Friday Update August 20, 2010

 

“FRIDAY
UPDATES”

Friday,
August 20, 2010

 

 

Courtesy Noelle
Khleif

 

 

TWO
NEW BUSINESSES OPEN IN DURHAM

Minos Roast Beef
& Seafood opened on Friday, August 13^th, and is
located at 7F Mill
Road Plaza. The former owner of HAPS Roast Beef
in Portsmouth has moved his family run business
to Durham.
George Datserakis and his twin children, daughter Alexandra (Premed) and son
Nicholas (Marketing), both UNH Freshmen this year, are joined by the owner’s
cousin, George Nirgianakis. Minos is open 7 days a week starting at 10:30 AM and
features a full menu for lunch and dinner, eat in or take out. The former Moe’s
take out location was recently renovated to install a full kitchen and they have
added a Dining Room which will also get some future renovations.

 

The Juice Hut
is located
at 8 Jenkins
Court in the Wings Your Way restaurant. The Juice Hut
specializes in all natural juice drinks blended while you wait. Owner Stanley
Stevens has Marissa Savage and Trip Cox as managers and they are currently open
from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Tuesday through Saturday with plans to open 7 days a
week with later closing hours once the UNH students return. With the
construction on Jenkins
Court coming to an end there is plenty of on-street
parking on Jenkins
Court along with all the new parking on Pettee Brook
Lane.

 

ORCSD
BUS ROUTES FOR 2010/11 SCHOOL YEAR

The Oyster River Cooperative School
District has published its bus route schedule for
the 2010/11 school year. To view the schedule, go
to:

http://www.orcsd.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=348:bus-routes-for-2010-2011-school-year&catid=6:announcements&Itemid=77

 

 

 

ANNUAL
MUNICIPAL LAW LECTURE SERIES

Beginning in September, the 35th
Annual Municipal Law Lecture Series, sponsored by the New Hampshire Local Government Center and the Regional Planning
Commission, will be holding lectures in communities throughout the state. These
lectures are intended for municipal officials with an interest in, or
responsibility for, any aspect of municipal land use to include members of
planning boards, zoning boards, conservation commissions, and councils/board of
selectmen, as well as planners, building inspectors, and code officers. All
lectures are held on Wednesday evenings from 7:00-9:00 PM.

 

The schedule of lectures is as
follows: 

 

Lecture 1: Cell Towers: Managing the Approval Process to
Protect Municipal Interests and Comply with Federal
Law

Lecture 2: Conflict of Interest,
Disqualification and the Local Land Use Board Decision-Making
Process

Lecture 3: Administrative Decisions
in Planning and Zoning: How They’re Made, How They’re
Appealed

 

A registration form has been placed
in the mailboxes for Council, Planning Board, Zoning Board, Historic District
Commission, and Conservation Commission members. The registration form may also
be obtained through the LGC website at: http://www.nhlgc.org/attachments/trainingevents/MLLS_flyer.pdf.
Board and committee members interested in attending any or all of these lectures
are encouraged to do so. Please complete the registration form and return it to
Jennie Berry as soon as possible as space is limited. The Town will cover the
cost for all registration fees.

 

          

 

SMITH
CHAPEL REPAIRS

Residents may not be aware that a
new trust has been created by the Trustees of the Trust Funds for the Town-owned
Smith Family Chapel (c1900) built by the Hamilton Smith family and located on
Mill Pond
Road to help restore the building and fixtures. 
For the history of the Smith Family Chapel, go http://www.archive.org/stream/receiptsexpendit1963durh/receiptsexpendit1963durh_djvu.txt from
the 1963 Durham Annual Report. 

 

Durham resident George (Curly) Frick,
pictured above, has generously donated his time to restoring pieces of furniture
from the Chapel, currently on display at the Town Hall. We wish to thank
Mr. Frick for his time and dedication to the
project. 

 

Donations are graciously accepted to
help with the Chapel restoration process. Interested parties may make a check
out to the Trustees of the Trust Fund with a notation of “Hamilton Smith Chapel
Trust” in the bottom left portion.  Donations can be left with Barbara Ross
in the Business Office at the Town Hall. 

 

Cable
Franchise Agreement Renewal Process – PUBLIC
HEARING

The Town of Durham is currently in the
process of negotiating a renewal of its cable franchise agreement with Comcast,
the incumbent cable operator. The renewal process is an opportunity for the Town
to ascertain the future cable-related needs and interests of the community and
to negotiate with Comcast to meet these needs in the renewal franchise
agreement.

