“FRIDAY
UPDATES”

Friday,
March 6, 2009

Durham
District Court Building

On Wednesday morning of this week my
family awoke to notice something very strange in our yard on Nobel K. Peterson
Drive.  Numerous deer tracks along the
length of our arborvitae hedge…but unfortunately, our hedge was only half of
what it had been Tuesday evening!  At least the deer had a good
breakfast.

Spring
Forward – Daylight Saving Time Begins

Don’t forget to “spring” forward
this weekend. Daylight Saving Time (DLT) begins for most of the United
States at 2:00 AM this coming Sunday, March
8^th.

Town
Election/School Elections

A final reminder that elections for
the Town and School officers, as well as for the Oyster River Cooperative
School District annual budget, will be held next Tuesday, March 10, 2009. 
The polls will be open from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM at the Oyster River High School
Multi-Purpose Room located on Coe
Drive in Durham.  To view a sample Town election
ballot, click, HERE. 
To view a sample School election ballot, click HERE.

TOWN
ELECTION Absentee Ballots Available

Absentee ballots for the Town and
School elections on March 10, 2009, are available at this time at the Town
Clerk’s office, Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Absentee ballots may be
obtained from the Town Clerk’s office in person or by written request and must
be returned by 5:00 PM on Monday, March 9^th or received by mail on
Tuesday, March 10^th.

PUBLIC
MEETING SCHEDULE

The following public meetings are
scheduled for the coming week in the Town Council chambers at the Durham Town
Office and will begin at 7:00 PM unless otherwise indicated
below.

Zoning Board of Adjustment –
Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Durham Conservation Commission – Thursday,
March 12, 2009

DCAT Governance Committee –
Thursday, March 12, 2009 (PD Community
Room, 7:00 PM)

Economic Development Committee –
Friday, March 13, 2009 (7:30
AM)

To view the agendas for the meetings
listed above, please click HERE. 
All meetings recorded on DCAT are available on DVD at the Durham Public Library
for checkout and viewing. 

To view the Oyster River School Board
meeting schedule, click HERE. 

To view the Durham Public Library Board of Trustees
meeting schedule, click HERE.

DURHAM CABLE ACCESS
TELEVISION PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE

To view a listing of the DCAT programming
schedule, click HERE 

Annual
Appointments of Citizens to Fill Vacancies on Various Town
Boards

On April 30, 2009, terms on various
Town boards, commissions, and committees will expire. In mid-April, the Town
Council will begin the process for making its annual appointments/reappointments
to Town boards, with appointments to take effect May 1, 2009. The Durham Town
Council is seeking interested residents of the Town of Durham who have the ability,
desire, and time needed to fill these vacancies. Citizens interested in board
appointments should contact the Town Administrator’s office at 868-5571 and
ask for a board application form,  or stop in at the Town Clerk’s office
located on the first floor of the Town Hall, 15 Newmarket Road,
and complete an application.  Applications are also available on the
Town’s web site at: www.ci.durham.nh.us
under the heading “Features” at the bottom of the page. Completed applications
may be mailed to the Town Administrator’s office, or submitted via email to
jberry@ci.durham.nh.us. Deadline for
receipt of completed applications is Friday,
March 27, 2009.

Churchill Rink at Jackson’s Landing Advisory
Committee (1 vacancy)

Conservation Commission - (2 regular
vacancies; 2 alternate vacancies)

Durham Cable Access Television
(DCAT) Governance Committee - (2 vacancies)

Durham Energy Committee (1
vacancy)

Economic Development Committee – (1
regular vacancy; 2 alternate vacancies)

Historic District Commission - (2
vacancies)

Integrated Waste Management Advisory
Committee - (2 vacancies)

Parks and Recreation - (2 regular
vacancies)

Planning Board - (2 regular
vacancies; 2 alternate vacancies)

Strafford Regional Planning
Commission & MPO Policy Committee - (1 vacancy)    

Zoning Board of Adjustment - (2
regular vacancies; 1 alternate vacancy)

Application
for Elderly Exemptions  

Eligible citizens may apply for an
Elderly Exemption or other exemptions/credits (Veterans Credit, Blind Exemption,
Solar, etc.) by the deadline of
April 15, 2009 for the 2009 spring
tax bill. An application may be obtained from the Planning, Zoning, and
Assessing Office located on the first floor of the Town Hall, 15 Newmarket
Road.  Questions regarding these exemptions can
be directed to the Planning, Zoning, and Assessing Office at 868-8064. Current
criteria and exemption amounts for the elderly are as
follows:

