Friday Update January 29, 2010

FRIDAY
UPDATES

January
29, 2010

Courtesy Sara
Badger Wilson

Groundhog Day is Tuesday, February
2^nd. Those among us who are curious about Punxsutawney Phils
prediction can log on to the official site of the Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
Groundhog Club at http://www.groundhog.org and find out
if we will have an early spring, which would be very welcome right about
now.

TESTING THE
WATER

This week Doug Bullen from the
Department of Public Works took a drill out to the Mill Pond to test the ice and
determine whether it would be safe for the upcoming Parks and Recreation
Department winter carnival and chili cookoff. It was not. While drilling
the hole, Doug fell through the ice! We consequently relocated the event
to the Old Landing.

Town
Election - March 9, 2010

The 2010 Town Election will be held on
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at the Oyster River
High School. Polling
hours are from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Voters will park in reserved spaces along the
front of the school and use the Multipurpose Room
entrance.

Filing
Period for ELECTED OFFICES

The following is a list of citizens
that have filed for the Durham elected
offices:

Town Council, 3 positions (3-year
terms):

Peter Stanhope, William Cote, Jay Gooze

Library Board of Trustees, 3 positions
(3-year terms): Sybylle Carlson, David Moore, Julian
Smith, Jenna Roberts

Town Moderator, 1 position (2-year
term):

Chris Regan

Supervisor of the Checklist, 1 position
(6-year term): Judith
Aiken

Trustee of Trust Funds, 1 position
(3-year
term):
Craig Seymour

Drawing
Names of Candidates for Order of Listing on Town Election
Ballot

At the Durham Town Council meeting on
Monday evening, February 1, 2010, Town Moderator Christopher Regan and Town
Clerk-Tax Collector Lorrie Pitt will
be present at the beginning of the meeting to draw names of individuals running
for elected offices to determine the order of names on the Towns March
9^th Election ballot. In 2007, the Town Council adopted a
resolution discontinuing the Towns previous practice of listing candidates
alphabetically on Town election ballots as outlined in Article 2, Section 2.6 of
the Durham Town Charter and adopting the method of listing candidates on Town
election ballots by the Town Clerk, under the supervision of the Town Moderator
of drawing candidates names out of a hat and listing them in the order by which
they are drawn.

Update
on Discussion With the Trust
for Public Land
for Preservation of the Spruce Forest Area and
Potential 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 TPLs 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 behind the possible project was to work toward conserving
several pieces of land, and as part of the process, to instead create new
taxable development where it would not otherwise have been created, intended to
broaden the tax base on another yet to be determined parcel(s) closer to or
within the urbanized area of Durham. After a lengthy discussion, the
Council generally indicated interest in exploring the project further.

On December 21, 2009, The Council
received an additional update on the potential project from the TPL with
comments from Administrator Selig. The ensuing Council discussion led to a
series of questions concerning the project and its various
complexities:

§
what is the appraised value of the
Spruce
Forest area?

§
what role would the potential
conservation of College Woods play as part of the project?

§
how would The Grange structure owned
by the Town be utilized as a cash match toward the conservation of the
Spruce
Forest
area?

§
what development project would move
forward within the central core of Durham as part of the plan and how much would
this project add to the Towns tax base?

§
how would the Town guarantee that
the conservation of the Spruce Forest area would be tied inextricably to the
creation of new taxable value which would not otherwise be created but for this
project, or would it?

§
how will the conservation of the
Spruce
Forest area be funded and
from where will these monies be derived?

§
who will be the development partner
that will create the new economic value downtown and what is their timeframe?;
etc.

At the Town Council meeting on Monday,
February 1^st, the Council will receive a brief recap of the proposal
from TPL Project Manager Gregg Caporossi. Afterwards, the Council will hold a
discussion and determine whether it is interested in pursuing the proposal
submitted by the TPL, and/or whether it desires to schedule a Public Hearing to
receive input from citizens to determine how to move forward. To view the TPL
proposal for this property, click HERE,
or visit the Town web site at www.ci.durham.nh.us.

DURHAM POLICE
DEPARTMENT COMMUNITY SURVEY

This past fall, the Durham Police
Department worked with Dr. Andrew Smith and his assistant Chad Novak of the
University of New Hampshire Survey Center to complete the 2009 Durham Police
Department Community Survey. This is the fifth time that a survey has been
delivered to the community which allows for a comparison of data and trends that
are helpful in tailoring policing services to the needs of the community.
The results will be
used to enhance policing services and direct the department in providing the
most responsive, cost-efficient, and effective police services possible.

