“ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES”

Friday, July 23, 2010

 

 

Panoramic view of the roundabout at Main Street and North Drive

Courtesy Department of Public Works

 

Durham’s very first roundabout was constructed this week just west of the UNH tennis courts at the intersection of Main Street and North Drive.  Construction crews are diligently working to complete the roundabout and the other associated improvement before UNH students return late next month.  In addition to being a traffic calming measure, the roundabout should help alleviate traffic congestion associated with large UNH events. The roundabout is just one element of the larger Main Street improvements project, which includes the installation of a lighted multi-use path and the repaving of a section of Main Street with 4-foot wide shoulders/bike paths.  Initially there will only be 3 legs of roadway entering the roundabout, but UNH has future plans to extend a 4th leg out around the UNH footfall field and eventually connect up with the relatively new southern underpass near Gregg Hall.

 

Morgan Way/Route 4 Intersection Improvements - Project Informational Meeting

The Department of Public Works will be holding an informational meeting for the Morgan Way/Route 4 intersection improvements at the Durham Town Hall on Thursday, July 29, 2010 starting at 7:00 PM.  The Town’s consultant CMA Engineers, Inc. will discuss the preliminary plans to widen the section of Route 4 near Morgan Way to make room for an eastbound left turn lane, enabling a safer turning motion into Morgan Way for eastbound traffic.  Town staff and the consultants will be available at the meeting to receive comments and answer questions.  Please contact Town Engineer Dave Cedarholm at 603-868-5578 for more information.

 

Cedar Point Road Drainage Improvements – In-House Engineering and Construction Project

The Department of Public Works began work on the Cedar Point Road drainage Improvement project this week. This project involves the addition of drainage culverts and a vegetative swale along the northern shoulder of the west end of the gravel portion of the road.  This will hopefully dry out this portion of road by providing a stormwater outlet.  Because it is a rather flat section of gravel roadway with little to no outlet for stormwater, this section of road has had a history of turning into a muddy mess during late winter/early spring. A 25-foot section of the gravel roadway will be paved at the intersection with the paved section of the Cedar Point Road where Public Works plans to have a stop sign permanently installed for west bound traffic. This phase of the project is scheduled to be completed by the end of next week. A second phase of drainage improvements focusing on the east end of the gravel portion will hopefully be implemented later in the fall. 

 

Campus Emergency Notification System to Be Tested Monday, July 26

Regular testing of UNH’s outdoor notification system will occur on Monday, July 26, 2010, at noon. The test will include the siren, a “canned” message, and a recording signaling the end of the test. The entire exercise will take less than 10 minutes.

 

The system is designed to not only alert the campus community when there is imminent danger but also follows up with voice instructions. This two-step approach, called Alert and Inform, helps reduce confusion and restore order.

 

Sirens are located on the roof of the MUB, the roof of Morse Hall, A-Lot, and the dirt parking lot near the equestrian facility. The system reaches a distance of nearly a mile in all directions.

 

In addition, the university will also simultaneously send test messages through its alert system to registered cell phones, pagers, BlackBerrys, PDAs and/or e-mail accounts, and a directed communication to all UNH faculty, staff, and students.

 

Contact Paul Dean, UNH's director of emergency management, at 862-1427 for more information or with any questions.

 

A dream fulfilled: Ride of a lifetime provided for Durham Spruce Wood resident

Long-time Durham resident, Sheldon (Shelley) Prescott, who recently turned 89, and his wife Phyllis enjoyed the ride of a lifetime thanks to the efforts of staff, volunteers, consultants, and the Ageless Dreamer organization. To read the article published in the Foster’s Daily Democrat, go to:  http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100719/GJNEWS_01/707199917&template=GreatBayRegion

 

UNH OUTDOOR POOL EVENTS AND INFORMATION

Thank you to everyone who participated in Night Under the Lights last week.

 

§         Swim under the lights at the UNH Outdoor Pool and enjoy some BBQ on Wednesday, August 11th 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.

§         Ice Cream Social August 4th at 2:00 PM.

 

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 meetings listed below, please click HERE.  All meetings recorded on DCAT are available on DVD at the Durham Public Library for checkout and viewing. 

 

Economic Development Committee – Monday, July 26, 2010 (6:30 PM at the former Courthouse building)

Town Council – Monday, July 26, 2010. To view the complete Council packet for this meeting, please click HERE

Rental Housing Commission – Wednesday, July 28, 2010 (4:00 PM)

Planning Board – Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Morgan Way/Route 4 Intersection Improvements Project Informational Meeting – Thursday, July 29, 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 2007                                                  Courtesy Mary Salvati

 

DURHAM DAY 2010

The date for Durham Day 2010 has been set for Sunday, September 26th 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.

 

COMMUNITY EVENTS

§         Sat., July 24, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM, Durham Evangelical ChurchPC Clinic. Bring in your “sick” PC and the DEC tech team will run basic diagnostics tests for FREE. For more information, contact Tech.Team@durhamE.org.

§         Aug. 2-6 and Aug. 9-13, Museum of Art, UNH Paul Creative Arts CenterSummer 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 7th. 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 27 – Summer Reading Program “Make a Splash, Read.  Make Waves At Your Library” in its fun fifth and final week for children and teens which runs through July 29th. 

§         Tue., July 27, 10:30 AM – Pre-school Storytime – Bubbles and Silly Stories

§         Tue., July 27, 6:30 PM – 9-12 year old program – Game Night, play Wii or board games

§         Wed., July 28, 6:30 PM – All ages – Family Game Night!  Come and have a water balloon toss (weather permitting!) and play group games such as:  Pictionary, Bingo, trivia and others

§         Thu., July 29, 11:00 AM – All ages Finale Celebration with Vic’ n Sticks Rhythm and Recycling Band with the Durham and Madbury Libraries at the ORHS multi-purpose room. Join us in celebrating your summer reading accomplishments.  Vic ‘n Sticks is “musical comedy for the whole family with a great medley of songs, humor, clowning and audience participation.”  Vic ‘n Sticks performance is generously sponsored by the Byrne Foundation, CHILIS, the Cogswell and Benevolent Trust, the NH Library Association and the NH State Library.  A special thank-you to the Friends of the Durham Public Library for all their support.  Prize books, reading certificates and Bagelry Prize will be handed out.  Cake will also be served.  A big thank-you to the Durham Market, The Bagelry and The Sea Dogs for their prize donations.

§         Thu., July 29, 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.

 

Eagle Scout ProjectS – Car Wash FundraiserS

Kyle Mullaney of Boy Scout Troop 154 will be holding a car wash at Durham Marketplace (7 Mill Road, Durham, NH) on Saturday, July 24, 2010 from 3:00 – 6:00 PM. The car wash is being held to raise money for Kyle’s Eagle Scout leadership service project which involves leading the construction of an observation deck for the Town of Durham at Jackson's Landing. 

 

Ryan Horton, also of Boy Scout Troop 154, will be holding a car wash at the Community Church of Durham, lower parking lot, on Sunday, July 25, 2010 from 10:00 AM to noon. The car wash is being held to raise money for Ryan’s Eagle Scout leadership service project which consists of mapping trails on the Merrick property as well as putting in some raised walkways.

 

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

“The telegraph was an important part of the town’s communication with the rest of the world, and the clacking of the set in Station Master Charles Wentworth’s office was a familiar sound to railroad patrons in the first half of the twentieth century.” Published in 1985 by the Durham Historic Association.

 

Have a good weekend.

 

Todd