Friday, October 7, 2011

Raccoon kits try and stay cool during one of the hot days we experienced this summer.

Courtesy Patricia Pratt

It looks as though the Columbus Day long-weekend will be absolutely beautiful outdoors.  For those residents with projects yet to complete around the yard, this may be one of the last chances to get them done in 80 degree weather for some time!  Yom Kippur begins tonight at sundown.  The Sandwich Fair runs through the weekend.

TOWN OFFICES CLOSED - COLUMBUS DAY

A final reminder that all Town offices will be closed for the Columbus Day holiday on Monday, October 10, 2011 and will reopen for business on Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 8:00 AM. Please note that there will be NO CHANGE TO THE REFUSE AND RECYCLING COLLECTION. All items must be out by 7:00 AM.

DURHAM POLICE CRUISER STRUCK BY DRUNK DRIVER
This past Saturday night was another challenging evening in terms of arrest activity in the downtown area culminating in Captain Holmstock’ s police vehicle being struck by a drunk driver.  Luckily, Captain Holmstock and Sergeant Dalton, who were standing next to the vehicle, were able to jump aside nearly being struck.  Per Durham Police Department policy, the New Hampshire State Police is handling the prosecution, accident report, and subsequent investigation of the incident by this non-student.  Our vehicle is currently at Ben’s Auto in Portsmouth with extensive front end damage awaiting an estimate for repair. 

BATH SALTS AND SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA PROBLEMS IN DURHAM
The Police Department has begun to encounter and arrest individuals in Durham utilizing so called bath salts and synthetic marijuana, commonly referred to as K2.  For more information regarding synthetic marijuana, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_cannabis
 

FIRE AT GABLES NORTH FRIDAY MORNING
This morning, 10/7/11, a fire broke out in a bedroom on the 6th floor of the Gables North on the UNH campus.  The fire created heavy smoke and heat which triggered the activation of the affected area’s sprinkler system knocking down the Fire.  The Durham Fire Department responded and had quite a lot of work addressing smoke-related issues and water from the sprinkler system. 

DURHAM FIRE DEPARTMENT’S ENGINE 1 AND TANKER OUT OF SERVICE FOR SEVERAL DAYS
The Fire Department’s primary response attack engine, Engine 1 (E-1), was out of service this past week due to an electrical malfunction.  It has since been repaired.  Unfortunately, last evening the Tanker’s brake pedal malfunctioned and had to be taken out of service for several hours.  Fortunately, it too has been repaired. 

ORCSD Working Budget Document Available at Durham Town Office

Courtesy, Todd Selig

OYSTER RIVER COOPERATIVE SCHOOL DISTRICT 2012-2013 WORKING BUDGET AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW AT DURHAM TOWN OFFICE
The Oyster River Cooperative School District has forwarded copies of its 2012-2013 Working Budget along to the Durham, Madbury, and Lee Town Offices for public review.  A copy of the document has also been placed in each Town Councilor's mailbox at the Town Office.  To view an article from Foster’s Daily Democrat regarding the district’s Working Budget, increases, decreases, etc., click HERE.

ORCSD SEEKS VOLUNTEERS FOR ADVISORY BUDGET COMMITTEE
The Oyster River School Board is looking for new volunteers for its Advisory Budget Committee.  This commitment can be time-intensive.   The purpose for the committee is as follows: "To form an advisory committee that becomes educated about the ORCSD budget and provides budget recommendations to the School Board. ‪These recommendations put the needs of the students first and will be fiscally responsible to taxpayers."  Any interested persons from the Oyster River School District should send along a letter of interest with qualifications to wdifruscio@orcsd.org, or mail to ORCSD School Board, c/o Wendy DiFruscio, 36 Coe Drive, Durham, NH  03824.

PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY PARTY AFFILIATION AND VOTER REGISTRATION INFORMATION FOR DURHAM RESIDENTS - FROM THE SUPERVISORS OF THE CHECKLIST
As residents may be aware, New Hampshire will have have a Presidential Primary sometime in the next few months.  By law it has to be on the second Tuesday in March, but it also has to be the first in the nation!  The date has not been set yet, but, like four years ago, the state is concerned that it may actually be before January 1.  Yikes!

Supervisors of the Checklist must hold a public session just before the start of the two-week filing period. VOTERS CANNOT CHANGE THEIR PARTY AFFILIATION AFTER THAT DATE.  On October 1, Supervisors across the state were informed that this session will be on Friday October 14, 2011, from 6:30 to 7:30 PM at the Durham Town Hall (we are actually extending the session beyond what is required).  

