“FRIDAY
UPDATES”

December
18, 2009

 

Hot cocoa at Wagon Hill Farm held by
the Parks and Recreation Committee – Feb 2009

Photos courtesy
Sara Badger Wilson

 

While it is certainly has
been frigid in Durham this week, even on the coldest nights in central
Germany, new energy efficient “passive houses” and others of this design get all
the heat and hot water they need from the amount of energy that would be needed
to run a hair dryer. For information on this interesting design, go to http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/world/europe/27house.html?_r=1&ei=5070&emc=eta1.

 

Mystery
AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT

The Police Department is attempting
to solve a mystery!  On Monday December 14^th, Jack and his
mother came to the Police Department with some brownies they had baked. 
Jack, who is two-years old, was very determined to give some brownies to his
friends the police officers.  Unfortunately, due to a multitude of calls
coming into the police at that moment, the staff was unable to find out who Jack
and his Mom were!  The card that Jack left only stated, “Dear DPD, thanks
for your hard work!  Your friend Jack”. Chief Kurz would welcome the
opportunity to thank Jack for his kindness if someone would please contact him
at dkurz@ci.durham.nh.us to let him
know Jack’s last name!  By the way…the brownies were
outstanding!

 

$200 Million Anticipated
Price Tag for Durham, Dover, Portsmouth, Exeter, Somersworth, Rochester, and Newmarket Due
to Developing Regulatory Environment -- A Trip to Concord to Meet with the
Commissioner

The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is focusing on more stringent permit limits for municipal
wastewater and stormwater discharge permits. City/Town Managers of communities
around and within the Great Bay estuary want to ensure these efforts
are supported by the necessary science to insure the best use of scarce
municipal dollars.  Excessively strict permit limits will compound
communities’ financial difficulties and in turn have greater environmental
impact by limiting municipal ability to maintain environmental infrastructure
and unfortunately are anticipated to promote sprawl as wastewater user rates
increase exponentially thereby encouraging new development to occur on
greenfields within presently undeveloped areas of communities where private
septic systems are constructed rather than within more urbanized areas.

 

On Wednesday of
this week, Town Engineer David
Cedarholm and Administrator Todd Selig, along with the
City/Town Managers and Engineers from Portsmouth, Dover, Rochester, Exeter,
Somersworth, and Newmarket, met in Concord with the Commissioner of the N.H.
Department of Environmental Services to discuss this important issue. 

 

The municipal managers stated that
we share the common goal of protecting our environment and recognize the
importance of the Great Bay to the region and the state’s ecology
and economy.  The challenge is meeting that goal given the increasingly
scarce resources available to municipalities. It is therefore imperative that
municipal resources be targeted to those infrastructure improvements and
activities that deliver the greatest environmental benefit.

 

Our efforts Wednesday were to begin
a dialog with NHDES which hopefully will help us all move forward to a
sustainable approach to environmental protection; one that considers both the
environment as well as the best use of scarce local financial
resources.

 

Many of New Hampshire’s Seacoast
communities with Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP’s) are awaiting the EPA to
issue NPDES permits with new discharge limits. EPA has intimated that the new
limits will include nitrogen limits potentially as low as 3 mg/l, which is
believed to be the current limit of technology in warm climates.  Despite
the fact that the data indicates that 70% of the harmful nutrients to the
Great
Bay are from non-point
sources (fertilizer on lawns, failed private septic systems, the impact of
runoff from existing development, etc.) the approach is focusing on the WWTPs
first.  This approach will require an investment of more than $200 million
by the WWTP’s in the watershed including over $20 million in Durham excluding increased
operational costs.

 

The municipal Manager/Engineer
delegation from the Great Bay Estuary WWTP communities feels strongly that a new
more dynamic and balanced approach is needed, one that allows for communities to
have greater input into the solutions to address the nitrogen problem. The
Seacoast communities are ready to tackle this important environmental issue,
however, we need NHDES support, leadership, and funding assistance to help
address the water quality in Great Bay intelligently and cost
effectively.

 

Update
on Discussion With the Trust
for Public Land
for Preservation of the Spruce Forest Area and
Development Opportunities for the Central Business District

On May 18, 2009, Gregg Caporossi of
the Trust for Public Land (TPL) attended the Town Council meeting and provided
Councilors with a presentation regarding the TPL’s interest in conserving
approximately 230 acres of land located off of Mill Road known as
Spruce Wood.  The TPL has been in discussions with Dave Garvey and Jack
Farrell, who have controlling interest in the property. This land was rezoned in
2008 to ORLI. The idea of a possible project was to work toward conserving
several pieces of land, and as part of the process, to instead create new
taxable development intended to broaden the tax base on another parcel(s) closer
to or within the urbanized area of Durham.  After a lengthy discussion, the
Council generally indicated its interest in supporting the project. Since that
time, the Administrator has been engaged in ongoing discussions with the TPL,
Messrs. Farrell and Garvey, and the University of New
Hampshire.