Income
Criteria

           
Single net
income:                           
Not more than $28,077.00

           
Married, combined
income:            
Less than       
$37,647.00

Asset
Criteria

           
Net
assets:                                        
Not in excess of $150,000.00

Age Eligibility
Criteria                                 
Exemption Amount

           
65 years up to 75
years:                  
$  96,000.00

           
75 years up to 80
years:                  
$128,000.00

           
80 years or
older:                             
$175,000.00

HEAVING
HAULING REGULATION ON CLASS V ROADS

The Town of Durham's ordinance regulating
heavy hauling will be in effect from Sunday, March 15, 2009 at 12:01 AM, until
Thursday, April 30, 2009 at 11:59 PM.  Please be on the lookout for posted
signs indicating the beginning of the restricted areas. The ordinance restricts
hauling over six (6) tons on specific Class V roads within the Town of Durham.   The roads affected are: Back
River Road, Bagdad Road, Bay Road, Bennett
Road, Canney Road, Dame Road, Durham Point Road, Emerson Road, Longmarsh
Road, Mill Road, Packers Falls Road,
Watson Road,
Wednesday Hill Road, Winecellar Road, and
Wiswall Road. 
Details are listed in the Durham Town Code, Chapter 153, Section 153-45
“Schedule XIII: Vehicle Weight Limits”, subsection B “Posted Roads”. To view
Section 153-45, please click HERE. 
Questions regarding heavy hauling can be directed to the Durham Public Works
Department at (603) 868-5578.

Main
Street West
Project

Seven people attended the Main
Street West Public Informational Meeting held on Friday, February
20^th.  A large part of the discussion was regarding bike
lanes.   All seven residents were pleased and enthusiastic about the
project. 

SAFE
ROUTES TO SCHOOL GRANT

Public Works Officials and Oyster
River Cooperative School District Officials met with the Strafford Regional
Planning Commission on Friday, February 27^th to discuss a State grant
program called Safe Routes to School (SRTS).  The grant is available for
planning, conducting surveys, holding meetings, and installing or repairing
infrastructure surrounding elementary and middle schools for the purpose of
improving safe passage for children traveling to and from school.  Public
Works personnel are in the process of evaluating the program for sidewalk
maintenance and installation, new school zone signage, improved traffic markings
such as crosswalks, improved bike lanes, etc.  They plan to submit an
application for the grant in 2009. 
  

Annual
Todd’s Trot 5K Road Race/Walk

The 5th annual Todd's Trot 5K Road
Race/Walk will be held on Saturday, April 11, 2009, at the Oyster River High School.
Registration begins at 8:30 AM, and the race/walk begins at 10:00 AM. This
event was organized to commemorate Peter Todd Heuchling, an Oyster
River High School
graduate who succumbed to heat stroke while running with the Marathon Team
at the United States Military
Academy at West Point.
The proceeds benefit an annual high school scholarship in his name. The race
is hosted by Friends of Oyster River Track, is sanctioned by USA Track and
Field, and is open to runners and walkers of all ages and abilities. The course
map, sponsors, and online registration are available at www.toddstrot.org.

TOWN PARKS
AND WINTER ACTIVITIES

As we have been inundated with yet
another snow storm, the Parks and Recreation Committee would like to once again
suggest some cross-country skiing for this weekend.  As a sport,
cross-country skiing is one of the most difficult endurance sports, as its'
motions use every major muscle group and it (along with running, rowing, and
swimming) is one of the sports that burn the most calories per hour in
execution.  Durham has many parks that encourage
cross-country skiing.  One park in particular, Doe Farm on Bennett Road, is
often groomed by a local cross-country skier.  The Doe Farm trails also
link up to the Lamprey River.  The river, when sufficiently
frozen, provides wonderful views and a long, open trail to
ski.

PARKS
AND RECREATION BROCHURE

The Parks and Recreation brochure is now available as a pdf document that
can be downloaded on to your computer.  To print a copy of the document,
legal-sized paper (8-1/2 x 14) will be required.  To view the brochure,
please click HERE.

CHurchill
Rink SCHEDULE

Public skating – times offered every
day

Public skate times below will remain
the same during school vacation week.

Mon., Wed., Fri. 
       2:00 - 3:20 PM

Tue., Thurs.   
            9:00 - 10:20
AM and 2:00 - 4:00 PM

Sat.   
                        
2:30 - 4:20 PM

Sun.   
                       
