Friday Update March 20, 2009

“FRIDAY
UPDATES”

March
20, 2009

Students from the
Oyster River High School Senior class wash and wax the Public Works vehicles as
a community service project

Spring has sprung! Spring officially
arrived this morning at 7:44 AM Eastern Daylight Time. Public Works personnel
have been inundated with a flurry of activity with several local private
development projects keeping staff busy with site walks, plan reviews,
construction schedules, and utility hookup
requests.

Economic
Stimulus Update – Wastewater and Water

The most recent details on the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Stimulus Package) for the Clean
Water Fund (wastewater) lists 324 projects totaling $637,024,189.  Of those
projects, the Town of Durham has applications in for seven totaling
$6,905,500.  To view the list of wastewater projects, please click HERE.
There are 265 projects pertaining to the Drinking Water Fund, totaling
$246,236,590. Of those, Durham has two projects totaling $2,751,000,
and UNH has five projects totaling $1,070,000. To view the list of water
projects, please click HERE.
The Town is also on the list for police assistance, a new fire station,
Brownfields grant monies, state bridge aid, and state highway aid.  The
state will be publishing a priority list in the next few days which will be
listed in a future “Friday Update”.  The Wiswall Bridge Replacement project
is a strong candidate as well for stimulus highway
funds.

Fire
Department Minor Reorganization

We have continued working
within the Fire Department to streamline the organizational structure
there.  To this end, the Administrator has authorized two
changes intended to improve efficiency, save money, and realign our
structure more closely with traditional fire service models in New Hampshire. 

With the promotion of Corey Landry
from Division Chief of Operations to Fire Chief, Division Chief for Fire
Prevention and Safety Jason Cleary
applied for, was selected, and will be laterally transferred to Chief
Landry’s former position with one exception -- the position name has
been changed to Assistant Fire
Chief.  "Assistant Chief" is the typical title
for second in command at a New Hampshire Fire Department.  While we had
previously had an Assistant Chief at the Durham Fire Department, the Division
Chief for Operations position had been assigned increased supervisory
responsibility within the department and the renamed Assistant
Chief position will carry with it those expanded
responsibilities.   

At this time, the Division Chief for
Fire Prevention and Safety position will remain unfilled and we will instead
move forward with advertising a new classification --
Deputy Chief for
Fire Prevention & Safety.  I italicize "new"
because years ago Durham had a Deputy Chief with primary
responsibility in the area of fire prevention.  While the new Deputy Chief
position carries the same name as the old classification,  the Fire
Department has updated the position responsibilities within the job
description to reflect present needs within the department.  The Deputy
Chief will be the third in command of the Fire Department with primary
responsibility within the Fire Prevention Bureau.  Because the Deputy Chief
position will be a lower rank within the command structure, the salary range
will be $62,050 to
$75,839 versus the range for the Division Chief
classification at $66,626 -
$79,770.

For a description of the posting, go
to http://ci.durham.nh.us/DEPARTMENTS/fire_dept/employ.html. 

Chief Landry deserves a great deal
of credit for developing this minor staffing change within the department
for the benefit of the Town.

Community
Garden Efforts

Residents Dennis Meadows, Suzanne
MacDonald, Filson Glanz and others have been working diligently to
organize a community garden effort for the upcoming growing
season.  To learn more about the latest developments, click HERE. 

Earth
Hour

At precisely 8:30 PM on Saturday,
March 28^th, the diesel generators will be switched off on the Chatham
Islands, a small archipelago off the east coast of New
Zealand, heralding the start of a
worldwide event - Earth Hour 2009.  Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia in 2007, when 2.2
million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 the
message had grown into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people
switching off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San
Francisco, Rome’s Coliseum, the Sydney
Opera House, and the Coca Cola billboard in Times
Square all stood in darkness.  In 2009, Earth Hour has a
goal of 1 billion people switching off their lights.  For more
information, go to http://www.earthhour.org/about/. 

Oyster
River Community
Blogspot

A new citizen-initiated and managed
blogspot has been started within Durham, Lee, and Madbury.   The
blog’s stated goal is to inform the community about school board updates and
information from recent school events and discussions.  Interested authors
on all sides of issues are sought to contribute articles, posts, etc.
by emailing //80-0000000098EFEB53B034844FB116087861205F1E0700BDD39E8644164944B65902F7541C0F8C0000000232C60000BDD39E8644164944B65902F7541C0F8C00000099BB550000/oysterrivercommunity@gmail.com" href="//80-0000000098EFEB53B034844FB116087861205F1E0700BDD39E8644164944B65902F7541C0F8C0000000232C60000BDD39E8644164944B65902F7541C0F8C00000099BB550000/oysterrivercommunity@gmail.com">oysterrivercommunity@gmail.com
to get authorized to post articles on the blog spot.  For more information,
go to http://oysterrivercommunity.blogspot.com/ . 


