“FRIDAY
UPDATES”

Friday,
May 7, 2010

 

 

Community Garden at Wagon Hill Farm

Courtesy Dianne
Thompson

 

On Saturday, May 8^th, a
short video showing the development of the community garden at Wagon Hill Farm
will air on Durham’s cable Channel, Channel 22, beginning
at 6:30 PM.

 

Leave your car at home and commute
another way on Friday, May 21, national Bike/Walk to Work Day. Join other
bikers, walkers, and public transportation-takers for a free commuter breakfast
at the wildcat statue at the Whittemore
Center (corner of Main Street and
College
Road) from 7:00-10:00 AM, hosted by the Town of
Durham, Durham: It’s Where U Live, and Seacoast Area
Bicycle Routes. If you live in Durham and commute
elsewhere, check out www.seacoastbikes.org for information
on breakfasts in Portsmouth, Dover, Exeter, Lee, Pease,
Stratham, and North
Hampton.

 

Risks
Come with Regulating Risk Pools

Durham and the Oyster River
Cooperative School District purchase their various insurance products (health,
dental, disability, workers' compensation, unemployment compensation,
property-liability) through PRIMEX and/or the Local Government Center, two of
the three pooled risk management entities (the third of which is SchoolCare)
which provide insurance products to the vast majority of towns, cities, school
districts, and counties in New Hampshire. At the present time, state
legislators are looking into how these public insurance risk pools are
managed for the first time since their creation over 20 years ago. Proposed
legislation would cap how much reserve the pools could keep on hand.  The
measure would also redistribute surplus premiums back to cities and towns and
give state regulators greater oversight over the pools.  On Tuesday and
Thursday of this week Administrator Selig participated in public hearings
in Concord
before the Senate Commerce Committee regarding the topic.  To view an Op Ed
submission from Mr. Selig regarding this issue, visit http://fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100506/GJOPINION_0102/705069736/-1/FOSOPINION. 
To listen to NHPR's coverage of the issue, go to http://www.nhpr.org/node/32315. 

 

Rental
Housing Commission - Several Important Draft Ordinances Being
Considered

On Wednesday, May 5, 2010, the
Durham Rental Housing Commission met and discussed a variety of student
housing-related topics including present enforcement efforts and
review/discussion relating to draft copies of four pieces of legislation
requested by the Commission:  A Large
Gathering Permit Ordinance which would limit the assembly of
persons in excess of 50 between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. throughout the
town without a valid permit; a Disorderly
House Ordinance which would create financial sanctions for
the owners of properties upon which multiple disorderly events occur to include
boisterous parties, loud music, fights, intoxication, etc.; a Rental Housing
Licensing Ordinance requiring all owners of any rental
property in Durham regardless of type to register those properties with the Town
to include physical inspections at least once every five years to ensure minimum
state health and safety standards are being met; and an update to the Town's
existing Noise
Ordinance by moving the effective time ahead one hour from 11
p.m. to 10 p.m. 

 

The Commission plans to meet next on
May 19^th at 4:00 PM to talk more about the Large Gathering and
Disorderly House ordinance drafts. On June 23rd the Commission will discuss
the Rental Housing Licensing Ordinance as well as the idea of developing a
Property Maintenance Code for Durham.  The Commission hopes that members
of the Durham Landlords Association will have had an opportunity to provide
feedback relative to the Licensing Ordinance draft by that time.  In
addition, Durham
resident Sam Flanders of the Cowell
Drive neighborhood was elected Chair of the
Commission for the coming year.  A thank you is extended to outgoing Rental
Housing Commission Chair Paul Berton for his hard work in endeavoring to
address rental housing issues facing the community.

