Friday Update January 14, 2011

“FRIDAY
UPDATES”

Friday, January 14,
2011

 

 

Polar bears on
Woodridge Road

Courtesy Dian
Cummings

 

This Wednesday's snow
storm was a "perfect storm"; plenty of notice, snowfall as predicted, contained
within a day, no power outages or flooding, and adequate snowfall for sledding
and outdoor winter activities.  The children at Moharimet Elementary were
scheduled to do snow shoeing today.

 

Martin
Luther King/Civil Rights Day Holiday

The Town will be closed on Monday,
January 17^th in observance of Martin Luther King/Civil Rights
Day.  Although all Town offices will be closed, there is NO CHANGE TO
THE TRASH AND RECYCLING COLLECTION.  Remember that all items need to
be out by 7:00 AM as always. 

 

Mini-Charette
on Combined Fire Department/Structured Parking Site Feasibility Study on UNH
C-Lot

On Wednesday,
March 2, 2011 beginning at 7:00 PM, the Town of Durham will hold a Mini-Charette
in the Council chambers at the Durham Town Hall. The charette will be on a Site
Feasibility Study on the UNH-owned parking lot currently known as ‘C Lot’,
located at Mill Road across from Mill Road Plaza. This charette was originally
scheduled for December 16, 2010, but because the lead architect had a sudden
death in her family and was not be able to attend, the charette was
cancelled.

 

Discussion
will center on developing the parcel with a new Fire Department building and
parking garage. This meeting is open to the public and the Town is looking for
input from all interested parties.  We are hopeful that members of Durham’s
downtown business community will attend to provide input.

 

Additional
Jackson’s Landing Boat Ramp Improvements Completed

The Public
Works Department recently completed the installation of an additional 23 feet of
boat ramp at Jackson’s Landing.   The addition is made up of concrete
logs.  DPW will revisit the site in the spring to do some touchup stone
work and landscaping.  This expenditure was taken out of the Public Works
Buildings and Grounds 2010 operating budget.  The purchase order for the
job was for $5,800.00.  A thank you is extended to all who have been
involved in designing and monitoring this project.

 

U.S.
Census Information Shows Improved Response Rates

It has been
reported that the preliminary data from the 2010 U.S. Census indicates
improvement over the 2000 Census in terms of the level of response from
citizens.  99.60% of the population either mailed back their Census form or
gave usable information versus 99.57% in 2000.  Might this improvement in
statistical return be because of the Durham-Dover-Newmarket Census Challenge and
the excellent response rates of our three communities?
 :-)

 

“Friday
Updates” Technical Formatting Being Evaluated

For nearly 10
years, the weekly “Friday Updates” have been prepared utilizing Microsoft
Outlook and our Microsoft Exchange server which has generally worked well for
us.  However, our technical staff has informed me that this approach is
becoming increasingly problematic for information management, web postings,
etc., and that there may be a better program for us to utilize to streamline the
process. We now have more than 1,800 “Friday Updates” subscribers and when we
hit the send button each week, it ties up our server for over an hour. 
With this in mind, we will be evaluating other potential applications to utilize
each week for the publication.  While this will not deter us from producing
the “Friday Updates” each week, it may mean a slightly different look in the
future – hopefully an improvement.  We’ll keep you up-to-date as our
assessment progresses.

 

Durham’s
2010 Municipal Tax Rate Overview

At Monday’s
Council meeting, resident Roger Speidel asked that we provide an overview
relating to the 2010 tax rate for Durham.  Taking into consideration a
variety of items listed below, the total 2010 tax rate for Durham increased by
$0.28 or1.03%. 

 

§ 
$85,000 revenue shortfall (majority is
due to fewer K-12 students going to ORSD living in UNH housing for which
Durham receives a per pupil payment from UNH, as well as low interest rates
– Town staff had been successful in recouping the majority of this
shortfall through an increase in revenues in building permits, recycling
revenues, and sale of municipal property.)