Oyster
River Dam
Update

The issue of whether to repair,
replace, and/or remove the Oyster River Dam was discussed by the Town
Council at Monday evening's meeting.  For more information, go to http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090317/GJNEWS_01/703179850/-1/FOSNEWS0102. 
In addition, residents can find information about the Oyster River Dam on the
Town web site at http://ci.durham.nh.us/GOVERNMENT/Commissions/historic/OR%20Dam/historic_dam.html. 

Spring
has Sprung—Addressing
Trash in the Downtown Area

A number of emails have been
received over the last week regarding the annual Spring trash
experience in Durham as melting snow begins to reveal garbage and winter debris
underneath. Below is a summary of concerted efforts presently under way to
address this issue: 

1. 
Code Enforcement Officer Tom Johnson
has sent an email out to several groups reminding everyone to participate
and do their part in addressing trash/litter issues around Durham.

2.  The
Durham Business
Association will be working with its membership to address the spring trash
experience as the weather permits.

3. 
Discussions and planning for a Durham Clean Up Day, successful in the past,
are underway.  Public Works Director Mike Lynch has been contacted and
the Town will play an important role.  The Durham Police
Department will be working with individuals required to undertake community
service projects to address trash in the near future as
well.

4. 
When the Greek community returns from wherever they are enjoying Spring break,
the UNH Greek coordinator is planning to encourage them to participate in
the clean-up and move their tentative clean-up day (May 9) earlier, weather
permitting.

5.  The
Durham Landlords
Association (DLA) has communicated with the DLA membership and they will
individually and collectively be active participants.  We very much
appreciate their collaborative efforts.

6.  The
Durham Rental
Housing Commission (RHC) will work with various groups if there is any
additional communication or other work the RHC can do to help facilitate
the activities being planned.  Anne Lawing, UNH Senior Assistant Vice
President for Student Affairs (and UNH's always helpful contact with the RHC and
the Town), is aware of the discussions and will continue to be
an outstanding contact point at UNH.

All of these community efforts will
again ensure that the annual spring trash experience will be successful in
removing what winter has left behind. That leaves the individual residential
neighborhoods and we are hopeful that individual citizens will do
their part with their immediate property and the public ways adjacent to their
property.  

DURHAM
Rental Housing Commission (RHC)

In the mid-1990’s the Durham Rental
Housing Commission (RHC) was formed and charged generally with addressing and
resolving on a continuing basis public policy issues associated with rental
housing.  The Commission accepts complaints from any party in the Town
regarding violations of laws or codes and refers these complaints without
evaluation or comment to the appropriate Town enforcement agents or other
appropriate enforcement entities. Citizens may submit any concerns they have to
the Administrator’s office which will then be forwarded to the RHC. The
Commission facilitates enforcement of Town ordinances regarding rental
housing and fosters positive communication between all constituent groups
represented on the Commission, which includes:

·     
Two members shall be appointed by
the Durham Town Council.

·     
Two members shall be appointed by
the Durham Landlords’ Association.  These members shall be owners of rental
property in the Town of Durham.

·     
Two members shall be appointed by
the University of
New
Hampshire.

·     
The Durham Town Council shall
appoint one member to represent the interests of
tenants.

·     
A student organization on the campus
of the University
of New Hampshire which
shall be designated jointly by the Durham Landlords’ Association and the Town
Council shall appoint an additional member to be representative of the interests
of tenants.

·     
A member shall be selected by the
Town Council who shall act as liaison between the Town of Durham Rental Commission
and the Durham Town Council.

·     
The Durham Town Council shall
appoint one member living in a neighborhood that is affected by rental
property.

Increased
Officer Presence

On Monday, March 23, 2009,
University of
New Hampshire students
resume classes after spending a week away from campus on spring break. 
With the return of students and the anticipated arrival of warmer weather, the
Durham Police Department, in cooperation with the University Police Department,
will implement its high visibility strategy to dissuade disruptive
behavior.  This strategy is implemented to increase officer presence in the
downtown area while proactively addressing noise violations, alcohol offenses,
and disorderly behavior. The Durham Police Department will be challenged this
spring due to staff shortages which include two officers in the police academy,
one officer on paternity leave, and one officer position eliminated from the
2009 budget.  The Durham Police Department will endeavor to make the
following months peaceful and enjoyable for all and urges residents to contact
the department at 868-2324 if they are being disturbed by noise or rowdy
behavior.

