Friday Update January 07, 2011

“FRIDAY
UPDATES”

Friday,
January 7, 2011

 

 

Looks
like these Durham
youngsters found a couple of frosty hockey fans during the recent
Christmas
snowstorm.

Courtesy
Tesa Bartell

 

For
residents who
bemoan the fact that we have very little snow on the ground to enhance
winter
activities, please also remember that little snow accumulation equates
to
substantially reduced overtime sand and salt costs at the Department of
Public
Works, thereby saving tax dollars.

 

2010
Annual Year End Wrap Up from Administrator Todd
Selig

Administrator
Selig has written a 2010 Annual Year End Wrap Up for the Town Council
intended
to provide a snapshot of activity for the last year to keep the board
updated
on progress toward Council goals.  To cut down on time and
paper, much of
it is in bulleted or short paragraph form with key takeaway points in
bold.  To view the document, click HERE.

 

Big
News!  Durham
Now Accepts 1-7 Plastics for Recycling

As of January
1, 2011, during the co-mingled recycling weeks Durham
residents can now put plastics 1-7
into their bin.  In previous years we were only able to
collect 1’s and
2’s.  1-7 recycling has been a long range goal for the
Integrated Waste
Management Advisory Committee so when we undertook negotiating an
extension to
our disposal contract with Waste Management last year, the Town pushed
hard for
this contract modification as well as the possibility of “singe stream”
recycling in the future (which we also obtained as a potential local
option).  The Integrated Waste Management Advisory Committee
and the
Department of Public Works will continue to evaluate the pro’s and
con’s
associated with single stream in the months to come.  If
residents would
like to view some very nice illustrations of the various types of
plastics,
1-7, they may want to go to  http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/recycling-symbols-plastics-460321.
Please click HERE
for the Recycling Program page and 2011 calendar from the newsletter
for
reference.  If you have any questions, please feel free to
call the
Department of Public Works at 868-5578.

 

CHRISTMAS
TREE COLLECTION

Department of
Public Works completed
the Town-wide Christmas tree collection this week.  Residents
who did not
have their trees out for the collection may bring them to the Transfer
Station
with their permits on the days of operation, Tuesday or Saturday from
7:30 AM –
3:00 PM.

 

2011
MARCH
TOWN
ELECTION WARRANT AND OFFICE FILING
PERIOD

The 2011 Town
Election will be held on
Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at the Oyster River High School. 
Polling hours are from 7:00 AM to
7:00 PM.  Individuals interested in running for positions
within Town
government may do so during the filling period beginning Wednesday,
January 19,
2011 and ending at 5:00 PM on Friday, January 28, 2011. For more
information,
please contact the Durham Town Clerk's Office at 868-5577.

 

PROSPECTIVE
TOWN COUNCIL
CANDIDATES

Citizens who may
be considering
running for the three Town Council seats in March are invited to
contact any of
the current Town Council members or the Town Administrator to obtain
information about and discuss what serving as a Councilor involves.
Click on
the following link to access the telephone numbers for current Council
members:
http://ci.durham.nh.us/GOVERNMENT/council/council_members.html.

 

Home
Sales Information for Durham

Durham resident and
local realtor Alyson
Mueller suggested last week that we might want to include real estate
sales
information for the Town of Durham
for 2010 in an edition of the “Friday Updates.”  Below are
some
spreadsheet reports that have been pulled from MLS
for Durham
for
all of 2010.  Moving forward, we hope to produce other such
reports of Durham
interest.

 

 

“Durham Sells Idle Business
Park Land”

On December
22, 2010, there was an article in the Union Leader regarding the sale
of the Durham
Business Park to
local developer
Eric Chinburg. To view this article, click HERE. 

 

Workforce Housing,
Business Incubation, and Economic
Development in Durham

Residents may
have an interest in a letter submitted by Durham
resident and UNH
Professor John
Carroll in regard to workforce housing, business incubation, and
economic
development in Durham. 
To view the letter, click HERE.

 

Transmission
on Police Patrol Car #3 Goes Kaput

At
approximately 5:20 a.m. on January 6th, the transmission for Patrol Car
#3
failed. The Sergeant on duty was able to drive the vehicle nearly to
the Public
Works garage whereupon he and another officer pushed it the rest of the
way. The cost to rebuild the transmission is going to be
approximately
$3,500.00.  While certainly cheaper than a new car, the
department hit the
proverbial mechanical wall.  As part of cost-cutting measures,
the Town
had replaced only 4 out of 8 cruisers over the last several years which
has
impacted maintenance on the department’s fleet.  It was with
this
recognition in mind that two police vehicles are scheduled for
replacement in
2011 and another two in 2010 … but with smaller, six cylinder engines
to reduce
Durham’s carbon footprint as well as improving fuel efficiency and our
recurring costs.