 

§ 
$235,000 added to overlay for the Goss
abatement granted as a result of an abatement appeal in 2010 by the Town
Council

 

§ 
The Town of Durham's total assessed
valuation experienced a decrease of 0.7% from 2009 due to resolution of 2008 and
2009 abatement appeals:

 

2009  Total Durham Assessed
Valuation                                                 
$898,552,542

2010
Projected Durham Assessed
Valuation (pre-abatements)           
$903,810,603 (0.5% increase)

2010
Actual Durham Assessed Valuation (post
abatements)               
$892,139,835 (0.7% decrease)

 

On a positive
note, the Oyster River School District had a surplus of $2,239,401 for 2009-2010
which dramatically impacted the local school portion of the tax rate by a
reduction of $0.68. 

 

The Town received its “official” tax
rate for 2010 in November. Below is information comparing the tax rates between
2009 and 2010. 

 

	2009 Tax Rate	2010 Tax Rate (Official)	$ Difference	% of Total Tax Rate
Town	$6.52	$7.12	$0.60	26%
County	$2.30	$2.54	$0.24	9%
Local School	$16.11	$15.43	($0.68)
State School	$2.07	$2.19	$0.12	65% [total school]
Total	$27.00	$27.28	$0.28 /1.03% increase

 

Energy
Efficiency Systems RFQ Issued

The Town of Durham, New
Hampshire is soliciting qualification-based proposals (RFQs) for a firm or firms
to assist the municipality in providing assessment and consulting, system design
and development, financing and procurement, installation, and maintenance of
potential energy efficiency systems, as well energy procurement, for all aspects
of its municipal infrastructure utilizing best available technologies to meet
desired outcomes. 

 

In summary, Durham
desires to:

§ 
Reduce total energy use
and fossil fuel emissions within municipal infrastructure;

§ 
Improve energy
efficiency in buildings, infrastructure, and other areas as determined by the
community;

§ 
Procure energy
commodities as cost effectively as possible.

RFQ proposals must be
received by Todd I. Selig, Town Administrator, at 15 Newmarket Road, Durham, New
Hampshire 03824, no later than 4:00 pm on February 4, 2011. 
Finalist(s) will be invited to review their proposals in a meeting with the Town
Administrator and other representatives of the Town.  To view the RFQ,
click HERE.

 

         

Help us turn this
                   
           
   into this…

 

Durham
Fire Department – Safety Notice

The Fire Department maintains snow
removal for fire hydrants. However, given the recent large snowfall, the Durham
Fire Department is asking for assistance from residents. The department would
like to ask interested residents to volunteer to “Adopt-a-Fire-Hydrant”, meaning
find the one or two closest fire hydrants to your residence or property and make
sure that they are completely shoveled out and accessible to our Fire Department
personnel for use in an emergency.  The hydrant(s) would need to be
completely uncovered, with a 3’ clear radius around them (360 degrees).  If
there is a hydrant in your immediate vicinity that you or your neighbor are
unable to clear and believe the Fire Department would have trouble in either
locating or accessing it, please give the department a call at 862-1426. Stay
Safe!

 

FREE RADON TEST KITS
AVAILABLE

In recognition of January as “National
Radon Action Month”, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
encourages homeowners to test their homes for radon. Radon awareness is
particularly important to New Hampshire residents because the “Granite State”
has higher-than-average radon exposure potential. About 25 percent of the
state’s homes have radon levels above EPA’s recommended health-based action
level.

 

Radon is the second largest cause of
lung cancer in the United States and the leading cause among non-smokers.
Nationally, EPA estimates that radon is responsible for more than 20,000 lung
cancer deaths a year; data suggest that it may be responsible for as many as 100
lung cancer deaths a year in New Hampshire.

 

Radon is a tasteless, colorless, and
odorless radioactive gas. It comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil
and rocks. Radon can get into the air you breathe within your home and into your
drinking water. The only way to know if it is a problem in your home is to test
for it.

 

In general, the migration of radon up
from the soil contributes the largest percentage of radon found in the average
home. Water from a private well, particularly a bedrock well, also known as an
artesian or drilled well, can also be a source of radon in the home. DES
recommends testing the indoor air in your home and your private well for
radon.

