“FRIDAY
UPDATES”
May
22, 2009
places a wreath at the base of the
memorial downtown during the Memorial Day Parade, May
2006
The origins of Memorial Day,
originally called Decoration Day, date back to the Civil War.
Southern women laid claim to the custom of a day set aside to decorate the
graves of the war dead. Union veterans laid claim to a specific date, May
30th, but it was not until after World War II that North and South were willing
to observe Memorial Day on the same date. In 1971, Congress designated the
last Monday in May as Memorial Day creating a three-day weekend. If you
are observing this weekend as the semi-official start of the summer vacation
season as many do in our country, please also pause for a few moments to reflect
upon why Memorial Day is called what it is.
MEMORIAL
DAY PARADE
A final reminder that the Memorial
Day Parade in
TOWN
OFFICES CLOSED MEMORIAL DAY
The
THE
FARMERS MARKET IS OPENING
The Durham Farmers Market starts up
for the summer on Monday, June 1, 2009, and will continue through October 5,
2009. The market will be in the Pettee Brook parking lot every Monday from 2:30
to 5:30 PM. There will be several farmers selling vegetables and fruit, and
residents will also find cut flowers, plants, bread, and more.
Oyster
River Dam on NHPR!
The Town Council continued its
discussion relative to the Oyster River Dam on Monday evening, May 18,
2009. To obtain an overview of the deliberations, go to http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090519/GJNEWS_01/705199890/-1/FOSNEWS0102.
In addition, New Hampshire Public Radio (89.1 FM) plans to air a
feature piece on the Oyster River Dam this evening, Friday, May 22nd, sometime
between 5:15 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. and again on Monday, May 31st sometime between
7:40 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. I am told the feature will also be available on the
NHPR web site at www.nhpr.org. You will also find the
photograph below of the dam, Mill Pond,
New
Deputy Chief at Durham Fire Department
We are pleased to
announce that the Durham Fire Department has hired Steve McCusker as the Deputy
Chief of Fire Prevention. Deputy McCusker comes to
Directional
Signage for Downtown - Jenkin's Court
Based upon feedback
from the Durham Business Association, Town staff is evaluating the possibility
of installing a directional kiosk at the intersection of
A copy of
the mock up for Jenkin’s Court from October 2003 is found
below. The revised signage section of the zoning ordinance now
permits off site directional signage with permission from the Public Works
Director and approval by the Town Administrator. The Town will work
closely with the Durham Business Association regarding this project.
If you are a business owner along Jenkin's Court, please contact the Durham
Business Association for more information at 868-1123 or by emailing DBA
Director Katie Muth at d_b_a@myfairpoint.net.
Check
Out the Woodridge Park/Playground/Tennis Courts - Paving at
On Thursday, May 28, 2009, the
Public Works Department will be paving the
Town
Health Insurance Rates - Some Very Good News
As you may remember, last
year the Town separated
This statistical reality was being
driven primarily by membership changes within the "Under 100" pool rather than
by the overall health of the joint ORSD/Durham membership.
As an additional step toward
maximizing limited Durham resources, the Town introduced competition
into our decision making process by obtaining quotations from Primex for their
Harvard Pilgrim health insurance products and through a recent overview of
these products for our non-unionized as well as many of Durham's
affiliated (unionized) employees. Primex initially came in with pricing
below the Guaranteed Maximum Pricing provided by the
We do plan to speak further with
both Primex and the
Filson Glanz reports that the soil
samples came back and were fine except the soil is somewhat acidic so it was
recommended that about 100 lbs. of lime be put on each 1000 sq. ft. Chuck
Cox will be harrowing again to mix the lime into the soil. With the rain and
already damp/wet soil we need a few more dry days before he can do that. A place
has been determined to put the shed loaned to the
Federal
Stimulus Funds Update for
A brief update on the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Currently
·
·
Aeration Blowers-Wastewater Treatment Plant,
$625,000,
·
·
Dover Road Pump Station, $1,500,000,
·
Spruce Hole Well-Artificial Recharge, $445,000,
Know of Someone Looking for an Apartment in
The Durham Landlords Association was
established to provide owners of residential apartment rental and off-campus
housing and multi-unit managers/owners as well as
All Durham Landlord Association
members are required to:
1. Act fairly and
reasonably in dealing with apartment rental tenants and treat them with
honesty, professionalism and dignity.
2. Strive to
provide tenants with safe, clean, functional off-campus apartment housing and to
comply with all safety related codes.