It was the intention of the Durham supervisors to warn local voters about this possibility ahead of time in order to give people a chance to check how they are listed on the current checklist, but we were not fast enough.  A fairly new (mid-September) updated Voter Checklist has been posted at both the Durham Town Hall (Town Clerk’s office) and the Post Office.  This checklist includes current party affiliation.  If a voter is listed as “Undeclared” (also known as “Independent”), that person can CHOOSE the ballot s/he wishes to mark at the Primary.  S/he will then be considered a member of that party until the voter officially changes parties again, which may be done at the polling place immediately after voting at the Primary, or any time thereafter. 

There are always a few situations where a voter is POSITIVE s/he is registered in one party or the other and is quite upset to find that they voted in a different party at the last Primary and forgot to change back.  If you believe there is any chance you could be in that situation, PLEASE check the checklist SOON and make sure you are registered the way you wish to be.  You may change your party affiliation at the Town Hall ANY TIME during office hours (8-5 M-F) or during the Public Session listed above.  There will be NO PARTY CHANGES after 7:30 PM on October 14.

ENERGY EFFICIENT STREET LIGHT REPLACEMENT PROGAM IN DOWNTOWN DURHAM UNDER WAY!
The Town of Durham competed for and was successful in obtaining an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant for street lighting upgrades. The grant is sponsored by the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning and is a component of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The grant, valued at $167,310, will reimburse the Town 100% of the cost of retrofitting all of the ornamental street lighting along the Main Street corridor and intersecting roadways. The grant does not require any kind of a match. The grant was only eligible for New Hampshire Municipalities but offered the opportunity to partner with other municipalities, private industries, and commercial properties to maximize the overall energy savings. Because the Main Street lighting corridor runs through the UNH campus it made sense to partner with the University to provide a consistent lighting pattern.

The Office of Energy and Planning had available $6,600,000 of funding from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Black Grant program and received 270 grant applications totaling over $21,000,000. The grant will reimburse Durham for replacing the existing 175 watt, Metal Halide Lighting and accessories with a Light Emitting Diodes (LED) retrofit kits within our current municipal street lighting fixtures. The benefit of this energy grant will be the following:

• Replacing inconsistent lighting patterns of multiple colors
• Upgrade 234 less efficient street lights
• Projected savings of 70.2 metric tons of CO2
• Avoid future energy and lamp costs of $239,089
• Estimated MMBTU savings 18,053
• Proposed Energy Savings 1,756,212 (kWh)
• Simple payback is 4.5 years
• Estimated 650 hours of jobs created
• Lower operating fixture wattage from 175 to 38
• Increase longevity of lamp from 2.8 years to 12 – 15 years

DURHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT RENEWS EXPLORER POST

The Durham Police Explorers is a program for fourteen to twenty year old students who may have an interest in a law enforcement career. Explorers participate in a variety of activities throughout the year, including law enforcement training, competitions, and community service activities. The post is sponsored by the Durham Police Department and Explorers are allowed to participate in ride-alongs with police officers after meeting training requirements.

The Durham Police Explorers are currently seeking interested individuals to join the program!  No matter which branch of law enforcement the student is interested in - local, state, or Federal, he or she can develop a dynamic perspective of the life of a law enforcement officer. Police Exploring also allows the student to become one step closer to his or her goal of starting a successful law enforcement career.  A few Durham Police Department employees actually began their law enforcement activities as a Durham Police Explorer!

Please join us on Wednesday October 26th from 6:00PM-8:00PM at the Durham Police Department (86 Dover Road) for an informational night about the Police Explorers Program. Free pizza and soda will be served. You can also contact the Durham Police Department at (603) 868-2324 for more information.

Construction Under Way at the Wiswall Bridge - Courtesy Dave Cedarholm

WISWALL BRIDGE

Despite the difficult time Reed & Reed has had this week with the rains and increased river flows, they are making good progress. The photograph above shows the ledge all prepared below the new gate structure and the workers installing the rebar for the footing. They hope to be ready to pour concrete for the gate structure footing Monday afternoon.

Speed Table on Edgewood Road - Courtesy Todd Selig

SPEED TABLE AND RAISED CROSSWALK INSTALLATIONS COMPLETE -- BAGDAD ROAD AND MADBURY ROAD

After a great deal of discussion at the Traffic Safety Committee over many months, the Public Works Department this week installed a new speed table application on Bagdad Road as well as Durham’s first raised crosswalk to provide greater visibility to school children crossing Madbury Road.
 
These installations are a continuation of the pilot speed table application which was installed on Edgewood Road between Madbury Road and Emerson Road last fall.
 