 

Testing for radon in both air and
water is an important part of protecting public health. It is inexpensive and
easy. Elevated levels of radon in the air and water can be
remediated.

 

Starting January 10, 2011, DES began
offering (we only just received this notice!) a very limited supply of free
radon test kits to the public. Kits will be given out on a first come first
served basis. If you are interested in obtaining a kit, fill out the form
provided at http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/air/pehb/ehs/radon/index.htm
or call the DES Radon Program at (603) 271-1370.

 

2011
Road Program

2011 Road Program Requests for
Proposals have been out for a couple of weeks.  All bidding contractors are
required to deliver their sealed bids to the Department of Public Works by 2:00
PM on Thursday, January 20, 2011.

 

ADVERTISING PANEL
FRAMES IN PLACE AT DURHAM/UNH TRAIN STATION PLATFORM

Both Durham and UNH have been
struggling with graffiti underneath the railroad trestle where train riders wait
for the Amtrak Downeaster. To address this problem, the Town undertook an
innovative approach to not only paint over the graffiti (courtesy UNH), but also
to install nine large advertising panel frames for use by downtown businesses to
promote Durham’s downtown business area.

 

The advertising panel frames are now
in place and five of nine have been sold at a price of $50/year. Businesses must
also pay for the cost of printing the sign (approximately $125). If there are
additional Durham businesses that would like to utilize these panels, please
contact the Durham Public Works Department at 868-5578, or the Durham Business
Association at 868-1123.

 

WANTED
– PHOTOGRAPHS FOR ANNUAL TOWN REPORT, FRIDAY UPDATES, DCAT BULLETIN
BOARD

Each year, we wrestle with the
decision of what will be placed on the cover of the Town Report. If residents
have a photograph or photographs that they think might be suitable for the Town
Report, we would appreciate receiving them. If you are out-and-about and find a
scenic or landmark area of Durham to take a photograph of that you feel might
make an attractive cover, we would like to hear from you. Please email digital
(jpeg) files to Jennie Berry at jberry@ci.durham.nh.us. In order for
photographs to work on the cover, they must be taken as vertical photographs
(not horizontal) and the camera should be set at its highest resolution.
Also, please do not alter the size of the photograph once it is
taken.

 

In addition to the Town Report cover,
we also need photographs for the “Friday Updates” and DCAT bulletin board.
Photographs of scenery, people, events, historic moments, etc. are welcome. As
mentioned above, please email digital (jpeg) files if available. Photographs
(originals) may be dropped off at the Town Administrator’s office during regular
hours, 8:00 AM-5:00 PM, Monday through Friday which will be scanned and returned
to the owner once they are used. Please indicate how you would like to be
credited for your photograph and how you would like the credit to be
worded.

 

Durham
Master Plan Visioning Forum - January 28th

The Town of Durham in conjunction with
the Planning & Community Development Department and the UNH Cooperative
Extension is preparing to update the Master Plan. The visioning process will be
the first step toward updating several chapters of the Master Plan including the
Commercial Core chapter, Land Use Regulations chapter, Environmental/Cultural
Resources chapter, Tax Stabilization (Economic Development) chapter, and a new
Energy chapter.

 

The visioning forum will be a public
forum that will allow citizens to provide their vision for a variety of topics
that will be related to the chapters being updated after the visioning process
has been completed.  The planning process needs input from the entire
community.  

 

Please plan on joining us Friday,
January 28, 2011 at 5:30 P.M. at the Oyster River Middle School.  The
evening will begin with a free community spaghetti dinner hosted by Durham
Marketplace followed by small group workshops on each chapter being updated.
Children’s activities and childcare will be provided. 

 

To view more information, please click
HERE.
Please contact Jim Campbell, 868-8064 or jcampbell@ci.durham.nh.us with any
questions.

 

SUPERVISORS OF THE
CHECKLIST

Durham Supervisors of the Checklist
will meet at the Town Hall twice in January to accept new voters and to make
corrections to the checklist. Supervisors will me on Tuesday, January 18 from
6:30-8:00 PM and Saturday, January 22 from 10:30-11:30 AM. Changes in party
registration can also be made at t his time.