 

      

    
Tee shirt
FRONT                         
Tee shirt BACK

 

DURHAM
FIRE DEPARTMENT – 100-YEAR
ANNIVERSARY TEE SHIRTS ARE HERE!

These Shirts look
terrific. They are
available in sizes from triple X to Youth Medium. 
 The adult sizes
are $20.00 each and the youth sizes are $15.00 each.  Please
call stop by
or email Melissa at the Durham Fire Department to get yours today:
862-1426, fire@ci.durham.nh.us.

 

DURHAM
PUBLIC LIBRARY SITE UPDATE

In early December
the design process
for the new library began with a first meeting with the design/build
team.  About 50 members of the community participated in a
broad
discussion and then divided into two groups formed around separate
tables with
a site plan and scaled pieces of the building program laid out with
everyone
encouraged to offer ideas about how they could be fit together on the
site to
make an effective library that works with the house, the street, the
landscape,
and of course the parking.  Many ideas and concepts were
discussed, giving
the design/build team a good basis to begin their more detailed work.

 

The next design
review meeting on
January 13th will be from 4:30-6pm and will be at the Middle School
cafeteria.  Parking and access to the cafeteria is from the
back side of
the Middle School where the playground and sports field are
located. 
There’s a set of double doors that lead directly into the cafeteria.

 

At the meeting on
the 13th, the
design/build team will be showing us the development of two concepts
that they
have prepared for all of us to comment on, and to see how these can be
further
refined.  It is our hope that it will soon become clear that a
single
concept is worth focusing on singularly.

 

Those who can’t
attend this meeting
will be able to view the concepts and more details about the design
process by
going to the Durham Public Library website at http://www.durhampubliclibrary.org/ 

 

Tentative
Collective Bargaining Agreement between the
Town of Durham
and the
American Federation of State, County, and
Municipal Employees (AFSCME) for the Period
January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2013 is NOT RATIFIED by Town
Council

The Town
began the contract negotiation process in November 2009 with the Durham
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
representing the sixteen Public Works Department employees covered by
the
AFSCME contract.  The existing contract extended from January
1, 2007-December 31,
2009.  The Town’s bargaining team consisted of Town Labor
Attorney Joseph
McKittrick, Business Manager Gail
Jablonski,
Public Works Director Michael
Lynch,
and Town Administrator Todd
Selig.

 

The proposed
bargaining agreement would have extended the contract from January
1, 2010 to December 31, 2013
for which the
Town’s bargaining team and the AFSCME negotiation team had reached a
tentative
agreement.  The AFSCME unit had voted previously to reject two
earlier
versions of the contract, but had ultimately voted to ratify this
version.
 

 

The following
were the cost impacts per year for the negotiated agreement.

 

2010
-
1%                      $6,878

2011 - 2% +
1% Step   $20,423

2012 - 2% +
1% Step   $21,028

2013
-
2%                      $14,746

 

The contract
failed by a Town Council vote of 4-4.  Councilors expressed
concern
regarding the duration of the contract in the present economy, the
amount of
the percent increases involved with the proposal, the fact that no
substantial
concessions in health insurance were obtained, and other matters.

 

Oyster
River Cooperative School District
Advisory Budget Committee
(ABC) Update

The Advisory
Budget Committee (ABC)
submitted its report to the School Board on January 5.  To
become familiar
with the committee's observations and recommendations about the
district's FY12
budget,  anyone can get a copy of the report from the ORCSD
website (www.orcsd.org)
under School
Board/Subcommittees/Advisory Budget Committee or view the presentation
and
discussion at the meeting by watching the rebroadcast on DCAT Ch 22,
Thursday
through Saturday.

 

Contact the ABC
by using the email
address abc@sau5.org
about school district
budget matters.  An ABC member will respond to such
emails.  Serving
on the ABC are Robert McEwan-Madbury: Jay Hilyard-Lee; Bill Bryon-Lee;
Anne
Knight-Durham; Jenna Roberts-Durham; David Proulx-Durham; David
Taylor-Durham
and Tom Merrick-Durham.