The raised crosswalk was installed along Madbury Road at Maple Street.  Residents along Madbury Road had been requesting a speed table application since last year’s installation on Edgewood Road was completed.
 
A new speed table along Bagdad Road was installed between Strout Lane and Nobel K. Peterson Drive to slow traffic along the Bagdad Road corridor in what is a wide straight of way.  Last season, the traveled way in this area was narrowed and bicycle lanes were added.

At this time, the Town is also planning to move forward next spring with the installation of two speed tables and a raised crosswalk along Coe Drive utilizing Safe Routes to School grant funds.

To view a Foster’s Daily Democrat article on the newly installed speed tables, click HERE.

Construction Under Way along Route 4 at Morgan Way - Courtesy Todd Selig

MORGAN WAY/ROUTE 4 INTERSECTION PROJECT UPDATE

In May 2011, the Town Council approved a State Aid Highway Program Municipal Agreement for the Route 4/Morgan Way intersection improvement project.
 
As part of the 2010 and 2011 Capital Improvement Plans, the Town of Durham allocated a total of $545,863 for the improvement of the Morgan Way/Route 4 intersection with funds to be bonded as part of the State Highway Aid Program. The State Highway Aid Program funds 2/3 of local highway projects with Durham covering 1/3 of the total project cost.
 
Residents driving the Route 4 Corridor will notice that municipal construction work is well under way as part of the project.

PUBLIC MEETINGS: SCHEDULE AND VIDEO ON DEMAND

The following public meetings are scheduled for the coming week  All meetings begin at 7:00 PM and are held in the Council chambers at the Durham 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.

VIDEO ON DEMAND: Meetings can also be viewed via Video on Demand. Interested viewers can access the streaming site from the Town’s website at http://www.ci.durham.nh.us/ by clicking the DCAT on demand logo, or directly at http://dcat.pegcentral.com/.

Durham Energy Committee - Tuesday, October 11, 2011 (7:00 PM at the Durham PD Community Room)

Zoning Board of Adjustment - Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Planning Board - Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Durham Agricultural Commission - Thursday, October 13, 2011 (7:00 PM at the Durham PD Community Room)

Conservation Commission - Thursday, October 13, 2011

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.

DOWNTOWN DURHAM’S PORTSMOUTH ATLANTIC INSURANCE AGENCY GOES GREEN
The Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance Agency is located on Jenkins Court in downtown Durham.  It was started by Jon Merwin in 2005 after Mr. Merwin graduated from UNH.  The agency began with no customers but has grown to serve almost 2,000 customers today through referrals and word of mouth. 

The agency joined the Green Alliance http://www.greenalliance.biz/ in March of this year and according to Mr. Merwin, it is the only insurance agency in the Green Alliance.  A link to their profile on the Green Alliance web site can be found at http://www.greenalliance.biz/business/portsmouth-atlantic-insurance.

The agency has switched over completely to soy based ink over traditional petroleum-based ink.  In addition, they are a member of Seacoast Local

http://www.seacoastlocal.org/.

Mr. Merwin promotes artwork for UNH students and alumni with a “UNH Artist of the Month” program that features a different UNH art student/alumni’s artwork in one of our window displays on a monthly basis.  For more information, call Jon Merwin at (603) 431-4020.

RESIDENTIAL RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY SYSTEMS REBATES FROM NH PUC:  GOOD NEWS!

Funding is once again available from the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission for the rebate program for residential renewable electricity systems (typically solar electric panels or wind turbines) under 5 kilowatts in capacity. Funding will be disbursed both for new applicants and for those who have previously submitted conforming Step 1 rebate applications and have been in the queue for funding.

The rebate for this program is $1.25 per watt up to a maximum of $4,500 or 50% of the system cost, whichever is less. The rebate application can be found on the Commission’s website at http://www.puc.nh.gov/Sustainable%20Energy/RenewableEnergyRebates.html.

For more information, contact Jon Osgood, Director, Sustainable Energy Division, at jon.osgood@puc.nh.gov, or 271-6306.

VACANCIES ON VARIOUS TOWN BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, AND COMMITTEES

The Durham Town Council is seeking interested residents of the Town of Durham who have the ability, desire, and time needed to fill the vacancies on its various Town boards, commissions, and committees listed below. 

Citizens interested in board appointments should contact the Town Administrator's office at 868-5571 and ask for a board application form, or stop in at the Town Clerk's office located on the first floor of the Town Hall, 15 Newmarket Road, and complete an application.  Applications are also available on the Town's web site at http://www.ci.durham.nh.us/ on the right-hand side in blue.

