1&ei=5070&emc=eta1.
Martin
Luther King Civil Rights Day Holiday
The Durham Town Offices will be
closed for business on Monday, January 19, 2009, in observance of the Martin
Luther King Civil Rights Day holiday. All offices will reopen for regular
business on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, at 8:00 AM. There will be NO CHANGE to the recycling and refuse
collection schedule. All items must be out by 7:00 AM to be
collected.
A Nubanusit
Development Approach for the
The Town of
The
New
2008 Property
Taxes Collected to Date
While the due date for 2008 property
taxes in
Durham Fire
Chief Selection Process
Durham Fire Chief Peter O'Leary
will conclude his service with the Town at the close of business on January 15,
2009, to take a position as Fire Chief in the City of Fond du Lac,
Wisconsin. Based upon the strength of the management team in place at the
Durham Fire Department, which also services the
Division Chief Landry was hired by
the Town on June 11, 2007. In his present capacity he serves as second in
command of the Durham Fire Department and is involved in planning and managing
all aspects of operations, assuring an immediate response to emergencies and
fostering teamwork among firefighters and the staff at the department. He
conducts background investigations on job applicants, heads internal
investigations, and maintains discipline among staff. He also collaborates
with the Fire Chief on developing and controlling budgets, scheduling, and
administrative activities, as well as works closely with various other Town and
Prior to working in
Business Manager Gail Jablonski
and the Administrator conducted a lengthy personal interview with
Division Chief Landry on December 30, 2008. Based upon our experience
working with Division Chief Landry since his arrival in Durham in 2007,
conversations with members of the Fire Department, and feedback received from
the Town’s department heads and others within the community, the
Administrator is moving forward with the appointment of Division Chief Landry to
the position of Fire Chief at this time and will seek the “advice and consent”
of the Durham Town Council for his appointment pursuant to the Town
Charter on Monday evening, January 12, 2009.
Have You Seen
that Doggy in the (Library) Window?
Congratulations are in order for
Durham Library Director Tom Madden and his wife who have adopted a new
puppy. The puppy was spotted by several residents last week who mistakenly
thought the dog was trapped inside the Durham Public Library after closing hours
resulting in calls to the Police Department for assistance. The dog was
actually keeping Tom company.
Houghton's
Hardware Changes Hands
This week, long-time business and
property owner Dick Houghton sold his property located on
There has been interest expressed by
a local Thai restaurant in acquiring the former Cumberland Farms property
located on
Tax
Collection Billing Outsourcing
In an effort to enhance efficiencies
within the Town Clerk/Tax Collector's Office, evaluation is being given to
outsourcing billing for water, sewer, and property tax collection.
"Single
Stream" Recycling
Energy
Efficient Lighting Initiative at Churchill Rink
The Public Works Department is
considering moving forward with the installation of energy efficient lighting at
the Churchill Rink at
2009
The 2009 Town Election will be held
on Tuesday, March 10, 2009 at the
PROSPECTIVE
TOWN COUNCIL CANDIDATES
Citizens who may be considering
running for the three Town Council seats in March are invited to contact any of
the current Town Council members or the Town Administrator to obtain information
about and discuss what serving as a Councilor involves. Telephone numbers for
the current Council members are listed on the Town’s web site at www.ci.durham.nh.us. Just click on
“Meeting dates, Minutes and Agendas” and then click on “Town
Council.”
In an effort to inform, update, and
generally spread the word about the current state of the environment the Durham
Energy Committee has developed a newsletter, The Alternative. The committee hopes to
provide residents with up-to-date information and entertainment with its
articles. To view the latest edition of The
Alternative, click HERE.
PUBLIC
MEETING SCHEDULE
The following public meetings are
scheduled for the coming week in the Town Council chambers at the Durham Town
Office and will begin at 7:00 PM unless otherwise indicated
below.
Town Council – Monday, January 12,
2009
Zoning Board of Adjustment –
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Planning Board – Wednesday, January
14, 2009
To view an agenda for the meetings
listed above, please click HERE.
All meetings recorded on DCAT are available on DVD at the Durham Public Library
for checkout and viewing.
To view the Oyster River School Board
meeting schedule, click HERE.
To view the Durham Public Library Board of
Trustees meeting schedule, click HERE.
The Town of
Wiswall
Fish Passage Project
On Friday, January 23, 2009
beginning at 7:00 PM at the
On Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 8:00
PM in the Council chambers at the
Curbside
Recycling Collection
On Tuesday morning, January 6, 2008,
the Town was informed by its major marketer of materials, the Northeast Resource
Recovery Association (NRRA), that the Waste Management Turnkey facility was no
longer accepting recyclable materials. This information came as a complete
surprise to us as there was no prior warning. As a result, DPW was forced
to collect both recyclables and trash in the same load. Although this is
against the Town’s mission with regards to recycling, there was no other
recourse since there were no other options available at that particular
time. DPW has no storage facility available for these materials. Public
Works personnel are currently investigating other options with other recycling
brokers to market the materials and are hoping to have regular collection of
materials back on track by next week. This challenge has been caused due
to the current economic downturn which has seriously impacted the recycling
markets worldwide.
2009
TRANSfer Station Permitting
Residents can now acquire their 2009
permit (sticker) at the Town Clerk-Tax Collector’s office OR at the Public Works Office with proof of
residency. If you still have a blue sticker from 2008, you do not need a
new sticker as it is marked 2008/2009. However, we are aware that the 2008
stickers did not stick that well to windshields and welcome anyone who
experienced this to stop in at either location and pick up a replacement
sticker. Office hours for the Town
Clerk-Tax Collector’s office are 8:00 AM-5:00 PM, M-F at the Town Hall.
The Public Works office is located at
2009
Road Program
The bid
opening for the 2009 Road Program was conducted at 2:00 PM this afternoon.
Results will be reported from the opening next week.
Churchill
Rink AT
Public skating - times offered every
day
Stick and Puck – Monday – Friday and
Sunday
Pick Up Hockey – Monday – Friday and
Sunday
Call the rink for times:
868-3907, or visit our new website at www.churchillrink.org
FREE
Standard Aptitude Practice Test
On Saturday, January 10, 2009, from
7:45 AM to 1:00 PM, the Oyster River High School and Durham Public Library are
offering a FREE Practice Standard Aptitude Test (SAT), presented by Sylvan
Learning. If you are a Junior who wants to perform your best on the SAT and gain
valuable insight into what to expect on this test, call the Library at 868-6699
to reserve a seat, or pick up a registration form and return it to your Guidance
Office. This event will be at the
FROM
HISTORY IN AN OYSTERSHELL – 1600 – 1976
“1861 – According to a detailed
report, compiled by Lucien Thompson, there were 86 citizens who served in the
Civil War. Enlistees from other towns or
Have a nice
weekend.
Todd
Todd I. Selig, Administrator
Town of Durham
15 Newmarket Road
Durham, New Hampshire 03824
Tel
(603) 868-5571
Fax (603) 868-5572
tselig@ci.durham.nh.us
www.ci.durham.nh.us
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