 

          

 

Round-about
crazy!                                                   
B. Dennis Charette vision for downtown

 

Main
Street
two-way traffic Discussion

On Tuesday, May 4th, Town staff
and representatives from UNH and the Strafford Regional Planning Commission
met from 1 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. at the Town Office regarding the idea of
turning the one-way loop the downtown Durham into a two-way road setup.  We
also included local landscape architect Robbi Woodburn as part of the
discussion.  This analysis focused on the two-way ideas brought
forward as part of the B. Dennis Strategic Plan discussion.  Maps
were created in anticipation for brainstorming which occurred during
the meeting.  As part of the discussion, round-a-bouts,
square-a-bouts, traffic calming measures, parking strategies, landscaping,
bicycles, and pedestrian activity were all covered.  While the conversation
will continue later this month such that the participants have time to further
analyze and develop the ideas discussed, a number of short-term pilot projects
for this summer were considered.  One of these is to transform Pettee Book
Lane, which many characterize as a raceway, from a two-lane traveled way to a
one-lane shared vehicular/bicycle roadway with on-street, head-in parking on the
left-hand side of the road.  Another potential location for a pilot change
during the summer months is the stretch of Madbury Road from Main Street to
Pettee Brook
Lane by narrowing this area utilizing paint from
two-lanes to one to calm/slow traffic flow, making it more bicycle and
pedestrian friendly.  Consideration is presently being given to a
pilot implementation date as soon as June 2010 for the summer
months.

 

2010/2011
Town Council Goals

On Monday, May 3, 2010, the Town
Council approved its list of goals for 2010/2011. To view the Council’s goals,
click HERE.

 

Oyster
River School Board Discussion on Council Resolution 2010-02 Dealing with 2009
District Surplus Funds

On Wednesday evening, March 17,
2010, the Oyster River Cooperative School Board (ORCSB) discussed with Town
Administrator Selig Town Council Resolution 2010-02, a resolution requesting
that the school board direct the Oyster River
Cooperative School District administration to provide
adequate documentation regarding the expenditure of surplus funds from the 2009
fiscal year. After discussion, the board asked that a response to the Council
resolution be drafted for review at its next meeting. To view the School Board’s
response to the Durham Town Council regarding the resolution click HERE.
To view Resolution 2010-02 click HERE.
To view the specific DCAT/Channel 22 broadcast of the school board discussion
regarding this item, visit http://vimeo.com/10281695.

 

It’s
Prom and Graduation Season

During this time of excitement and
transition, nearly 50 teenagers will be killed in car crashes throughout the
United
States each week.  Many teens, and sadly
some parents, consider alcohol/drug use as normal adolescent rite of
passage. 

 

As parents, we have the obligation
to guide and encourage our teens to celebrate safely without alcohol or
drugs.  We can help them make the right decisions to avoid putting
themselves at risk by asking questions about our teens’ plans and having
conversations with them about some of the realities of illegal possession,
abuse, and other dangerous situations.  While it all may seem a little
redundant it’s okay for us to say that we love our kids and simple acts of
saying “no” does not negate the opportunity to still have fun. 

 

Keeping out of vehicles with anyone
who has been drinking and wearing seatbelts are simple statements but may be
incredibly important. Tell your teen that you want them to call you if they
can’t get a safe ride home.  Emphasize that you want them to call even if
they have been drinking or using drugs while reassuring them that, while you do
not support or condone this behavior, their safety is your first concern. 

 

If you decide to host a party for
teens, do not allow them to drink alcohol or use drugs.  Check on them
regularly to be sure that no one is sneaking alcohol or other illegal substances
into your home. The consequence of allowing underage drinking and the use
of drugs in your home is severe, especially if a guest is injured or killed
during the party or after leaving your home. 

 

We are the parents!  We owe it
to our children to be good role models and not send mixed messages like renting
hotel rooms for after prom parties which could lead to criminal charges and/or
civil litigation.  Keeping our kids healthy is one of our primary jobs and
we should never forget our powerful positive impact when we are limiting our
children’s activities by drawing reasonable boundaries.  It has been said
that successful parenting combines both the warmth of boosting & saying
“Yes!” with the firmness of limiting and saying
“No!”

 

SPRING
WATER AND SEWER BILLS

The spring water and sewer bills
will be mailed out today. Payments will be due on June 7, 2010.
 