To view the results of the 2009
Durham Police Department Community Survey, please click HERE,
or visit the Police Department link on the Town web site at www.ci.durham.nh.us.

Chief
Kurz to lecture in Alabama

Next week, Police Chief Dave Kurz will
be attending the Alabama Police Chiefs winter meeting in Montgomery, Alabama where he will be presenting a lecture
on Strategic Plans Building Strong Community Relationships in Smaller
Communities. Chief Kurzs presentation is based on his experiences in
Durham and was
published by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and funded
by the US Bureau of Justice Assistance as a Best Practices guide for other
police agencies to adopt. The publication can be viewed at http://www.theiacp.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=LanD8%2fgpwqM%3d&tabid=392

The
Mystery is solved

You may recall that recently the police
department had a mystery to solve! A young man and his mother brought some
very delicious brownies to the police for a Christmas treat and only left a note
saying that it was hoped that his police friends enjoyed them. When these
wonderful delicacies were brought to the police facility, everyone was very busy
and unfortunately neglected to get his name. Using the Friday Updates to
solve the mystery, Chief Kurz was contacted by Mom and since then Jack and his
sister Lexi visited the police department and met with Chief Kurz, Officer Frank
Weeks, and Sergeant Jack Dalton. The department wishes to thank Jacks mom
and Pam Gill for bringing Jack and Lexi to visit their friends at the police
department.

Latest
Kaizen Efforts An Update

Changes at the Durham Fire Department
(DFD) are being recommended by Administrator Selig after a productive Kaizen
process evaluation facilitated by Durham resident Jerry Gottsacker. The
goal of the process was to review all the currently enumerated and issued DFD
permits as listed. Then the actual time, effort, current cost, personnel,
and materials necessary to issue and conduct the required inspections was
examined. The last amendments to the DFD permit fee schedule were
established in October of 2003. A lengthy review and several productive
discussions were conducted between Mr. Gottsacker, DFD personnel, Code
Enforcement Officer Tom Johnson, DFD
Administrative Assistant Melissa
Perusse, and Karen
Edwards, Administrative Assistant for Zoning. Any permits
that were no longer needed or outdated were eliminated to reduce any
confusion. The results were as follows:

Initial Number of FD permits =
34

Final number of FD permits after
review/restructure = 17

Number of permits consolidated (both
within FD & with Code Enforcement) = 6

Consequently,
as these items were governed by the Durham Fire Prevention Code, Chapter 68 of
the Durham Town Ordinance #2003-03, much of said document was found to be
outdated. The result of these discussions also lead to the modification of the
current applicable state adopted codes. Proceeding forward from year to
year, the revisions proposed will allow code references to be automatically
updated (another area of increased efficiency). Only a periodic review to
check for any conflicts will be necessary. Also, any reference to fees and
penalties now defer to the Master Fee Schedule for the actual
amounts.

The Fire Department recommends, and the
Administrator concurs, that the Council adopt Ordinance #2010-02 amending
Chapter 68 Fire Prevention of the Durham Town Code, with language that
references any Fire Department-related fees as as enumerated in the Town Master
Fee Schedule and that the Master Fee Schedule be amended to reflect these
changes. This item will be included on the Councils Unanimous Consent
agenda on February 1^st with a more detailed presentation being
provided at the public hearing several weeks
thereafter.

Selective
Cutting Planning for Town-Owned Parcels off Packers Falls Road at Spruce Hole
Bog

Administrator Selig has authorized
Public Works engaging the services of consulting forester Charles Moreno to
prepare a forest management plan (selective cut proposal) for Town-owned parcels
located off Packers Falls
Road. The subject parcels include: a) a
31 +/- acre property with 75 +/- year old pine-oak forest growing on sandy
windsor soils and the 10 +/- acre adjacent parcel containing the Spruce Hole
Bog. Forest management will include
forest thinning for forest health, habitat, and aesthetic objectives.
Thinning will address forest health by removing diseased and declining trees,
encouraging the regeneration of mid-successional species appropriate to the
site, and fostering complex forest structure over time. Wildlife habitat
will benefit from complex structure as well as the improved growth of mast
producing trees. Mr. Morino will likely attend the next meeting of the
Durham Conservation Commission to discuss this proposal further. Moving
forward, the Town plans to engage the services of Mr. Moreno to evaluate and
coordinate selective cutting on other Town-owned parcels during the next several
years.

Interest
in the Durham
Business Park

Since the municipality entered into the
Purchase and Sale Agreement for the Durham Business Park parcel with Chinburg
Builders in June 2007, several factors have had a negative effect on
the marketability of the property:

1.
The real estate market and economy have fallen into
decline.

2.
New wetland delineation eliminated two build-able
areas.

3.
N.H. Department of
Transportation (NHDOT) determination that limits commercial use based
on maximum peak trips at the Arthur Grant/Route 4
intersection.

