“FRIDAY UPDATES”

Friday, July 9, 2010

 

 

This year’s Durham fireworks merged into a single composite photograph

Courtesy Richard (Dick) Lord

 

It has been a hot week—a good time to spend the afternoon at the UNH Outdoor Pool.

 

 

WATER CONSERVATION ALERT

It has been quite a few weeks since the region has received any substantial rain.  Town and UNH officials met yesterday and decided that if we do not receive some much needed rain this weekend, the UNH/Durham Water System (UDWS) will be issuing a Stage 1 water conservation alert next week.  The UDWS is operated jointly by the Town of Durham and UNH, and the system maintains a Water Conservation Plan with 4 Stages of water conservation measures.  Stage 1 is primarily about informing the System’s water users that the water resources are beginning to be stressed and to be cautious about how and when water is used.   These are common sense measures such as watering your lawn or garden early in the morning rather than the middle day, waiting until your dishwasher is completely full, or doing only full loads of laundry instead of partial loads.  The message of the day is to conserve water whenever possible and don’t use water unnecessarily.  

 

To view the Durham/UNH Water Conservation Management Plan, click HERE.

 

Water Conservation Tips

§         Turn off the water after wetting your toothbrush. Try not to keep the water running while brushing your teeth. Just wet your brush and fill a glass for mouth rinsing.

§         Rinse your razor in the sink.  Fill the sink with a few inches of warm water. This will rinse your razor just as well as running water, with far less waste of water.

 

 

Old Landing Pumphouse – Time to Raze the Structure?

In 1933, the Old Landing Road pump sewage station was built in conjunction with the Durham/UNH primary water treatment plant.  The pump station conveyed sewage flow from the College Brook Interceptor and the Pettee Brook interceptor lines. 

 

In a 1954 it was concluded that the Old Landing Road pump sewage station and the sewage interceptor lines were close to being at 100% capacity due to the continuing expansion of the University as well as the Town of Durham.  The Madbury Road sewage collection system needed to be re-routed in order to relieve the overburdened Pettee Brook line.  In the early 1960’s, the Beards Creek interceptor line was constructed as well as the new Dover Road pump station.  By 1965, the system had gained capacity and the Old Landing Road pump station was by-passed and discontinued. 

 

The existing wet well in the building was pumped down to the outside manhole.  The wet well is approximately 13 feet deep with a conical bottom sloped to the existing pump piping that is still in place in the wet well.  The wet well conforms to the lower, back two-thirds of the building.  A drain in front of the building at the stairs currently discharges to the wet well, but nothing else.  All current sewage flow is diverted around the building. 

 

For many years the unused and outdated Old Landing Pumphouse has languished.  Windows to the rear were broken out some time ago and replaced with wooden boards.  The roof on the building is now in need of substantial repair/replacement. 

 

While its conversion to an ice cream/snack stand or bathrooms has been considered over the years, ice cream/snacks would not be appropriate to store or sell from this location due to obvious sanitary concerns from sewer gasses below and bathrooms, if desired, would be more effectively made available through an appropriately designed facility to meet present day universal access standards.

 

Because the building no longer serves a useful purpose, the Administrator is considering the possibility of moving forward with the development of a plan to raze the structure.  Feedback regarding the structure is sought. Please email feedback to jberry@ci.durham.nh.us. 

 

Property Assessed Clean Energy “PACE” Bonds: Innovative funding to accelerate the retrofitting of buildings for energy efficiency – a Model for Durham?

Innovative local governments across the country including Durham are looking for ways to reduce energy consumption and electricity costs, as well as working with residential and commercial sectors to create programs and incentives that encourage community-wide building retrofits.

 

One innovative financing model that shows promising results in incentivizing energy efficiency improvements in communities is Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE). Hailed as one of the “Breakthrough Ideas for 2010” by Harvard Business Review and a “World Changing Idea” by Scientific American, PACE financing is being successfully implemented in a number of cities and counties across the country.

 

A PACE bond is a bond issued by a municipality or intragovernmental organization where the proceeds are lent to commercial and residential property owners to finance energy retrofits (efficiency measures and small renewable energy systems) and who then repay their loans over 20 +/- years via an annual assessment on their property tax bill. PACE bonds can be issued by municipal financing districts or finance companies and the proceeds can be typically used to retrofit both commercial and residential properties.

 

This year House Bill 1554 was adopted by the N.H. State Legislature which for the first time enables communities to consider PACE as a viable potential public policy.  The Durham Energy Committee will be evaluating this program and will likely provide a presentation to the Town Council in the coming months regarding the PACE approach.