 

Prospective voters are required by law
to show proof of identity, age (18 by the Election Day), domicile/residence in
Durham, and US citizenship. A driver’s license and a birth certificate or
passport are useful. Affidavits of domicile and citizenship may be signed under
oath if proofs are lacking.

 

 

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.

 

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.

 

The following positions will be
available for citizens who might choose to become involved in Durham Town
government: 

 

Town
Council                                    
3 positions (3-year terms)

Library Board of
Trustees               
2 positions (3-year terms)

Town Clerk/Tax
Collector                
1 position (3-year term)

Town
Treasurer                                
1 position (3-year term)

Trustees of the Trust
Funds             1
position (2-year term)

 

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.

 

DPD EMPLOYMENT
OPPORTUNITY – 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.

 

Zoning
Board of Adjustment Vacancy – 1 Alternate Needed

The Zoning
Board of Adjustment currently has one alternate member vacancy and we are hoping
to find someone interested in filling it. 

 

The Zoning
Board of Adjustment, a quasi-judicial board, has the duty to hear and decide
appeals in the enforcement of the Durham Zoning Ordinance.  The duties of
the Zoning Board of Adjustment are outlined fully in RSA 674:33 and
674:33(a).  The four categories of hearings that are brought before the
Zoning Board of Adjustment include special exceptions, equitable waivers of
dimensional requirements, appeals on an administrative decision, and
variances.   Members of the Zoning Board of Adjustment are appointed
by the Council. The ZBA consists of five (5) members each serving a three-year
term and three (3) alternates each serving a three-year term.

 

If you are a newcomer to town issues
or a seasoned former ZBA member, we would very much appreciate your
participation.  For more information, contact Chairperson Roberta (Robbi)
Woodburn at (603) 868-3618, robbi@woodburnandcompany.com. To
apply for the ZBA 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

 

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, tom.elliott@manyspears.com. 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

 

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 –Tuesday,
January 18, 2010 (6-7:00 PM)

Master Plan Steering Committee
–Tuesday, January 18, 2010 (7-8:30 PM)

Integrated Waste Management Advisory
Committee – Thursday, January 20, 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

 

PARKS AND RECREATION
PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

§ 
Womens’ Pick Up
Basketball. Parks
& Recreation is pleased to announce Womens’ Pick Up Basketball at the high
school Saturdays 6pm begins Jan 15^th.

§ 
Wellness Seekers is a new class offered to the “young
at heart”. Great for working on balance, stretching and strength. Enjoy the fun
moving to swing music. For more information contact Parks & Recreation at
817-4074.

§ 
Winter Carnival & Chili
Tasting, Saturday,
February 12 from 11:30 AM-2:00 PM at the Mill Pond. Residents and businesses are
welcome to provide a crock of Chili to share. Please contact the Parks &
Recreation Dept. at 817-4074 for more information.

 

Parks
AND Recreation Nature Note – Adams Point

Managed by the New Hampshire Fish
& Game Department, Adams Point is open to the public and offers a wealth of
nature trails, habitat, and spectacular views of the Little
Bay.

 

Adams Point, located off of Durham
Point Road, encompasses over 2 miles of well-maintained nature trails with
minimal change in elevation. The main trail follows the shoreline offering
varying views of the Bay. Uniquely constructed benches dot the trail and provide
spots for relaxation and photo opportunities. With just a few steps on the trail
explorers discover a hidden rope swing and an obelisk that is a memorial to the
Adams family who lived on the expansive property dating back to the early
1800’s. Enjoy the birds and wildlife from the lookout platform close to the
parking area along with panoramic views of the Bay during the winter.

 

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.

§ 
Friday, January 28^th, 7:30
PM, Community Church of Durham – Winter Organ Concert featuring Organist
Jim Bullock. Mr. Bullock will be playing Bach, Liszt, and Alain among
others.

§ 
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

 

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.