Completed applications may be mailed to the Town Administrator's office, or submitted via email to jberry@ci.durham.nh.us.

Conservation Commission - (1 alternate vacancy)

Durham Cable Access Governance Committee - (2 regular vacancies; 1 alternate vacancy)

Durham Energy Committee - (1 vacancy)
Historic District Commission - (1 vacancy)
Integrated Waste Management Advisory Committee - (1 regular vacancy; 1 alternate vacancy)
Parks and Recreation - (1 alternate vacancy)
Planning Board - (1 alternate vacancy)

Rental Housing Commission - (1 neighborhood representative vacancy)
Strafford Regional Planning Commission & MPO Policy Committee - (1 vacancy)   
Zoning Board of Adjustment - (1 alternate vacancy)

DURHAM PARKS & RECREATION PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

NEW PROGRAMS:

Parents & Preschoolers Exercise Class for Infants to 5 year olds along with a parent. Class begins soon and will be held on Thursdays 9am – 10am at the Durham Parks & Recreation Building.

Prenatal Yoga begins in November. Connect with other moms-to-be and a great relief from common physical discomfort. Class will be held on Tuesdays 5pm at Durham Parks & Recreation Building.

Kid’s Yoga has a new session beginning Oct. 10th for ages 9 – 12. Class meets Wed. 4:30 – 5:30pm at the Durham Parks & Recreation Building.

Please check out our Fall/Winter class schedule which provides recreation for the whole community. To view the schedule, click HERE.

Exercises with Kathy for a Cure October 15th at Oyster River High School anytime between 8am – 3:15pm. To view the schedule, click HERE.

For more information on any of these events, please contact P&R Director Sandy Devins at 603-817-4074, sdevins@ci.durham.nh.us  Also check out our new Facebook account on “Durham Rec”.

FRIENDS OF THE DURHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY ANNUAL FALL BOOK SALE

The Friends of the Durham Public Library Fall Book Sale will kick-off at the Durham Public Library on Thursday, November 3rd from 6pm to 7pm with an Early Bird Preview--admission to this special one hour event is $10.

The sale opens to everyone from 7pm to 8:30pm Thursday evening. The sale will continue on Friday, November 4th from 10am to 5 pm and on Saturday, November 5th from 10am to 2pm.

Book prices are $2.00 for hardbacks, $1.00 for paperback, and $0.50 for children books. DVDs, CDs, and books-on-tape are $1.00. VHS tapes are $0.50.

All proceeds from the Friends Fall Book Sale support Durham Public Library programs.

DURHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

New Library Campaign
The new Durham Public Library is an investment in the quality of life in our town, and a gift to future generations. The New Library Campaign goal is to raise $900,000 in additional donations as the private share of the public-private partnership with the Town for a new facility. These funds will be added to the $1.2 million already raised by the Trustees over the years specifically for a new library. A successful campaign means the Trustees and the community will contribute a total of $2.1 million toward the new library.

To date, $657,570 of the $900,000 has been raised! But we need an additional $250,000 to meet our goal and we’d like your help.

We are making all of our campaign information available on our website http://www.durhampubliclibrary.org/durham/. Learn more about the campaign, find out how you can help, print out a donation form, and have your questions answered.  Help make the long-awaited new library a reality. Your donation will make a difference!

Preschool Storytimes - Tue., Oct. 11th and Thu., Oct. 13th, 10:30 a.m. This week: Spaghetti/Pasta. All are welcome to enjoy stories, songs, fingerplays, feltboard, and a craft.

The Art and History of Porcelain Doll Making, Tue. Oct. 18th, 6:30 p.m. Priscilla Nickerson, Doll Artisan Guild Grandmaster, will present a program detailing the history of porcelain doll making.

Bookeaters, Middle School Book Group: Wed. Oct. 19th, 2:45-4:00 p.m. Join the Bookeaters.This month’s book is Frozen in Time by Ali Sparkes.  Books are available in the library.  Pizza is served.

Pajama Storytime begins on Tue., Oct. 25th, 6:30 p.m. Join ORPP and the library for our pajama storytime. All are welcome. The theme this month is Halloween.  We will read stories about Halloween and make a Halloween craft.  Wear your Halloween costume and trick-or-treat at the library.
ORHS Poetry Night, Wed. Oct. 26th , 7:00-8:00 p.m. Join Oyster River High School Students for a night of creative poetry readings as well as the announcement of the Oyster River High School new Poet Laureate.  Refreshments will be served and all are welcome!
Humanities Discussion, Fri. Oct. 28th, 10:30 a.m. Join the discussion of Elizabeth Bowen's Death of the Heart, facilitated by Jennifer Lee. Copies of the book will be available at the library prior to the talk. Paid for by a grant from the New Hampshire Humanities Council.