 

Continued Public Hearing and Action on Ordinance # 2010-07 to Allow Single Family Homes and Duplexes in the Office Research & Light Industry (ORLI) Zone as a Conditional Use and to allow Single Family Homes in the Multi-Unit Dwelling/Office Research (MUDOR) Zone as a Conditional Use

 On Monday, July 12, 2010, the Council will hold a continued public hearing on proposed amendments which are a result of initial discussions about how to amend the zoning in the ORLI District to enable the development of properties in the district with a mix of housing choices.  In reviewing the Table of Uses it was discovered that the ORLI District did not allow single family or duplex dwelling units and the MUDOR District allowed duplexes but not single family dwellings.  In addition to allowing a mix of housing types within a development, the proposed amendments would make current nonconforming single family and duplex dwellings in these districts conforming, but would allow new single family and duplex units only by Conditional Use. 

 

Section 175-21 of the Zoning Ordinance describes the Conditional Use process designed to allow certain uses that are not normally permitted within a certain zone. A Conditional Use may be approved by Planning Board if the application is found to be in compliance with the strict approval criteria outlined in section 175-23 of the Zoning Ordinance. Conditions may be placed on a Conditional Use permit by the Planning Board to ensure that the Conditional Use will have a positive economic, fiscal, public safety, environmental, aesthetic, and social impact on the Town. At least five members of the Planning Board must vote in favor of the issuance of a Conditional Use permit for an application to be approved. 

 

Prior to the time the Town rewrote the Zoning Ordinance in 2004 and 2006, single family and duplex dwellings were an allowed use in the OR District that is now the ORLI and MUDOR. 

 

With a vote of 6-1 the Planning Board recommended that the Town Council approve the amendments.

 

First Reading on Amending Section 175-41(F)(7) “Development Standards in the Central Business District” of the Durham Town Code to Change the Requirements for the Maximum Height of Mixed-use Buildings in the Central Business Zoning District

On Monday, July 12, 2010, the Council will hold a first reading on a zoning proposal initiated by the Economic Development Committee (EDC) to allow more flexibility for mixed-use buildings in the Central Business District.  Currently, the ordinance requires the first two floors of a four story structure to be commercial and the third and fourth floor to be residential.  The amendment would allow the owner/developer of a building to have flexibility on how to use the second, third, and fourth floors.  The first floor is required to contain nonresidential space and the remaining floors would have a combination of two floors of residential units and one additional floor of nonresidential space, in any combination.  The Planning Board unanimously recommended that the Town Council approve the amendment.

 

Presentation from Contract Assessor Planned for July 26th

We have arranged for Jim Rice, Durham’s contract assessor from Cross Country Appraisal, to provide an update to the Town Council on July 26^th regarding abatement applications received for 2009. 

 

 

DURHAM MARKET PLACE DONATES NEW EQUIPMENT TO THE DURHAM FIRE DEPARTMENT

On July 1, 2010, while shopping for lunch to the Durham Marketplace, Durham Firefighters Barry LaVigne & Pete Leavitt were surprised by Perry Shaw who, along with several store employees, presented them with a brand new, top-of-the-line refrigerant detector.  This generous gift was in response to an emergency call at the marketplace last April, when a refrigerant leak in a cooling system caused one employee to be overcome and the stores in the plaza evacuated.  The Durham Fire Department responded, secured the scene along with the help of the Durham Police, tended to the injured worker with the assistance of McGregor Memorial EMS, and eventually isolated the hazard.  When he learned that the DFD did not own the proper type meter to detect this type of hazardous material, Chuck Cressy stepped up to the plate stating “We found out the department didn’t have a meter to detect refrigerants, so we just decided to just go purchase one for you.”  The meter; is able to detect a large array of refrigerant gasses, and has the capabilities of evaluating such will be placed into service after all members are trained in its use.  The Durham Fire Department is grateful for the generosity of the owners and staff of the Marketplace for this potentially life-saving device, and the department and citizens alike will surely benefit from the new meter’s use.

 

Sergeant Mike Bilodeau to attend the FBI National Academy

Sergeant Bilodeau applied for admission based upon Chief Kurz’s recommendation almost four years ago.  In late February, the FBI contacted Chief Kurz and scheduled Sergeant Bilodeau to attend the National Academy commencing Monday July 13^th.  

 

The FBI National Academy, located in Quantico, Virginia, is a highly prestigious school for current and future police leaders and managers.  This is an invitation only opportunity providing a course of study for law enforcement leaders that serves to improve the administration of justice in police departments and agencies at home and abroad and to raise law enforcement standards, knowledge, and cooperation.  Its mission is "to support, promote, and enhance the personal and professional development of law enforcement leaders by preparing them for complex, dynamic, and contemporary challenges through innovative techniques, facilitating excellence in education and research, and forging partnerships throughout the world."  