4.
Increase in availability of quality, relatively
inexpensive commercial space at Pease and in Dover.

Despite Chinburgs good faith efforts
in marketing the property in conformance with the Zoning Ordinance and the
Durham Business Park Design Guidelines, Chinburg had been unable to find an end
user until the company was recently contacted by Neuro-Rehab Associates,
Inc.

The proposal from Neuro-Rehab
Associates, Inc. represents a viable, community-friendly developable use for the
Durham Business Park to include broadening of the tax base, public access
walking trails at this spectacular site overlooking the Oyster River, addressing
the medical needs of the Seacoast region as determined by the State of New
Hampshire Certificate of Need Board, and supporting local downtown businesses
that will benefit from the patronage of the professional staff, patients, and
visitors frequenting the facility.

At this time,
the Administrator is recommending an extension of the Purchase and Sale
Agreement through November 30, 2010 to give Chinburg sufficient time to bring
the Neuro-Rehab Associaties project to fruition if possible.

In addition,
Chinburg and Neuro-Rehab Associates have entered into an Assignment of
Agreement of Sale for the Durham
Business Park which is contingent on a number of factors
including Durham
consenting to the Assignment of Agreement of Sale. Mr. Selig also
recommends the Council consenting to an assignment of the P&S Agreement
between Durham
and Chinburg Builders to Neuro-Rehab Associates per a draft Assignment
Agreement which has been provided to the Council for consideration.

The anticipated
value of the proposed rehabilitation facility will likely be in the $10 - $15
million range.

This item has
been included as part of the Councils February 1^st
agenda.

Firefighter
Collective Bargaining Negotiations Tentative Agreement
Reached

The Town began the contract negotiation
process in August 2009 with the Durham Professional Firefighters Association
(DPFFA) representing the sixteen firefighters and one fire inspector covered by
the DPFFA contract. The existing contract extended from January 1,
2007-December 31, 2009. I am pleased to report that the Town and the DPFFA
have reached a tentative agreement for a new contract extending from January 1,
2010-December 31, 2012. We hope to schedule a ratification vote by the
Council on February 15^th.

Annual
Evaluation for Town Administrator

At the January 11, 2010 Town Council
meeting, the Council began its annual performance evaluation process for the
Town Administrator. After some discussion, it was decided that each Councilor
would be provided with a performance evaluation form to be completed on the
Administrator and that Council Chair Neil Niman would compile the results of
each Councilors evaluation and place them on to one document to be discussed at
the February 1, 2010 Town Council meeting.

In addition to Administrator Seligs
performance evaluation, the Town Council and Administrator are presently in a period of negotiation for a
successor employment agreement. Should the Council be inclined to extend the
employment relationship with Mr. Selig for an additional duration following the
conclusion of the 2009 annual evaluation process, the Administrator recommends
rolling the present Agreement forward by an additional year under the same terms
and conditions with no increase in compensation due to the prevailing economic
conditions.

Discussion
Regarding the Rental of Parking Spaces in the Town of Durham

Recently, an application before the
Planning Board was denied in part because the owner of the property was leasing
some of his parking spaces to students who attend the University of New Hampshire. This was interpreted to be
a change in use and thus requires Planning Board approval. However, there are a
number of properties (whether they are a church, business, or single-family
residence) that rent parking spaces to UNH students. In fact, any physical piece of
property in close proximity to the University appears to be a ripe revenue
opportunity for the entreupreneural landowner. On Monday, the Council is
scheduled to discuss, time permitting, whether if a change of use is required on
one property, then any landowner who similarly chooses to rent spaces to
UNH students and does not possess
the requisite approvals from the Planning Board, should be subject to the same
rules and regulations.

Residency
Required for Non-Statutory Boards, Committees, and
Commissions?

During the October 19 and November 2,
2009 Town Council meetings, the Council discussed the issue of whether
individuals who are seeking appointments to non- statutory Town committees
should be required to be residents. The Town does not have a policy that
specifically requires residency, and unless it is a statutory-formed board or
committee, state law is either silent or defers what the make-up of committees
will be to the local legislative body.

Four
non-statutory committees, whose bylaws currently require members to be
residents, were asked to discuss this item at their respective meetings and
provide recommendations on whether to keep their memberships as is, or change to
allow for non-residents. The Council is scheduled to discuss this issue
further on February 1^st.