2:00 - 3:50 PM

For more information, call the rink
at 868-3907, or visit our website at www.churchillrink.com

Durham
Gardens
for All

On Sunday, March 8, will be the
second general meeting of those interested in developing community gardens for
Durham and Lee
residents. It will be held in the conference room just inside the front door of
Thompson Hall on the UNH campus. The meeting will start promptly at 3:00 PM and
it will end before 5:00 PM. Everyone interested in gardening is welcome to
attend. The purpose of this meeting is to describe the three places that
are potentially available for community gardening this summer and make
plans for their use.  If you can not come, but are interested in having a
garden plot with the group, send a note to Dennis Meadows describing your
interest (lataillede@aol.com) or Dennis Meadows, P.O.
Box 844, Durham, NH 03824. 

THIS
WEEK AT THE MUSEUM OF ART - UNIVERSITY OF NEW
HAMPSHIRE

NEW – Saturday,
March 7, 1:30 - 3
p.m.
Museum of
Art, Paul Creative Arts
Center
Art in the
Afternoon:
Gallery Talk & Behind-the-Scenes

Scott Schnepf, professor, Department of Art and Art history
discusses works on view in the current exhibition Renewal: Printmakers from the
New Northern Ireland, and provides a “behind-the-scenes” studio look at the art
of printmaking. Museum of
Art, Paul Creative Arts
Center, 30 Academic Way, Durham, NH 03824 www.unh.edu/moa

COMMUNITY
CELEBRATION OF RHYTHM AND DANCE

Moharimet Elementary
School students and staff invite all Durham residents and their
friends to a FREE Community Celebration of Rhythm and Dance on Tuesday evening,
March 10, 2009 at 6:30 PM in the Granite State Room on the second floor of the
UNH Memorial Union Building (MUB). Moharimet received a grant from the New
Hampshire State Council on the Arts to bring in two professional artists, Steve
Ferraris and James Marshall, for a three-week West African drumming and dance
residency at the school. This program helps tap the resources that
professional artists bring to the educational process. The residency is part of
the School's larger curriculum theme of exploring
cultural diversity during the school year.

ORYA
SPRING BASEBALL REGISTRATION

Oyster River Youth Association
(ORYA) registration for spring baseball is now open. For more information,
please visit the ORYA web site at www.oryarec.org.   Please
sign up early! Other sports include: Softball, LAX, Tennis, Track & Field,
Soccer, and Hip-hop Dance.

FUND-RAISER
FOR ORHS SENIOR CLASS

Parents of Oyster River High
School's 2009 seniors are selling raffle tickets to
raise funds for Project Graduation. Project Graduation is a parent-supervised
event that provides seniors with a fun-filled, safe evening of activities to
celebrate their high school graduation.

Items for raffle
include:

• 4 Red Sox Field Box
  tickets to a home game.  Winner will select date based on availability.
  $5 for 1 chance, $10 for 3 chance. 
  
• March raffle
  calendars for $10 per calendar. Drawing date will be on
  3/26.
  
• Beautiful jewel-tone,
  handmade twin-size quilt made by a mother of one of the high school seniors -
  $5 for 1 chance, $10 for 3 chances.

Participants in this fund-raiser
will be at Durham Marketplace on occasional weeknights, and at Market Basket in
Lee on Saturday, March 14th, and selected ORHS play-off games. Raffle tickets
can be obtained through committee co-chairs, Diane Gallant (coyotemesa@yahoo.com) and Sheila Harding
(smdh@comcast.net).

Ballard's
Restaurant Social Evening

Parents of Oyster River
High School's 2009 seniors are
organizing a social evening at Ballard's Restaurant on Main Street in
Durham on
Thursday, March 19, 2009, from 5:00 PM onwards.  Drop in with family and
friends for dinner, drinks, or appetizers. Come and meet other ORHS parents and
enjoy a fun evening on the Town.  Thank you to the Ballard's who will be
donating a generous percentage of the evening's revenue to Projection Graduation
2009. Raffle items will be on sale at this event too. Contact Francoise Meissner
at mfm@meissners.us or 868-3041 for
more information.

Weekly
Police Arrest Report

Week – 27    
                                   
18 UNH (67%)           9 Other
(33%)

*2008/09 Academic Year –
596     390 UNH
(65%)         206 Other
(35%)

Calendar Year
–119                        
84 UNH (71%)           35
Other (29%)

*Commenced September 1, 2008 

Historical data
for the same week

FROM
HISTORY IN AN OYSTERSHELL – 1600 – 1976

“1899 – ‘To see if the Town will
vote to light the streets of Durham village.’ In 1900 $367 was paid
Newmarket Electric Light, Heat and Power Co. for street lights. Each year
thereafter a petition appeared in the warrant to light some new area of the
town.”

Have a nice
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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