 

The National Academy is an intensive ten-week academic environment where approximately 250 police officers from every State and a number of foreign countries take graduate college courses in law, behavioral science, forensic science, understanding terrorism/terrorist mindsets, leadership development, communication, and health/fitness. All of the students participate in a wide range of leadership and specialized training, and they share ideas, techniques, and experiences with each other.  While at the FBI facility, Sergeant Bilodeau will be provided with meals, live in the dormitories of the FBI academy and participate in a number of physical activities.  There is no cost to the Town of Durham except for some minor ancillary fees.  Sergeant Bilodeau will return to Durham and join four other National Academy graduates employed by the police department, Chief Dave Kurz, Deputy Chief Rene Kelley, Captain Sean Kelly and Detective Sergeant David Holmstock. 

 

 

OYSTER REEF CONSTRUCTION IN THE OYSTER RIVER

Oyster reef construction will be on-going in the Oyster River during the week of July 12.  The Nature Conservancy and University of New Hampshire researchers will be working just off-shore of the Wagon Hill landing in the channel.  The barge operator uses a small spud-type platform that will spread clamshell in a thin layer along the bottom of the channel and the edges of the mudflat.  There will be no inconveniences to boat navigation, even when the barge is working.  The shell is deployed one-ton at a time using a crane on the barge.  The reef work will start approximately 150 feet off shore from the Wagon Hill Park landing and extend upstream for approximately 400 feet, and 100 feet toward the channel. An acre of oyster reef will be recreated in the river that once may have had 100 acres of live reef but now has only a small native population. The new reef is expected to attract approximately 125,000 young oyster “spat” from spawning adults in the estuary this summer.   250,000 juveniles will also be added to the reef from UNH hatchery operations later this season.  If the reef takes hold, it is expected to provide habitat for 1M or more oysters that will remove nutrients and sediments from the water column, provide fish habitat, and create new spawning stock for the rest of the estuary.  The operation will be clearly visible from shore and spectators are encouraged to come down and have a look.

 

UNH OUTDOOR POOL EVENTS AND INFORMATION

Thank you to all who participated in the UNH Outdoor Pool Penny Drop Treasure Hunt this past 4^th of July!

 

Swim under the lights at the UNH Outdoor Pool and enjoy some BBQ on Wednesday, July 14^th & August 11^th from 7:00 – 9:00 PM.  Membership or day pass required.  Hamburgers, chips and soda will be available for purchase.

 

Come and cool off in the UNH Outdoor Pool this summer!  New family memberships available! Pool hours are Noon to 7:00 PM, 7 days a week!

 

PUBLIC MEETING SCHEDULE

The following public meetings are scheduled for the coming week in the Town Council chambers at the Durham Town Office. All meetings begin at 7:00 PM and are held in the Council chambers at the Town Hall unless otherwise indicated below. To view the agenda for the meeting(s) listed below, please click HERE.  All meetings recorded on DCAT are available on DVD at the Durham Public Library for checkout and viewing. 

 

Town Council – Monday, July 12, 2010.  To view the complete Council packet for this meeting, please click HERE

Zoning Board of Adjustment – Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Planning Board – Wednesday, July 14, 2010

 

Oyster River School Board meeting schedule, please click HERE. 

Durham Public Library Board of Trustees meeting schedule, please click HERE.

DCAT Programming Schedule, please click HERE

 

DURHAM DAY 2010

The date for Durham Day 2010 has been set for Sunday, September 26^th from 12:30 – 4:00 PM at Wagon Hill Farm. All Durham based Committees, Commissions or non-profit groups are encouraged to setup their own individual table display at the event.  If you are interested in securing a table display area or are a resident interested in volunteering at Durham Day please contact P&R Director Michael Mengers at mmengers@ci.durham.nh.us, 817-4074.

 

Live Folk Music and Guided Trail Walk at Wagon Hill Farm on Friday, July 23^rd

Join the Parks & Recreation Department for an evening of great music, family, friends, and a fantastic view of the Little Bay.  At 6:00 PM Durham’s very own Clearly Related String Band will perform their unique style of “Old Timey Music from the Northern Appalachians” that is rich with Folk, Country, and Bluegrass style.  So come on down and bring a picnic, a blanket, a lawn chair, and your dancing shoes.  Before the show, at 5:00 PM, enjoy a guided trail walk of Wagon Hill Farm organized by the Conservation Commission.  Member Malin Clyde will discuss shoreline habitat, identifying wildflowers, looking for signs of wildlife, and an overview of Appalachian oak-pine habitat.  The walk will meet at the Wagon Hill parking lot.  The concert and trail walk are free, with donations accepted and going to the band.  Contact Michael Mengers, mmengers@ci.durham.nh.us, 817-4074 with any questions. Please click HERE for more information.