A
Resolution Requesting that the ORCSD School Board Provide Adequate Documentation
Regarding the Expenditure of Surplus Funds From the 2009 Fiscal Year

The
Town Council finds itself in the at times frustrating position of being
responsible for collecting taxes associated with the Towns full tax rate, but
seemingly having no control over the largest expense Durham taxpayers are
required to support. The question is how can the Town seriously address
its escalating tax burden without exercising some controls over the school
districts budget, or the value Durham derives from it? To view a
communication prepared by Town Councilor Doug Clark regarding the expenditure of
surplus funds at the ORCSD from the 2009 Fiscal Year, please click HERE.

2010
Road Program An Update

The 2010 approved Capital Fund Budget
includes an appropriation of $129,472 for this years road-resurfacing program,
which is part of the Department of Public Works 14-year road-resurfacing
plan. This years program originally consisted of 11 roads; due to the
state of the economy the Town Administrator scaled back the program to include
only 3 roads.

A request for bids was advertised in
the local newspaper on December 31, 2009, and Public Works solicited 12 sealed
bids from paving contractors in Maine,
Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. We
received six bids on January 11, 2010. The low bid was $71.40 per ton and
the high bid was $90.00 per ton. Suburban Paving of Bow, NH is the low
bidder at $71.40 per ton with positive references.

DPW Staff reviewed the original recommendations of the Town
Administrator, which included the reclamation of Wednesday Hill Road
and resurfacing of Strafford
Ave and Jenkins Court. DPW completed extensive repairs to Wednesday Hill Road
in 2009. These repairs have significantly improved Wednesday Hill Road
and will allow this road to now be shimmed and resurfaced. Jenkins Court will
have several utility cuts in the roadway during 2010, and possible lighting
improvements soon after that has forced DPW to push it back in the program a couple of
years.

This years program was also estimated
at $80.00 per ton of asphalt. With the $71.40 per ton bid price,
DPW will be able to resurface
additional sections of roadways. The adjusted program will now resurface
Wednesday Hill
Road, Strafford Ave, complete Mill Pond Road and
the worst section of Emerson
Road.

Friday
Updates v. Administrative Notes A Kaizen Example of Continuous Improvement in
Action in Durham

In 2001, Administrator Selig initiated
a weekly email to Town Councilors on Fridays intended to keep them informed of
pressing issues facing the community on an ongoing basis. This weekly
document was called Administrative Notes. The philosophy was that by
being as transparent as possible with key issues facing the community,
Councilors would not only avoid being surprised at the grocery store when
confronted with an issue by constituents, but would also have the ability to
provide more meaningful early feedback prior to actions being taken.

Over time, the weekly Administrative
Notes was extended to department heads, deputy chiefs, administrative
assistants within our departments, and ultimately rank and file personnel.
Mr. Seligs philosophy: The more
people aware of the decision making process, the more opportunity to receive
constructive feedback to make Durham initiatives as successful as
possible.

Then in 2003, Administrator Selig
decided to take a bold step: to share this document with anyone in the
community who desired to keep abreast of Town events. [At the time the
Council was discussing the need for a monthly paper newsletter.] The new
document was titled, Friday Updates. It was identical to the
Administrative Notes in every respect unless there was an item which was not
yet ripe for such widespread public distribution in which case the issue
appeared in the Administrative Notes but not in the Friday Updates.

Recently, as part of a Kaizen exercise
at our regular bi-monthly staff meeting, the Administrator was challenged by
department heads as to whether there was in fact a need for the two
documents. How often, they pressed, are there items which could not also
be distributed to the entire community as part of the Friday Updates?
The answer: very few! Therefore moving forward, this week marks the
last issue of Administrative Notes. Items which do not warrant
widespread public distribution will be sent by email or paper copy to Councilors
under separate cover. And for members of the public or press who
desire to view these, emails or memos sent by the Town Administrator to one
Councilor are copied to all Councilors as well as to a public binder for public
review during normal business hours.

At this time there are 1,656
subscribers to the weekly Friday Updates in addition to those who simply view
it on line at www.ci.durham.nh.us.

Durham
Mother Starts Blog to Help Cope with Daughters
Diabetes

Residents who have a child with
diabetes may have an interest in a blog which has been started by Durham resident Stefany
Shaheen. For more information go to: http://www.necn.com/Boston/Health/2010/01/25/Mom-starts-blog-to-cope-with/1264431613.html.

Toyota Recall Information

As the proud owner of a
Toyota Sienna mini-van, I was surprised to learn this week from a colleague at
the Town Office that a number of Toyota models had been recalled. For the
latest news about Toyota's Safety Recall Campaign, go to:
http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/toyota/toyota-consumer-safety-advisory-102572.aspx.