SEMIANNUAL
WATER METER READING

On Monday, March 23^rd,
the Water foreman will begin the semiannual water meter reading.  Please
don’t be alarmed if you see him walking through your neighborhood. 
Typically this process takes him about two weeks.  The spring newsletter is
in the works and should be going to print next week.  Residents can expect
to receive them by mid-April. 

2009
SPRING CLEANUP

Spring Cleanup for annual bulky
waste collection will begin on Monday, May 11, 2009. All items must be put out
no earlier than Saturday, May 9^th, and no later than 7:00 AM on
Monday, May 11^th.  Remember that electronic items must have an
electronic sticker on them in order to be collected during the cleanup.  To
view the guidelines for bulky waste collection, please click HERE.

2009
Road program bid

The 2009 Road Program went out to
bid on January 1, 2009.  Bids came in high in January resulting in the Town
rejecting all of the bids. Department of Public Works personnel decided to wait
and give oil prices a chance to stabilize, therefore painting a clearer,
hopefully better picture for asphalt pricing for the coming season.  This
week, Public Works staff mailed out the second set of bid requests with a bid
closing date of Friday, April 3, 2009, at 2:00 PM, and hopes to report more
positive results after the opening. 

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 for consideration in April is Friday, March 27, 2009. We also advertise
vacancies over the course of the year as they
arise.

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; 1 alternate vacancy)

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)

CPR
Training at Durham Public Library

On Tuesday, March 24, 2009, from
6:00 – 8:30 PM, the McGregor Memorial EMS will offer a CPR and AED Certification
Class at the Durham Public Library. The cost for this two-year certification is
$20.  To register, or to find out more information, please call 862-3674 or
visit the McGregor website at: www.mcgregorems.org.

PUBLIC
MEETING SCHEDULE

The following public meeting is
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.

Planning Board – Wednesday, March
25, 2009

To view the agenda for the meeting
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 

New
Hampshire
Humanities Council Book Discussion: Yankee Crime Series

On Friday, April 24, 2009, 10:30 AM
at the Durham Public Library, the Yankee Crime Series begins with
Stranger in the Kingdom (April 24), continues with Flashpoint (May 22), and will
end with Primary Storm sometime in June. This selection of murder mysteries, set
in New England and written by contemporary New
England authors, looks through a local lens at questions such as:
What is justice? What role should mercy play? Is crime ever justified? What can
ordinary citizens do to uphold social order? A copy of the Stranger in the
Kingdom can be picked up at the Circulation desk. Sponsored by the Friends of
the Library.

ORMS
JAZZ BAND FUND-RAISER

On Friday, April 3, 2009, beginning
at 8:30 PM, the Dads of Oyster River Middle School Jazz Band will hold a
fund-raiser at Libby’s Bar and Grill to benefit the ORMS jazz band’s trip to
Walt Disney World. There will be two local bands, “Rough” and “The Modulators”.
There will also be a raffle for items donated by Daddy’s Junky Music and Wildcat
Fitness. Proceeds from this event will benefit the ORMS Jazz
Band.

BOBCAT
BOLT 5K/10K AND OYSTER RIVER FESTIVAL

On May 9, 2009, the
inaugural Bobcat Bolt 5K/10K and Oyster River Festival, presented by Gault
Builders, will be held at the Oyster River
High school where the race
will begin. The Bobcat Bolt and the Oyster River Festival are part of the larger
goal to bring the Seacoast together to celebrate with sport, live music, art,
and a positive community building effort. Proceeds from the races will benefit
youth initiatives in the surrounding community in honor of Durham, NH brothers Joshua and Nathan Hardy. A
Youth
Center, with music, art,
and a skatepark in the school district is the immediate focus. Registration is
$35 and can be completed online at www.bobcatbolt.com. Following the race,
the inaugural Oyster River Festival will commence with live music, art
exhibitions, and food vendors on-site. For more information, contact Race
Director Christopher Jerard at CJ@bobcatbolt.com or Festival Director Anita
Mathur at Anita@bobcatbolt.com

SATURDAY
MATINEE AT TOWN HALL

Tomorrow afternoon (Saturday, March
21st) at 2:00 PM, the controversial 1949 feature film "Lost Boundaries" will be
shown in the Council Chamber at Town Hall. Filmed in Portsmouth, Newington,
Durham, and other seacoast communities, this
story of small town life in New
Hampshire before and during WWII, was produced by Louis
de Rochemont, who won an Oscar for the 1944 documentary "The Fighting Lady".
Among the scenes shot in Durham or on the UNH
campus is one that shows Durham’s Mill Pond dam as it was sixty years
ago.  The film, which deals with crossing racial barriers, will be
introduced by resident Julian Smith, a retired professor of film
studies.