3. Stringently
practice fair off-campus apartment housing policies as provided by law
(Federal, state and local).
4. Respond
promptly to tenant requests for service and
assistance.
5. Strive to keep
informed of, and to abide by applicable laws and
regulations.
6. Maintain
off-campus apartment properties in a way that is responsible to the surrounding
neighbors and community, and encourage tenants to do the
same.
7. Make every
effort to maintain member properties so they contribute positively to the
neighborhoods in which they are located.
8. Act fairly in
all matters regarding security deposits: make only those deductions which are
fair and reasonable, and return security deposits as promptly as
possible.
9. Work to serve
the community in which members live and do
business.
For more
information about the Durham Landlords Association, or if you know of
individuals looking to rent an apartment and live in
At the invitation of several
residents, Chief Kurz attended a meeting in the
While the neighbors are justifiably
concerned that there was an armed criminal act within their neighborhood, Chief
Kurz assured the residents that the incident was not random but was very
deliberately targeted to this residence and its occupants. The attendees
heard from Chief Kurz that the Durham Police are expending significant
investigative resources to successfully resolve this matter, and while one
arrest has been made, others are anticipated shortly.
Chief Kurz informed the residents
that they should contact the police with ANY concern about activity that they
deem suspicious. Every resident of
Catch
basin cleaning
The annual catch basin cleaning is
underway. Approximately 175 catch basins will be cleaned this year.
As residents may recall, the Town is broken down into thirds for catch basin
cleaning. One third is completed each year to keep within budget.
SPRING
HYDRANT
This week the Durham Water
Department, in collaboration with the UNH Water Department, completed its annual
spring hydrant flushing.
TRAFFIC
MARKING PAINTING
The Department of Public Works
continues to do traffic control markings, which are at this time approximately
75 % completed.
DPW
SEASONAL EMPLOYEES
Seasonal part-time Public Works
employees have begun working. Residents may see some new faces mowing and
completing other miscellaneous tasks for the Department of Public Works during
the summer months.
PUBLIC
MEETING SCHEDULE
The following public meeting is
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.
Planning Board – Wednesday, May 27,
2009
To view the agenda for the meeting
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.
To view a listing of the DCAT
programming schedule, click HERE
2009
UNH OUTDOOR SWIMMING POOL VOUCHERS
A final reminder that pool pass
vouchers will be available at the Town Hall, Town Clerk’s Office,
More information as to when pool
passes will go on sale and when the UNH outdoor pool will open for the season
may also be obtained by calling the UNH Campus Recreation Department at 862-2031
or visiting their website at http://campusrec.unh.edu.
FREE
PARKING FOR THE UNH OUTDOOR POOL AVAILABLE
A reminder to residents utilizing
the UNH Outdoor Pool this summer that free parking is available. UNH
annually makes its Woodside Lot available to
Made
in New
On June 6, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM,
ORCSD
STRATEGIC PLAN OVERSIGHT GROUP
The Oyster River School Board has
committed to the development of a District Strategic Plan by June 2010. An
important next step will be to form a representative group of interested people
to help shape and oversee this exciting work. If you are interested in
representing the school community at large, and would like to be considered as a
candidate for this committee, please click HERE
to view details and contact information.
ONE
Early language education provides a
lifetime of opportunities. The
Weekly
Police Arrest Report
Week -
19
11 UNH (58%)
8 Other
(42%)
*2008/09 Academic Year -909
578 UNH (64%)
331 Other (36%)
Calendar Year –432
272 UNH
(63%) 160 Other
(37%)
*Commenced
September 1, 2008
Historical data
for the same week
Year |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
|
Week |
Not
calculated |
12 |
10 |
22 |
19 |
|
Academic
Year |
|
1069 |
1011 |
892 |
909 |
|
Calendar
Year |
|
407 |
498 |
441 |
432 |
_____________________________________
The following is a poem written in
1915 by John McCrae, a Canadian physician, poet, and solider who died in
In
By John
McCrae
In
Between the crosses,
row on row,
That mark our place;
and in the sky
The larks, still
bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the
guns below.
We are the Dead. Short
days ago
We lived, felt dawn,
saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved,
and now we lie
In
Take up our quarrel
with the foe:
To you from failing
hands we throw
The torch; be yours to
hold it high,
If ye break faith with
us who die
We shall not sleep,
though poppies grow
In
Have a safe and nice Memorial Day
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
The Town
of