 

SPACE STILL AVALIBLE IN YOGA CLASS BEGINNING JULY 15^TH

There are still a few spots available in the upcoming Parks & Rec yoga class.  The class begins on Thursday, July 15^th at 5:30 PM. The group will meet at the Parks & Rec Building every Thursday for 8-weeks.  The fee for the program is $40.  To register please contact P&R Director Michael Mengers, mmengers@ci.durham.nh.us, 817-4074.  For more information CLICK HERE.

 

DURHAM PARKS AND RECREATION PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

Stay current with all Durham P&R programs by viewing the June Recreation Reminder, please click HERE.  Also, visit our website at http://www.ci.durham.nh.us/COMMUNITY/recreation.html or on Facebook - search ‘Town of Durham Parks.’ 

 

To register for any of the classes below, please contact Durham P&R Director Michael Mengers at 817-4074 or mmengers@ci.durham.nh.us or visit the Town Clerk’s Office.

 

§         Monday, July 12, 6:00 PM, ORHS Field:   Adult/Teen Pickup Field Hockey

§         Wednesday, July 14, Noon – 1:00 PM:  Free Yoga at Wagon Hill Farm

§         Thursday, July 15, 5:30 PM:  Thursday Evening Yoga Begins – Preregistration required

§         Friday, July 23, 5:00 PM:  A Band by the Bay. The Clearly Related String Band and a guided trail walk of Wagon Hill Farm.

§         Saturday, July 24, Churchill Rink: :  Puppy Class (9:00 AM) and Dog Obedience Class (10:00 AM) begins

 

COMMUNITY EVENTS

§         July 5-9, 8:30 – Noon, UNH Paul Creative Arts Center:  Music For Youth. Designed for band students entering 5th and 6th grades in the fall. Daily instrumental lessons are taught by experienced UNH music education majors. For more information, contact Sarah DeTurk at sarah.deturk@gmail.com.

§         August 2-6 and August 9-13, Museum of Art, UNH Paul Creative Arts Center:  Summer Art Camp. For complete description of classes or to register on-line, visit www.unh.edu/moa or contact Catherine A. Mazur at Catherine.mazur@unh.edu, 862-3713.

§         MUB Summer Series 2010 begins July 7^th. Everything is FREE and OPEN to all! For more information and to view schedule of events, go to www.unhmub.com or call Dave at 862-1586.

 

Durham Public Library Programs and Events

Visit our website at www.durhampubliclibrary.org for more information.

 

§         Tue., July 13:  Summer Reading Program “Make a Splash, Read.  Make Waves At Your Library” in its fun third week for children and teens which runs through July 29th. 

§         Tue., July 13, 10:30 AM:  Pre-school Storytime – Rain/Rainbows

§         Tue., July 13, 6:30 PM:  9-12 yr. old program – Wii Night at the Library again

§         Wed., July 14, 6:30 PM:  All ages – Earreverence, 7 member acapella group performs

§         Thu., July 15, 10:30 AM:  All ages - Wildlife Encounters at the ORHS Multi-purpose room

§         Thu., July 15, 3:00-4:00 PM:  6-8 yr. old program – Surfing/Water Sports

§         Thu., July 15, 4:00-5:00 PM:  Young adult program – Teens working on the dplteenblog will meet!  Interested in writing a review of a book, play, movie, event?  Email the children’s librarian at ekleinmann@ci.durham.nh.us  or stop by the circulation desk and we’ll put you in contact with our partner, YA author Megan Frazer, who is helping us with this blog.

 

MCGREGOR MEMORIAL EMS – UPDATED EMERGENCY MEDICAL INFORMATION FORMS

The McGregor Memorial EMS recently updated its emergency medical information forms that Town residents use to help McGregor better treat them in an emergency.  Please refer to the links below to access these forms.

 

Emergency Medical Form - Adult, click HERE.

Emergency Medical Form - Elderly, click HERE

Emergency Medical Form - Child, click HERE

 

FROM “DURHAM, NEW HAMPSHIRE A HISTORY – 1900-1985”

“Town bookkeeping in the early years of the twentieth century was simple and straightforward. Payments for services were explicit, especially for work on roads. Less weighty, perhaps, but important nonetheless, were payments for timely items; for example, $110 was paid for brown-tail moth nests in 1905, and $225 in 1906 (at 4 cents per dozen nests); $505.75 was paid out for dog damages in 1920 (though more than just twelve months may have been covered by this large sum); and a bounty of $20 for a bobcat was paid in 1923.” Published in 1985 by the Durham Historic Association.

 

Have a good 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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