 

At Monday night’s meeting,
Administrator Selig and Philip Auger from the TPL will provide the Council
with an update on the current status of this project.

 

Courtesy Todd
Selig

 

Potential
Sale of a 0.079 Acre Parcel of
Vacant Town Land Located in the Pettee Brook Parking Lot Behind
the Former Don
Thompson Real Estate
Building to Ionian
Properties, LLC

The owner of Ionian Properties LLC,
John Kostis, approached the Town about purchasing a 0.079 acre parcel of vacant
land located in the Pettee Brook parking lot behind the former Don Thompson Real
Estate building. Ionian Properties plans to tear down the existing Don Thompson
building and the connecting “crew house” and build a new apartment building. The
0.079 acre tract will allow Ionian Properties to construct four additional
apartments per the existing Zoning Ordinance.

 

The Town does not have a use for
this small section of the Pettee Brook metered  parking lot parcel
behind the former Don Thompson building (the existing parking for Durham Bike),
but wants to retain its interests in the property relative to the following: 1)
A 20-foot wide easement across the northeasterly corner of the property being
conveyed for the location, maintenance, repair, and replacement of a municipal
sewer line; 2) An easement for the location, maintenance, repair, and
replacement of a stormwater drainage pipe and catch basin; and 3) The public
right of pedestrians to travel over the property conveyed to reach adjoining
properties.

 

In keeping with the Town Council’s
goal of creating economic development in the downtown area, Administrator
Todd Selig entered into discussions with Mr. Kostis. Consequently,
the Town and Mr. Kostis agreed to equally share the cost to have a
fair market value established, as well as an appraisal prepared. 

 

At Monday night’s Council
meeting, Mr. Selig will formally describe the proposed transfer in
more detail. At the end of the evening, the Administrator recommends that the
Council enter into Nonpublic Session to discuss and provide guidance relative to
an appropriate selling price. After holding discussions on this matter, the
Administrator plans to place on the next Council meeting for Council’s
approval authorization for him to execute the Warranty
Deed.

 

Town
Administrator Employment Contract Renewal
Process

There currently exists
a multi-year Employment Agreement between the Town of Durham and Administrator
Todd Selig dated February 19, 2007 which extends through December 31,
2011.  Section 16 of that document reads:  "If either the Town or
Selig wishes to renew this Agreement at the conclusion of its original three (3)
year term, that party shall notify the other of such intent no later than
December 31, 2009.  In the event that the parties have not successfully
concluded their negotiations by March 1, 2010, subsection 14C shall not apply
and Selig shall be free to seek and obtain employment elsewhere at any time,
even during the remaining term of this Agreement.”

 

This notification is to inform the
Council that I would like to engage in contract renewal discussions per the
terms of the Agreement.  To this end, I have had a brief conversation with
Town Council Chair Neil Niman to inform him that due to the prevailing economic
climate, I will not seek, nor will I accept (should it be offered), a wage
increase for 2010. 

 

I have not recommended wage
increases for our non-unionized personnel due to the economic hardships facing
Durham's
residents and believe strongly that I must lead by example in insisting that I
be treated similarly.  It is my hope that our renewal conversation can
revolve around extending the Agreement by an additional year.  (A reminder
as well that in January we will need to commence the annual evaluation process
for the Administrator.)

 

New
Hampshire
Center for Public Policy Studies -
Durham Remains
Involved

The New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies is an
independent, nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) organization that pursues data-based
research on public policy matters, develops options, informs policy makers and
advises them about choices for action. The Center’s mission is to raise new
ideas and improve policy debates through quality information and analysis on
issues shaping New
Hampshire’s future. To advance its mission, the Center
actively identifies issues, collects and analyzes data, publishes reports and
special papers, holds briefing sessions for elected and appointed policy makers
and stakeholders, and participates in public discussion of policy topics through
the print and electronic media.