 

As part of the process, the Town
will be holding a public hearing a public hearing to ascertain the future
cable-related needs and interests of the community on Tuesday, September 21, 2010 beginning at
7:00 P.M. The hearing will be held
in the Town Council Chambers at the Durham Town
Hall located at 15 Newmarket Road. Residents are encouraged
to attend the hearing and provide input relative to this important process.
Written comments may also be submitted to Administrative Assistant Jennie Berry
at jberry@ci.durham.nh.us.

 

In order to provide information to
the Town Cable Franchise Review Committee, a list of questions was provided and
sent to various Town organizations and departments to answer and submit for
consideration by the committee. To view these questions, please click HERE.

 

 

Census
2010 Quality Assurance Operations

The 2010 Census is winding down, and
as a census partner, we/I would like to take this opportunity to thank and
congratulate everyone who has supported and participated in this great effort.
However, there are still several quality assurance operations that will continue
to take place this month, and we encourage residents to cooperate with census
workers should they call or visit your household. These final steps will ensure
the census will provide the highest quality data possible; information that will
benefit our community and the nation for the next 10
years.

 

If you have already responded to the
census, why are you being contacted again? A census worker may call if the
Census Bureau has difficulty reading or otherwise needs to clarify your answers.
Census workers may visit if your household was incorrectly marked as unoccupied
on April 1. You may receive a visit if your address was not included in the
mail-back phase or in the door-to-door follow-up phase. If you filled out a Be
Counted form or provided your answers over the phone, a census worker may visit
to confirm that the geographic location of your home matches an address in the
Census Bureau's files. Finally, census workers may be in your area to resolve
any suspected duplicate addresses.

 

Please keep in mind that the Census
Bureau's quality assurance operations will affect a small percentage of the
total number of households counted in the 2010 Census.

 

As always, individual responses are
completely confidential, protected, and cannot be shared with anyone.  All
Census Bureau employees are required to swear an oath for life to protect your
personal information.

 

Please cooperate if a census worker
calls or visits your household as part of the final stages of the 2010 Census.
This has been the largest domestic undertaking of the American people, and now
is the time to make sure the data we all rely on is as accurate as
possible.

 

Parking
at UNH on AugUST 27 and 29

Every year more than a dozen cars
have to be towed from parking lots on campus so the lots can be used for
move-in. The university does not want to have to do this and makes every effort
to notify people, including posting signs in the affected lots.

 

PLEASE
NOTE the
following lots WILL BE CLOSED:
B-lot, E/E1 Lots, Forest Park South Lot, C-lot (off Mill Road), Health Services Lots, Brook Way Lots, U-Lot, D-lot, H-Lot, Q-lot, and Ballard Loop. (These lots will all re-open
after 4 p.m. Aug. 27 to standard Friday parking
rules.)

 

Vehicles will be towed from the
above designated parking lots starting at 5 a.m. Friday August 27,
2010, and on
Sunday morning August 29, 2010.

 

VOLUNTEERS
NEEDED FOR FALL RESEARCH ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND SEA LEVEL
RISE

Several dedicated volunteers are
needed to help with field research in New Hampshire monitoring climate change and
sea level rise. The Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is putting out
the call for volunteers to assist in an intensive six-week period of field work
set to begin September 4, 2010. 

 

The research is possible because the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is loaning the reserve an
"RTK" (real time kinematic) GPS unit for a period of six weeks, beginning
September 4, 2010. 

 

The data collected with this unit
will be used to generate digital elevation models of three salt
marshes. These models will be used as part of a national monitoring project
measuring ecological impacts of relative sea level change associated with
climate change.

 

Two volunteers are needed to help
run this equipment each day. One individual is needed to sit with the base
station of the RTK unit. This is a non-physical volunteer role. The other
volunteer will accompany a staff member in the field (extreme field conditions
in a salt marsh environment) as they operate the roving unit. This project is
weather-dependent and will involve full field
days. 

 

If you are interested in
volunteering or learning more about this project, please contact the Reserve by
emailing Jay.Sullivan@wildlife.nh.gov or calling
603-778-0015.