Raccoon Readers (2nd -4th grade Book Club) - Tue., Nov 1st, 6:00-7:00 p.m. This month’s book is your Mystery choice. Read either The Sherlock Files: The 100 Year Old Secret by Tracy Barrett or a Mystery book of your choosing. We will discuss the book(s), author(s), play games, and make a craft. We will also solve some mysteries. Books are available at the library.

Seacoast Mystery Writer KD Mason to speak, Tues. Oct. 11th,  6:30 p.m.: Rye mystery novelist KD Mason will speak about his books, including Harbor Ice
Young Adult Writing/Blog Group, Tue., Nov 1st, 7:00-7:45 p.m.  Like to write?  Join us for this Young Adult writing/blogging group that will meet once a month.
Join our Lego Club, Thu., Oct 13th, 3:45-4:45 p.m. for 1st-5th graders.  Like to build Legos?  Come to the Lego club in the Children’s Room to start constructing.
Concert - All Together Now For the Durham Public Library, Sun., Oct 9th, 3:00-7:00 p.m. Beatles tribute band "All Together Now" performs at the Mill Plaza as we kick off the Durham Public Library's new library building campaign. Come enjoy the Beatles timeless music and show your support for the Library. This concert is free and open to all.
Registration for Tales for Tails has begun. Have a young reader who could use some non-judgmental encouragement for reading aloud? A Delta Therapy dog is waiting for your child. Sign up at the library.

Sign-ups have started for Seacoast Reads (UNH Reading Buddies).  Have a child in 1st through 3rd grade who could use some help reading?  Sign your child up for a UNH Reading Buddy.  Weekly sessions hope to start mid-October.
Join the Patch Program, our reading incentive program for children aged 2-12 years. Children earn patches for minutes read or being read to as well as a Durham Library book bag. If new to the program, stop by and register.  Thanks to the Friends of the Durham Public Library for their continued support of this program.  We have new patches!

Check out our website www.durhampubliclibrary.org for more info.

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS AND EVENTS 

Solar Furnace Workshop: Build your own solar Furnace - Sunday, Oct 9, 2011, 10:00 AM, 30 Long Pond Drive, Durham. Learn how to build a solar Furnace (or beer can solar heater) for under a hundred dollars or less using common hand tools. The Solar Furnace heater will be made of aluminum cans. Approximately 2-3 hours to build.

Durham Garden Club Meeting - Tuesday, Oct 11, 2011, 6:30 PM, St. George's Church. Guest Speaker: Dianne Mrak, renowned Day Lily and Daffodil expert, will speak on Daffodils. All are welcome; no membership required.

Red Carpet Flower Shop Fall Open House - Wednesday, Oct 12, 2011, 5:00 - 8:00 PM. For more information, visit http://www.myredcarpetflorist.com/ or call 603-868-7021.

Oyster River Youth Association Fund-raiser, Oct 12, Nov 10, and Dec 10, 5:00 - 11:00 PM - Margarita's Mexican Restaurant in Dover and OR Hockey will host games and random drawings.5% of evenings' gross will be donated to the hockey program.

Big Green Bus Stop Event, Saturday, Oct 15, 2011 - Hosted by the Oyster River Sustainability Coalition. For details, click HERE.

Family Program Offered at Museum of Art, UNH:  Lions, Tigers and Animals Galore!, Sunday, Oct 16, 2011, 2:00 PM. The program will include a look at the animals found in the paintings of renowned Maine artist Dahlov Ipcar with ecologist Michael Palace, as well as a reading of Dahlov’s beloved children’s book, The Calico Jungle. FREE to the public.

Durham Trick Or Treating - Sunday, October 30, 2011, 5:00 - 7:30 PM.

WEEKLY ARREST REPORT

A BIT OF DURHAM HISTORY - FROM A 1912 ANNUAL TOWN REPORT

The following is an excerpt from a 1912 Annual Town Report, courtesy Dr. Bruce Bragdon:

"AN OUTBREAK OF TYPHOID FEVER. Early in December last, the State Board of Health was notified of an outbreak of typhoid fever in the town of Durham, and an investigation of the cause was immediately instituted. The history of the case is interesting, in that it shows an unsuspected pollution of a water supply, which was responsible for nineteen cases of typhoid fever that developed within a short time after the contamination of the supply."  Residents will note that the location on the map is what was once the site where the Town Offices now stand.

To view the entire report, click HERE.