 

The Center is governed by a
bi-partisan Board of Directors, which continually strives for balance. Members
are sought from among those who have interest and experience in state and local
policy questions, who have broad contacts among key policy makers, and who
represent a variety of political and policy perspectives.  To view the
biography for each Board member, visit http://www.nhpolicy.org/index.php?id=11.
At the present time, Town Administrator Todd Selig serves as the Vice Chair of
the board.  Mr. Selig's employment contract with the Town reads, "The Town
recognizes that Selig is a Board member of the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies . .
. and the Town encourages those activities and other similar activities as
part of Selig’s professional development."  Over the course of the next
year, Mr. Selig will likely become more publicly active with the organization,
continuing as Chair of the Governance Committee and as an officer of the
Board of Directors. 

 

Durham's Winter
Roadway Maintenance – When DO We plow?

The Durham Department of Public
Works endeavors to keep roadways as clear as possible during inclement winter
weather.  Plowing operations are generally initiated after one to two
inches of snow have fallen and continue until the storm has ended.  It is
the intent of the department to use only sufficient salt to restore safe travel
conditions as soon as practical following termination of winter storms. 
For snow storms with a predicted accumulation in excess of two inches, plowing
usually begins after an initial pre-storm salt application has formed brine and
after one to two inches of snow has fallen (dependent on intensity of
snowfall).  Because salt is both costly and has a harmful effect upon the
environment, we have worked over the years to reduce the amount of salt utilized
in Durham. 

 

The winter maintenance program is
set up to perform the same level of maintenance for all roadways and/or
sidewalks. This level of maintenance includes six sanding/salting/plow trucks
for roadways and two sanding/salting/plow tractors for sidewalks. All routes are
set up for a 2-3 hour route; once completed this program is repeated
continuously until a storm ends and then one more round of treatment/clean up is
completed immediately after the storm. The following night after a storm most
snow is removed from the curb line to widen out the roadway and
sidewalks.

 

Courtesy Todd
Selig

 

Spruce
Hole Well Update

As noted in last week's "Friday
Updates," Emery & Garrett Groundwater, Inc. (EGGI), Durham's hydrological consultant, completed
exploratory test well drilling for the groundwater development and artificial
recharge assessment program being conducted in the Spruce Hole area of
Durham.   Based upon EGGI's analysis
and recommendations, the Town moved forward this week with the
installation of the new production well at the original location
identified years ago by UNH researchers in preparation for pumping tests and
final permitting through the New Hampshire Department of Environmental
Services.  Shown above is the new production well site (the larger of the
two tubes shown) next to the original 1993 UNH test site (the smaller
of the two tubes) at the rear corner of the Durham gravel pit on Packers Falls
Road in Lee.  Town Engineer David
Cedarholm, Dir. of Planning and Community Development
Jim Campbell, and Todd Selig walked
the area earlier today to evaluate various issues associated with the well
location.

 

Credit
Cards at the Town Clerk's Office?

Our resident's spoke; we
listened.  In an effort to meet the needs of our customers, the Town
Clerk/Tax Collector's Office and our MIS Department have been working toward the
implementation of credit card technology that will allow all of our municipal
departments to accept credit cards as payment for anything from the annual
property tax bill to building permits.  New legislation at the state level
finally allows Town's to accept credit cards as a valid method of payment for
services rendered.  Consequently, we are moving toward bringing this method
of payment on line in 2010.  Residents can presently pay for motor vehicle
registrations on line by electronic check/funds transfer at  http://ci.durham.nh.us/DEPARTMENTS/town_clerk/autoreg.html. 

 

         

Courtesy
Todd Selig

 

Active
New Construction Activity Occurring in Durham

While the entire region experiences
an economic slowdown, Durham is fortunate to have a great deal of
building activity ongoing.  At present, there are ten active construction
sites within the community including a new apartment building on Rosemary Lane and
the new mixed use structure at the former Houghton's Hardware site on
Jenkins
Court (both pictured above).  In addition,
numerous developers and existing property owners have been in touch with
the Administrator's Office and the Code/Planning/Assessing Office to express
interest in investing within the community. This is due both to the existence of
a strong student housing market in Durham as well as our efforts to make the
development process more user-friendly in Town. The Town’s promotional video has
also proven very useful in orientating prospective investors to the many
positive attributes of the community.

 

TOWN
OFFICES HOLIDAY CLOSING SCHEDULE

Thursday, Dec 24^th,
Christmas Eve           
-          
Closed

Friday, Dec 25^th,
Christmas
Day               
-          
Closed

Thursday, Dec 31^st, New
Years Eve          
-           Early closing at
3:00 PM

 

All Town offices will reopen for
regular business on Monday, January 4, 2010.