 

ORCSD
PUBLIC BUDGET HEARING

The School
District Public Hearing on
the FY12 budget will be held on Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 7 PM in
the High
School Multipurpose Room (snow date of January 13).  Citizens
in the Oyster
River School District
are
encouraged to attend the Hearing as their primary opportunity to make
comments
and recommendations about the budget for later deliberation.

 

Help
from
our neighbors: Energy Incentives InfORMATION Session- February 1

The Rye Energy
Committee will host an
informational session on Tuesday, February 1, 2011 at 6:30 PM at the
Rye Public
Library. 

 

Wondering about
available state and
federal energy rebates? Here’s just the opportunity to find out
more. Would you like to learn about solar hot water and
electricity
systems for your home or business and how much they would cost? Want to
make
your home more energy efficient, but you’re not sure where to begin?
Need to
choose a new heating system and wonder about cost-effective, efficient
options?

 

Eric Steltzer of
the NH Office of
Energy Planning and Rye
resident Michele Sopher will give presentations followed by a
question-and-answer session.

 

New programs and
increased rebates
make this an ideal time to invest in a renewable energy system for your
home or
business and to improve your home's energy efficiency. Excellent
financial
incentives currently exist for NH residents or business owners who
install
solar electric, solar hot water, and central wood pellet boilers.

 

Local energy
committees are working
throughout the state to help bring energy efficient solutions to you,
prompted
by the passage of the New Hampshire Climate Change Resolution. Learn
more in
the article “Energizing Ideas: The Emergence of Local Energy
Committees,”
downloadable at http://www.cleanair-coolplanet.org/documents/Energizing%20Ideas_town&city_July-08.pdf.

 

Meeting
RegardING Agriculture and Aquaculture in Durham

The Town of Durham
is updating the community’s Master
Plan in 2011, with the first public “visioning” session scheduled for
January
28^th.  The “visioning” session provides
a great opportunity for
residents to express its support for policies and land use regulations
that
enable and support the production and sale of local vegetables,
flowers, garden
plants, compost, maple syrup, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, hay, fiber,
and other
agricultural and aquaculture products.

 

A meeting will be
held on Sunday,
January 23, 2011 from 3:00-5:00 PM (snow date Thursday, January 27^th,
7:00 PM) at in the Community Meeting Room at the Durham Police
Department to
discuss making Durham a more sustainable community through supporting
and
encouraging locally grown and raised products. Interested
residents are
invited to attend this meeting and provide their perspective on ways in
which Durham
can better support
and sustain local production and learn what other towns are doing to
promote
sustainability and economic development by supporting local
agriculture. For
more information, contact Dave Langley, 868-5650,

Team_Hill_Studios@comcast.net
or Theresa Walker, 534-3913, theresawalker@comcast.net.

 

Free
Community Emergency Preparedness Class to Be Offered

This
comprehensive preparedness
training, developed by FEMA and used in all 50 States, 3 territories
and 6
foreign countries, helps residents take care of themselves, their
families, and
neighbors during an emergency. Topics include: Disaster Preparedness,
Fire
Safety, Disaster Psychology, Safety Strategies involved in a Terror
Attack,
Light Search and Rescue, Incident Command Systems, CPR and First Aid.
Those who
complete the course will receive a Certificate of Completion from the
NH Fire
Academy, and CPR and First Aid certification from the American Heart
Association.



This class completes the core training requirements for the Strafford
County
Citizen Corps (SCCC), a team of medical and non-medical volunteers who
train to
support and assist local first responders during emergencies. No
commitment to
the SCCC is required from those who enroll in the class. Following the
completion of Community Emergency Response, participants can continue
to attend
trainings through the SCCC (such as Traffic Control, Search &
Rescue, Basic
Disaster Life Support, Fire Rehabilitation, etc.), which are offered
every
other month.

 

Classes will meet
Tuesdays, January 11^th
– February 10^th from 6:30-8:30 PN in Dover,
and Saturday, February 5^th from 8:30-3:30 PM in Newmarket
(for First Aid and CPR
certification). For more information, or to register, contact Samantha
Brann at
335-0168 or sbrann@hscstrafford.org.

 

ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE - MEMBER VACANCY

The Economic
Development Committee currently has one member vacancy available. The
focus of
the EDC is to make recommendations to the Town Council to foster the
stabilization of the residential tax burden through economic
development that
encourages diverse business, commercial office and research activities,
maintain and create jobs, create a good mix of uses, and maintain the
rural
character of Durham.