 

The work is part of the National
Estuarine Research Reserve System's Habitat Mapping and Change initiative, which
allows for long-term monitoring of ecological alterations, particularly those
associated with climate change. Integrating geodetic and tidal data with habitat
information will allow the Reserve to function as a sentinel site for climate
change research and provide tools to improve coastal resilience. It establishes
a framework long-term data set on which to rest multiple research and monitoring
activities, such as modeling effects of tidal inundation on local habitats and
human infrastructure.

 

The Great Bay National Estuarine
Research Reserve is a cooperative federal-state partnership between the New
Hampshire Fish and Game Department and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration. Visit http://www.greatbay.org.

 

ABSENTEE
BALLOTS FOR PRIMARY ELECTION – SEPTEMBER 14^th 

The New Hampshire State Primary
Election will be held on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at the Oyster River High
School located on Coe Drive. Polling hours will be from 7:00
AM to 7:00 PM. Absentee ballots for the September 14^th Primary
Election are now available at the Town Clerk’s Office. Residents who will be
out-of-town during the Primary or who are physically disabled or observing a
religious holiday, may request an absentee ballot. Ballot requests may be made
in person at the Town Clerk’s Office between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM,
Monday through Friday, or with a written request by mail. Written requests must
contain your name, residence address, address to mail the ballot (if different
from the residence address), and a signature.  This is a Primary, so you will receive a ballot for
the party of which you are currently
registered. If you are undeclared (a.k.a., independent), you will
need to specify a Democratic or Republican ballot.  No party changes can be accepted until after the election. To view
a copy of the Republican absentee ballot, click HERE.
To view a copy of the Democratic absentee ballot, click HERE.

 

 

UNH
ANNUAL PICNIC – ROAD CLOSURE SEPTEMBER 14^th

The annual UNH Picnic will be held
on Tuesday, September 14^th. A portion of Main Street will be
closed from Garrison
Avenue to Edgewood Road between the hours of 10:00 AM
to 7:30 PM.  There will be detours provided for motorists to go around the
event.

 

NOTE:    
As this event is being held the same day as the Primary Election, residents may
want to consider taking an alternate route to the Oyster River High
School for voting.

 

HOUSEHOLD
HAZARDOUS WASTE DAY

Household Hazardous Waste Day has
been added to the fall agenda once again.  This year it will be held on
Saturday, October 9^th at the Public Works Facility.  Remember
that this is for residential household hazardous waste products only.  In
order to participate in the event, you must call the Public Works Department,
868-5578, and set an appointment time.  Appointments will be set between
8:30 and 11:30 AM. There is a five gallon maximum per household.  Remember
that latex and oil based paints DO NOT come to Household Hazardous Waste Day
since they can be brought to the Transfer Station throughout the year, latex
dried out first to bring up, oil based paints can be brought up to the Transfer
Station as is.  Please call with any questions and to set an
appointment.  To view details/instructions, please click HERE.

 

LABOR
DAY HOLIDAY

Monday, September 6^th is
Labor Day.  All Town offices will be closed for the Labor Day holiday.
However, there will be NO CHANGE
to the refuse and recycling collection routes during the holiday week. As
always, please have all items out by 7:00 AM. 

 

100
YEARS OF DURHAM
FIRE

The committee is firming up the
celebration of the 100 years of Durham, NH
Fire Department.  The celebration will feature a plaque ceremony at the
site of the first Fire Station which was in the “Pettee Block” specifically
where the Red Carpet flower shop is built.  The second part of the
celebration will be a day-long event consisting of a fire truck parade, Fire
Department Muster, childrens’ activities, food, and displays.

 

A special patch has been designed
for Fire Department personnel to wear for the 100^th year and tee
shirts will be made available for anyone to purchase.  Please send an email
if you would like to pre-order your shirt.  It will have the logo and
information on the front and fire trucks on the back of a gray tee shirt. 

 

We are still looking for old
photographs/items particularly for events before WW II.  Periodic progress
reports will be published in future “Friday Updates”.  We welcome your
ideas and help, so please contact Melissa at 862-1426 or fire@ci.durham.nh.us.

 

Economic
Development Committee Business Visitation and Outreach
Project
The Town of Durham Economic Development Committee
(EDC) is beginning a comprehensive outreach to Durham business owners to learn more about their businesses
and their experiences doing business in Durham.  There are four objectives to this
project:

 

1.                 
Shape the Town’s business and economic development
policies through a deeper understanding of current business segments and their
unique needs.  We will report back to the Town Council on our findings and
work with the market analysis consultant to conduct a ‘gap analysis’ between
current supply and forecasted demand for local goods and services.