 

DURHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY
HOLIDAY CLOSING
SCHEDULE

Thursday, Dec 24^th,
Christmas Eve           
-          
Closed

Friday, Dec 25^th,
Christmas
Day               
-          
Closed

Saturday, Dec 26^th
                                      
-          
Closed

Friday, Jan1st, New Years
Day                  
-          
Closed

 

Christmas
Holiday Recycling and Refuse Collection

The Public Works office will be
closed on Thursday, December 24^th and Friday, December
25^th for the Christmas Holiday.  There will be NO CHANGE TO THE
REFUSE AND RECYCLING COLLECTION ON THURSDAY; however, there will be no
commercial recycling collection on Friday, December 25^th.  The
TRANSFER STATION WILL BE CLOSED ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26^TH. 

 

PUBLIC
WORKS DEPARTMENT SEEKING PART-TIME HELP

Public Works is looking for
part-time help on weekends (approximately 6 hours).  If interested, stop by
the Public Works Department at 100
Stone Quarry Drive or contact Doug Bullen at
868-5578.

 

Surplus
vehicle/equipment bids

The Department of Public Works will
be holding a closed bid for surplus vehicles/equipment this year for the items
listed below. These vehicles/equipment are to be sold as is.

 

1999 Ford Crown Victoria -VIN#
2FAFP71W5XX174388

1987 Blanchet Snow Blower Model A90
– previously mounted on a John Deere
544     

                    

Interested parties must submit a
sealed bid to the Town of Durham, Department of Public Works no later
than 2:00 PM, Wednesday, January 6, 2010.  The envelope must be clearly
marked “SURPLUS VEHICLE/EQUIPMENT BID, VEHICLE/EQUIPMENT #” indicating the
corresponding number, above, for each bid.  Use only one envelope for each
vehicle/equipment item and each corresponding bid.  All items can be viewed
at the Department of Public Works, 100 Stone Quarry Drive, Durham, M-F 8AM- 3:30PM. Bids must be at
least $100 to be considered.  The Town of Durham reserves the right to reject any and all
bids, to investigate the qualifications of any bidder, and to waive or not waive
any and all informalities in any bid when making an award.

 

Depot
Road parking Lot

The Town recently received a
$200,000 grant from the USEPA Brownfields program for additional work at the
Depot
Road parking lot site.  This work will include
the replacement of the 5 foot culvert pipe that runs beneath the property. 
The project is 75% designed and will go out to bid late winter 2010, and is
scheduled for construction in the summer of 2010.  The construction will
not interfere with the normal daily operation of the parking lot. 

 

Safe
Routes to School grant application submitted by dpw

The Town of Durham and the Oyster River
Cooperative School District recently applied for a
Safe Routes to School grant, a Federal and state program.  The grant is
designed to allow the Town and school to offer and complete a number of programs
all designed to encourage physical activity such as walking and/or riding bikes
to school and to make the routes to school safer.  The grant application is
worth $116,000.  The Public Works Department will be presenting the grant
application before NHDOT officials on February 11^th and should hear
results of who will be receiving the moneys by the end of March 2010.  The
grant would fund multiple programs such as bicycle safety rodeo’s, crossing
guard equipment and training, safety signage to include designation of the
school zone, enhancement of pavement markings such as bike lanes, highly
reflective thermoplastic crosswalks, new sidewalks, and incentives to those who
participate in the safe routes events. 

 

PUBLIC
MEETING SCHEDULE

The following public meeting is
scheduled for the coming week in the Town Council chambers at the Durham Town
Office. To view the agenda for the meeting listed below, please click HERE. 
All meetings recorded on DCAT are available on DVD at the Durham Public Library
for checkout and viewing. 

 

Durham Town Council – Monday, December 21,
2009

Water Resource Protection
Subcommittee – Tuesday, December 22, 2009 (7:30 AM)

 

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 PARKS & RECREATION
PROGRAMS

§        
Monday, January 11^th & Thursday,
January 14^th: Tai Chi
Begins. Preregistration is required for the AM and PM
class. 

§        
Thursday, January 14, 2010, 5:30 – 6:30 PM:
 Thursday Evening
Yoga. Preregistration is required for this 8-week yoga session
taught by Judy George.

§        
Saturday, January 16, 2010, 7:00 – 8:30 PM, Churchill
Rink: January Free Skate. Bring
the family for a free skating event.

§        
Thursdays in February & March, 4:00 – 5:00 PM:
After
School Fit Camp. This fun, active after school fitness program
will never have a dull moment. 

§        
Zumba – Pilates –
Bootcamp.  Durham Parks & Recreation Department
is now offering classes taught by Kathy Kerrigan. 