 

For more
information, contact
Chairperson Tom Elliott at (603) 995-1666. To apply for the EDC
vacancy, please
complete and submit a board application form to Jennie Berry at jberry@ci.durham.nh.us.
To access a
form, go to: http://ci.durham.nh.us/generalpdfs/Board_Appt_Application.pdf

 

DPD
EMPLOYMENT OPPORUNITY –
SEASONAL PARKING ENFORCEMENT OFFICER/ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER

The Durham Police
Department is
seeking qualified applicants for the combined position of seasonal
Parking
Enforcement Officer and per diem Animal Control Officer. To view the
complete
description for this vacancy, click HERE.

 

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. 

 

Master Plan
Forum Committee – Monday, January 10, 2011 (5-6:00
PM)

Town Council
– Monday, January 10, 2011.  To view the complete Council
packet for this
meeting, please click HERE. 

Zoning Board
of Adjustment – Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Economic
Development Committee – Thursday, January 13, 2011 (5:15-6:30)

Conservation
Commission – Thursday, January 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

 

          

 

                                                           
           
Photos
courtesy Sara Badger Wilson

 

FOOT
BRIDGES INSTALLED AT
WAGON HILL FARM

As an Eagle Scout
project, Garrett
Moore worked with the Parks and Recreation Committee and Department of
Public
Works to design, construct, and install two foot bridges at Wagon Hill
Farm.
These bridges will alleviate stress on the exposed tree roots and
protect
hikers from the mud. We commend Garrett on his hard work. It is very
much
appreciated.

 

PARKS
& RECREATION
PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

§  Saturdays,
beginning January 15, 6:00
PM, Oyster
River High School: 
Women’s Pickup Basketball.

§  Saturday,
February 12, 11:30 AM – 2:00
PM, Mill Pond:  Winter Carnival and Chili Tasting.

 

For more
information regarding any of
the programs/events listed above, please contact the Parks &
Recreation
Department at 817-4074.

 

Durham
Public Library Programs and Events

§  Preschool
Storytime, Tues.
 Jan. 11th and Thurs. Jan.
13th at 10:30 a.m. This week: Kangaroos. Join us for
stories,
fingerplays, songs, feltboard and a craft.

§  Granite
Earth Book Discussion:
Voluntary Simplicity, Tues. Jan.
11th 7:30-9:00 p.m. Another section
of the Granite Earth
series, Voluntary Simplicity meets. A new session of the Granite Earth
discussion series, World of Health, will start next week and is a six
week
course, Books will need to be purchased from the coordinator. Please
call the
library to register, 868-6699

§  Coolest Game?
Whose Game? Controlling
Ice Hockey, Weds. Jan. 19th
6:00-7:30 p.m.
You love to watch and play hockey, but do you know the game's tense and
fascinating history? More than just a game of sticks, skates, and
pucks, hockey
has evolved through the struggles of social classes, nations, genders,
and
races. Stephen Hardy, UNH professor of kinesiology and affiliate
professor of
history, will lead us in a discussion of nearly a century and a half of
hockey's past, including how the game has changed through tensions over
who
gets to play and who gets to control the game.

§  Pets are
Purrrfect Friends, Cocheco Valley
Humane Society visit, Sat.
Jan.22nd 10:30 a.m. Learn about pets and pet care. Cocheco Valley
Humane
Society will visit with one of their favorite pets. Don't miss this fun
and
informative visit about pets for children and families of all ages.

§  Bookeaters,
Middle School Book Group, Weds.
Jan. 19th 2:45-4:00 p.m. This month’s book is
“Found” by  Margaret
Peterson Haddix available at the library.

§  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.

§  Registration for
Tales for tails. 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 now at the library for a 6 week session
in
January.

§  Registration for
Seacoast Reads Second
Semester has begun. 
Sign-up for a UNH reading buddy for your child in grades 1st through
3rd. 
Sessions will begin in February.

 

COMMUNITY
PROGRAMS AND
EVENTS

§  Thursday, January
13^th,
2011, 4:45 PM, Community Church of Durham – Winter
Ballet Classes. For more information contact the Great Bay
Academy of Dance
at 603-433-4200 or visit www.gbadance.com.

§  Saturday, January
29^th,
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM, Durham Evangelical Church: 
PC Clinic. Bring in your “sick” PC and the DEC tech
team will run basic
diagnostics tests for FREE. For more information,
visit www.decITSupport.com.
 

 

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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