2.                 
Build relationships and trust
between Town, business community, and engaged citizenry.
 We
will employ a respectful, learning-oriented approach with an emphasis on
confidentiality.

3.                 
Ensure business community’s
opinions and concerns are reflected in Town activities.  This includes a survey on
housing, parking, commercial development, and related topical issues.

4.                 
Provide useful resources to
business owners, including support around RSA 79-E and ER-Z tax
incentives and small business assistance.

 

Our goal is to conduct 110+
interviews by the end of September and to complete the summary report and
recommendations by Thanksgiving.  To date, 22 volunteer interviewers
(including 7 Councilors) have signed up to interview 106 of Durham’s ~135 businesses.
 Community members who wish to learn more or serve as interviewers, and
business owners with questions or suggestions, should contact Yusi Wang Turell
at yusiwang@gmail.com or 397-5608.

 

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, August 23, 2010

Planning Board – Wednesday, August
25, 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

 

UNH Outdoor
Pool Hours

July 6 – Aug
15                     
12:00 noon – 7:00 PM

Aug 16 –
27                          
12:00 noon – 6:00 PM

Aug 28, 29; Sep 4, 5,
6        12:00 noon – 5:00
PM

Aug 30 – Sep
3                    
            4:00 – 6:00
PM

 

RESIGNATION
OF PARKS & RECREATION DIRECTOR MICHAEL
MENGERS

Michael
Mengers has informed the Town that he will be leaving his
part-time position as Parks and Recreation Director and will begin a full-time
position with the Oyster River
Cooperative School District in the fall.  During
his year of employment with Durham, Michael has done a terrific job in
getting the Parks and Recreation Department off to a strong and solid start. His
efforts are appreciated and we wish him all the best in his future
endeavors.

 

Although there has been discussion
concerning making this position full-time at some point in the future, it will
remain a part-time position at this time, and is being advertised as such. To
view the advertisement, please click HERE.
To view the Parks and Recreation Director Job Description, please click HERE.

 

DURHAM
DAY 2010 -- Grills, Grillers, and FOOD SERVERS
needed!!

Calling all backyard
grill enthusiasts!   On Sunday, September 26^th Parks &
Rec and the Town Council need volunteers to help with food service at Durham
Day.  Grills, Grillers and Food Servers are needed to help prepare the
community picnic. If you are interested in volunteering your time (or your
grill) please contact P&R Director Michael
Mengers at 817-4074, mmengers@ci.durham.nh.us.

 

Wednesday,
August 25^th (at noon) marks the last meeting for Wagon Hill
Yoga

This Wednesday at noon
will be the last meeting for Wagon Hill Yoga.  Parks & Rec would like
to thank Hannelore Moebius, Moebius Yoga and all of the instructors who
participated for a great yoga filled summer.  To stay in touch with Moebius
Yoga visit their website at www.moebiusyoga.com

 

Start
Date for Sound Beginnings Youth Music Program has been
changed

The start date for the Parks &
Rec program Sound Beginnings with Maria Isaak has been moved from September
15^th to September 29^th.  The program will now run
through November 17^th.  There is still space available in the
5pm and 6pm classes.  To register contact P&R Director Michael Mengers at 817-4074, mmengers@ci.durham.nh.us.

 

Family
Dragonfly Day – Saturday, August 21^st – 2:00pm – John Hatch Park

Join Suzanne Petersen
of the Lamprey River Advisory Committee for a day of dragonfly fun.  This
free program includes a lesson on dragonflies, catching and releasing specimens,
species identification and more.  The program is for children entering
3^rd through 6^th grade, but the whole family is encouraged
to attend.  Please RSVP Michael
Mengers at 817-4074, mmengers@ci.durham.nh.us.

 

The
Parks & Recreation Nature Note – Handkerchief
Rocks

Off the beaten path
you will find one of Durham’s most imposing natural
landmarks.

 

It is strange to think
that one of Durham’s largest landmarks remains hidden and
virtually unknown even though it sits just a few hundred feet from one of the
Town’s busiest country roads.  Handkerchief Rocks would be more
appropriately referred to as boulders as some of the granite masses are nearly
30 feet tall.  The Rocks are located in Thompson Farm, an area protected
and maintained by the UNH Office of Woodlands & Natural Areas and is located
along Packers Falls
Road and Bennett Road.