 

You can sign up for P&R classes
at the P&R office, 2 Dover
Road, or at the Town Clerk’s Office located in Town
Hall. Contact Michael Mengers at 817-4074, mmengers@ci.durham.nh.us, for more
information or to register. Follow the Town of Durham Parks & Recreation Department on
Facebook. Search “Town of Durham Parks”. 

 

COMMUNITY EVENTS

§        
Three Chimneys
Inn is collecting new mittens, gloves, or hats for
children and adults that will be donated to local families in
need.  Bring in items now until December 22, 2009 and place them on our
Mitten Tree in the Ffrost Sawyer Tavern.  Warm up a pair of hands, and we
will warm up yours with a coffee, hot chocolate, or soup as our thank you for
your kind donation!

§        
Three Chimneys Inn, New Years Eve Overnight Celebration. Click
HERE to
view menu. Packages start at $220. Stay two or more nights and enjoy a lower
rate.

§        
Fresh Cut Local Christmas
Trees.
Durham Boy Scout Troop 154 will again be selling fresh-cut local Christmas
trees.  Trees will be on sale each Saturday & Sunday throughout
December until they sell out.  All trees come from a farm in Farmington NH, loaded with the assistance of the
Scouts. 

§        
Thursday, February 11 and Thursday, April 8, 2010:
Cultural Excursions to the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Open Rehearsals. Sponsored by the UNH University Office of Sustainability. The cost of $48 per person per performance includes one
BSO performance ticket and round trip bus transportation from Durham to Boston. All performances will be at 10:30
AM. The bus departs from the Community Church of Durham at 7:00 AM. Following
the performance, the bus drops participants off at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA)
and departs the MFA at 3:30 PM. The bus arrives back in Durham at approximately
5:00 PM. For program details, and online registration please go to:  https://www.events.unh.edu/RegistrationForm.pm?event_id=6253.
For more information, please call Kate Donald, UOS Cultural Excursions
Coordinator, 603-862-1634.

 

Holiday
Parties

It’s time for holiday parties!
Alcohol is flowing freely at parties and gatherings, and what harm could it to
do have a couple? And then a couple more get consumed.  The Durham Police
would like to offer a few tips to keep your drinking under control over the
holidays:

 

1.   If you're going to a
party, decide ahead of time how many drinks you'll have. While by no means
scientific, about one drink an hour is generally okay for most people who don't
have a history of drinking. No one says it has to be alcohol so feel free to
stick with soda, juice, and herbal teas as substitutes. It may not be wise to
trust yourself to exercise self-control. In some cases, attending a holiday
gathering itself is not a good idea due to the temptations.

2.   If you do have
alcohol, try to have one glass of water for each alcoholic drink you consume.
Sometimes we drink because we want something in our hands during a party. This
way, you still do, but you don't end up overdoing it on alcohol. Making sure you
have something to eat also helps. It's never a good idea to drink on an empty
stomach.

3.   Always have a plan to
get home safely BEFORE the party.  It is simply not a good idea to drink
even a small amount of alcohol and drive!  Have the telephone number for a
cab handy if you have not arranged for a ride home. No one said you couldn’t
have a good time but moderation ensures that you have a good time, aren’t
arrested, or worse!

 

Weekly
Police Arrest Report

 

Week – 11	5 UNH (45%)	6 Other (55%)
*2009/10 Academic Year – 538	333 UNH (62%)	205 Other (48%)
Calendar Year – 1084	630 UNH (58%)	454 Other (42%)

*Commenced September 1, 2009 

 

Historical data
for the same week

This data represents the 2009/10
Academic year report which begins anew each August

when UNH students begin arriving in
Durham.

Year	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Week	9	18	12	10	11
Academic Year	656	478	436	470	538
Calendar Year	1215	981	1007	985	1084

 

FROM
HISTORY IN AN OYSTERSHELL – 1600 – 1976

“1974 – National attention focused
as Aristotle Onasis attempted to locate here the world’s largest oil refinery.
Opposition from a citizens’ organization, Save Our Shores, spread throughout the
seacoast. At a dramatic Town Meeting on March 6, the vote was 9-1 against the
refinery.”

 

“1974 – The official seal was
accepted by the selectmen. The rising sun background was from the original State
Seal, but the foreground is the scene from the Falls bridge. The gundalow has
had much to do with early livelihood of the Town. The seal was designed by
Richard Brayton.”

 

“1974 – Enrollment at the University
grew from 2,400 in 1923 to 10,000 in 1974. Other state institutions of higher
education at Keene, Plymouth, and Merrimack Valley enrolled an additional 4,500
students. These and other units were incorporated into a single University
System of New Hampshire.”

 

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
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