Durham:
Its Where U Live (DIWUL) Scholarship

Durham: Its Where U Live (DIWUL) brings members of the University and Durham communities together
to increase rapport and respect. It serves as an umbrella theme that reflects a
cooperative effort on the part of the University and the Town to continue
building mutual appreciation. DIWUL believes that motivating and recognizing UNH
students and their good work is critical to the long-term well-being of the
community. Because of this, DIWUL is proud to offer the DIWUL Community
Scholarship. This scholarship recognizes outstanding community involvement,
employment, and/or leadership in University of New
Hampshire students and helps them reach their
academic goals. One $500 scholarship will be awarded annually. March 1, 2010 is the nomination deadline.
For more information regarding the scholarship and for an
Application/Nomination form, please visit the Durham: Its Where U Live Web site: www.diwul.org

HISTORY
OF THE OYSTER
RIVER DAM
VIDEO

The Historic District/Heritage
Committee has a new narrated video: History of the Oyster River Dam, with
music by Dan Miner. The video will be aired over Durhams cable channel, Channel 22, on Sunday
evenings beginning at 8:00 PM.

PUBLIC
MEETING SCHEDULE

The following public meetings are
scheduled for the coming week in the Town Council chambers at the Durham Town
Office. To view the agendas 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.

Town Council Monday, February 1,
2010

Historic District Commission
Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Rental Housing Commission
Wednesday, February 3, 2010 (4:00
PM)

Water Resource Protection
Subcommittee of the Durham Planning Board Friday, February 5,
2010 (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 AND RECREATION
PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

§
February Parks & Recreation
Reminder: Stay up-to-date on all of Park & Recreations
current classes and programs. Click HERE
to view the February 2010 Reminder. Check out a new class being offered starting
in February: Introductory Art Drawing &
Sketching.

§
Saturday, February 6^th, 11:30 AM 2:00
PM: Winter Carnival and Chili Cookoff
MOVED TO DURHAM
TOWN LANDING. Due to a warmer than expected January, the Parks and
Recreation Winter Carnival and Chili Cookoff has been moved. In addition to the
Chili Cookoff, there will be a bonfire tended by the Durham Fire Department and
childrens activities provided by the Durham Public Library and Oyster River
Parents and Preschoolers. Easy parking is available at the Town Landing with
additional spaces at the Durham Town
Hall. Contact Michael Mengers at mmengers@ci.durham.nh.us,
817-4074 with any questions.

COMMUNITY
EVENTS

§
Friday, January 29, 5:00
7:00 PM, Museum of Art, Paul Creative
Arts Center: Preview Reception: Two new exhibitions,
War and
Remembrance and Acts & Memory: Paintings by Langdon Quin,
1990-2010. For more information, contact (603) 862-3712, www.unh.edu/moa, museum.of.art@unh.edu.

§
Wednesday, February 3, 12:00 noon, Museum of Art, Paul Creative
Arts Center, Room A219: ArtBreak:
Film: Picasso (Simon Schamas
Power of Art, BBC, 2006). For more information, contact (603) 862-3712, www.unh.edu/moa, museum.of.art@unh.edu.

§
Saturday, February 6, 2:30 PM, Community Church of Durham:
Haiti Benefit Concert. Donations will go to the
Red Cross to help the survivors of the Haiti earthquake.

§
Friday, February 12, 7:00 PM, 7:00 PM,
Community Church of Durham: An Evening
of the Arts for Haitian Relief For more information, contact (603)
743-1813, brynb07@comcast.net

§
Wednesday, February 17, 12:00 noon, Museum of Art, Paul
Creative Arts Center:
ArtBreak: Gallery Talk
Exhibiting Maine artist Tom
Paiement. For
more information, contact (603) 862-3712, www.unh.edu/moa, museum.of.art@unh.edu.

Weekly
Police Arrest Report

Week 4	2 UNH (50%)	2 Other (50%)
*2009/10 Academic Year 557	340 UNH (61%)	213 Other (50%)
Calendar Year 14	6UNH (43%)	8 Other (57%)

*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	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Week	22	14	12	21	4
Academic Year	700	532	463	508	557
Calendar Year	38	29	22	31	14

NEW
HAMPSHIRE TRIVIA
& TIDBITS

Noted food scientist Robert Decareau
(1926-2009) helped to invent the processes necessary to develop the microwave
oven. A longtime resident of Amherst (pop. 10,769), Decareau began his career in
1953 as a research and development scientist for Raytheon Corp. in neighboring
Massachusetts, where he developed methods to cook food with microwave
energy. AmericanProfile Magazine first
appeared: 8/9/2009

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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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.

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