EVENTS AT THE
MUSEUM OF ART/ UNIVERSITY OF NEW
HAMPSHIRE

Monday, March
23, noon - 2 p.m.

Room A204,
Paul
Creative Arts Center
Brown Bag Lunch Film Series: The
Circus (Charlie Chaplin, 1928, 68
min.)

Wednesday,
March 25, noon

Museum of Art, Paul Creative
Arts Center
ArtBreak: Gallery Talk:
Ben Cariens, professor of Art, UNH, discusses works on view in the current
exhibition Drawing the
Line.

Paul Creative Arts
Center,
30 Academic Way,
Durham, NH
03824  All
programs are FREE.  www.unh.edu/moa

FUND-RAISERS
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 chances.  Drawing to take place by
  mid-May.
  
• March raffle
  calendars for $10 per calendar. Drawing date will be on
  4/1.
  
• 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.
  
• Drawing to take place
  by mid-May.

Participants for this fund-raiser
will be at Durham Marketplace on Saturday, March 21, 2009 from 10:00AM-2:00 PM;
and at the Durham
Community Church on Sunday, March 28 and Sunday,
April 4 from 11:00 AM-12 noon.  Raffle tickets can be obtained through
committee co-chairs, Diane Gallant (coyotemesa@yahoo.com) and Sheila Harding (smdh@comcast.net).

FAMILY
BOATBUILDING WORKSHOP - APPLY BY APRIL 15

The tenth annual UNH Marine Docent
Family Boatbuilding Workshop will be held at Kingman Farm in Madbury, May 15, 16
and 17. Each participating family will build their own 12 ft. Oyster River Cat
sailboat over the three-day weekend. It is a chance for families to work
together on a project they will enjoy for years to come. No experience is
needed; only a strong desire and rudimentary skills. Single moms, all thumbs
dads, and extended families are invited to apply. Each family must include a
youth 12 years or older. The boat is a sprightly sailing vessel with a 5 ft.
beam that can carry a family of three for a day of sailing on quiet water. It
can double as a row boat if there is no wind.  It is light enough to
car-top or transport in a pickup, van, or small trailer. The total cost of $950
includes all materials, rigging, and sail. An experienced Docent will work with
each family to guarantee success. For complete details and application forms
visit our website at www.unh.edu/marine-education.
Please call UNH Sea Grant, Mark Wiley or Dari Ward at 749-1565, or Project
Director Ray Belles at 868-7180 with questions.

HICKORY
POND INN

Hickory Pond Inn is pleased to
announce NEW hours
for public dining Thursday – Saturday 5:00 to 9:00 PM
and Sunday Brunch 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM. Reservations are welcome, but not
necessary. Durham, Lee, and Madbury residents will receive
a $10.00 discount. Visit the Hickory Pond Inn’s website at www.hickorypondinn.com.

Extreme
Air to Host Regional Tournament

New
Hampshire’s Competition Jump Rope Team, Extreme Air, will host
the USA Jump Rope Region 10 Tournament on Saturday, April 4, 2009 at the
Oyster River High
School gymnasium at 55 Coe Drive in Durham, New
Hampshire.  Members of Extreme Air will face teams
from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode
Island, and New York as they vie
for the opportunity to compete at the USA Jump Rope National Championships which
will be held in Galveston,
Texas in
June.

This will be the first time that a
Regional Tournament has been held in the Granite State and, therefore, presents a unique
and exciting opportunity for area residents to experience live competitive jump
rope.   The event is open to the general public.  The day will
begin at 8:00 AM with an Opening Ceremony, followed by single rope individual,
relay and double dutch speed events, single rope individual and pairs freestyle,
double dutch freestyle and double dutch pairs freestyle.  The competition
will conclude late afternoon with group team show and an awards ceremony. 
Continental breakfast and lunch, jump ropes and t-shirts will be available for
purchase.  Visitors may also purchase a chance to win several exciting
raffle prizes.  For additional information visit www.extremeairnh.com.

FROM
HISTORY IN AN OYSTERSHELL – 1600 – 1976

“1901 – Tourist attractions: Adams
House, 25 guests, $6 to $10 per week; Brookside Farm, 15 guests, $1 per day, 2
miles from station; Highland House, 20 guests, $7 per week, electric lights,
good boating. Additional boarding houses – Chesley, Wiggin, Emerson and
Woodman.”

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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