 

It is said that the
Rocks got their name when visitors of the Highland House on Bennett Road would
stroll through the fields to picnic atop the boulders.  While eating lunch
the picnickers would wave handkerchiefs to their friends and family who stayed
back at the inn.  The Highland House stopped operating in the 1960s and the
fields have all grown into forest, but the Handkerchief Rocks still sit as a
natural wonder and great picnic destination.

 

The Handkerchief Rocks
can be accessed in two ways.  First, park in the West Foss Farm parking lot
off of Mill
Road.  Take the West Foss Farm Trail
south.  After a small water crossing the trail will split.  At the
split follow the west trail and then eventually head south to the Rocks. 
(Use this map for guidance.   http://www.ci.durham.nh.us/COMMUNITY/recreation/westfossfarm.pdf The Rocks
are marked with red dots.)  Your second option would be to park at the
Wiswall Dam/John Hatch Park parking lot on Wiswall Road.  Walk west on
Wiswall
Road until you come to the intersection with
Packers Falls
Road.  Directly across the road you will see a
grass path in-between the houses at 222 and 224 Packers Falls Road.  The path
quickly turns to dirt and the Rocks are just a few hundred feet
north.

 

(Every week in the
Friday Updates the Parks & Recreation Department will be highlighting a
Durham natural
area to make residents aware of all of the great natural areas right here in
Town.  If you have a spot that you think should be highlighted email
mmengers@ci.durham.nh.us with your
location.)

 

DURHAM PARKS AND RECREATION
PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

§        
Friday, August 20^th –
Reggae Night at
Wagon Hill – Roots, Rhythm & Dub –
6:00pm

§        
Friday, August 21^st –
Family Dragonfly
Day – 2:00pm at John Hatch Park

§        
Monday, September 13^th –
Monday Evening
Yoga begins (5:00pm) – preregistration
required

§        
Tuesday, September 14^th –
On the Ball
class begins (6:00pm) – preregistration
required

§        
Saturday, September 18^th –
Walking to
Wellness begins (9:00am) – preregistration
required

§        
Sunday, September 26^th –
Durham Day –
12:30pm to 4:00pm – Wagon Hill Farm

§        
Wednesday, September 15^th –
Sound
Beginnings youth music program
starts

 

COMMUNITY
EVENTS

§        
Aug 23 – 27, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Strawbery Banke Museum, 14 Hancock Street, Portsmouth:  Kid Filmmakers Summer Shoot 2010 (ages
10-15—child must be at least 10 years old by Aug 23). For more information,
contact Marianne Bornkessel, 603-534-3934, or kidfilmmakersnh@yahoo.com.

 

Durham
Public Library Programs and Events

§        
Beginning Sep 7^th, Storytime, rat readers ( 2^nd-4^th
grade book group), tales for tails, seacoast reads, pajama storytime and the
middle school book group bookeaters.  Check the library calendar
and website for details coming soon.

§        
Beginning Sep 1^st through May
31^st, The patch program (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.

 

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

 

DURHAM GARDEN CLUB
SEEKING NEW MEMBERS

The Durham Garden Club is looking
for new members to attend its first monthly meeting on Tuesday, September
21, 2010. The topic for this meeting will be CREATING BEAUTY WITH PLANTS AND
STONE BY THOMAS BERGER, STONE SCULPTOR. He will give some ideas for
incorporating art into your garden settings.  The Garden Club invites
residents for socializing and refreshments at 6:30 PM at St. George's Episcopal
Church, Main Street,
Durham. The meeting begins at 7:00
p.m.   We look forward to seeing some new faces.  Please call
Joanne Young at 659-8055 if you have any questions.

 

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

“An adequate water supply has always
been of considerable concern to the citizens of Durham. At the turn of the century, Durham was typical of most small towns in New England; families either obtained water from private
shallow wells or used strategically located town wells. One of these old town
wells was at the intersection of Durham Point Road and Newmarket Road
(Route 108) and another was in front of the Town Hall where Newmarket Road joins
Main
Street.” 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

 

The
Town of Durham
has developed a list server. The server provides interested individuals with
updates and announcements concerning the community. Individuals interested in
subscribing should send an email to Town_of_Durham@ci.durham.nh.us
and type the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.