 

Work
has resumed on the Main Street-West improvement
project 

The collaborative Durham/UNH
project, bringing significant Federal money to Durham, will result in reconstruction of
Main Street
west of the rail bridge, development of
sidewalks/multi-use path from campus to West Edge, a roundabout at the junction
of Main
Street and North Drive, and continuation of the
Main
Street bike lanes west to NH 155A and Old Concord
Road.  Reconstruction of Main Street
itself will not begin until Monday, May 24^th after UNH
Commencement.  The entire project should be substantially completed by the
end of August. Drivers may experience temporary delays, and after May 24,
detours during weekday construction.  The full corridor investment is
projected to cost $1.3 million with the majority of funds coming from the
Federal Highway Administration and the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act of 2009.  Local funding is provided cooperatively between the Town
and UNH.  The project is being managed by UNH Energy and Campus
Development.  For more information, please visit the project website
http://www.unh.edu/ecd/designmainstwest.html.

 

 

Engineering
Truck

The Public Works Department
rehabilitated the old traffic control truck from the Police Department this
spring.  The spiffed up truck will serve as the main mode of transportation
for the Engineering Division. 

 

Reminder-
Hydrant Flushing

The Town of Durham and the University of New
Hampshire began the flushing of water mains on May
3^rd and will continue through Friday, May 14^th. 
Flushing will be done at night between the
hours of 9:00 PM and 7:00 AM.  These procedures are necessary to eliminate
the buildup of sediment in the water mains and to allow for easy isolation of
water shut off during any leaks or breaks.  Flushing of the mains and gate valve exercising may cause
temporary discoloration of the water; however, the water remains safe for
drinking.  This discoloration will disappear with normal household
use.  It is suggested that sensitive laundry not be washed if the water is
obviously discolored. Try not to draw water if you observe flushing in your
area. Please call the UNH Water Supply at 862-1390 or the Department of Public
Works at 868-5578 with questions and/or concerns.

 

Storm
debris update

The roadside collection of large
storm debris has been completed.  The Packers Falls Gravel Pit will remain opened from 8-4:30 until May
15^th for larger storm-related debris and
will then be closed to the public after that time. If residents attempt to
bring brush to the pit over the weekend or before the 15^th and there
is a problem with the gate being closed, please call Stafford County dispatch at 749-4968 and they will
contact an on call person to open it up.  After May 15^th, there will no longer be
access to the pit and materials can be brought up to the Transfer Station as
usual.  Remember that all brush that comes to the Transfer Station can be no longer than 5 feet in
length and no wider than 5 inches in diameter to be accepted. 

 

Right-to-Know
Law Educational Session Scheduled for Board Members &
Community

The members of the Town of Durham’s boards, committees, commissions, town council, and
library board of trustees serve as members of public boards and are therefore
responsible to act in accordance with the Right-to-Know law in the State of
New
Hampshire. The Preamble of the Right-to-Know law
reads:  “Openness in the conduct of
public business is essential to a democratic society. The purpose of this
chapter is to ensure both the greatest possible public access to the actions,
discussions and records of all public bodies, and their accountability to the
people.”  In order to ensure that the members of Durham’s public boards are
given the resources they need to act in accord with RSA 91-A, a Right-to-Know
law educational session has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 25, 2010 beginning at 7:00 PM
in the Town Council chambers.  Attorney
Christine Fillmore from the Local
Government Center will be present to provide an overview of the law
and to answer any questions that board members may have. The general public
and Town department heads are invited and encouraged to attend the session, or
to view it on Durham Community Access Television (Channel 22).  Oyster River School Board members are also invited to
attend, as well as board members from the communities of Lee and
Madbury.

 

From
the Supervisors of the Checklist 

On September
14, 2010, there will be a State Primary Election.  All registered voters
may vote at this election whether Republican, Democrat, or Undeclared, unlike in
some states.  However, if you are registered as a Republican or a Democrat,
you must vote within that party at the Primary.  If you are registered
Undeclared, you may choose which ballot you want at the Election.  June 1 is the LAST day you can change your party
affiliation before the Primary.  There are currently two checklists
available to check your status – one in the Durham Post Office on a table near
the mailboxes and one at the Town Hall (kept behind the desk).  An updated
checklist will be available in those same places on or about May 21. You may
change your party affiliation up through June 1 at the Durham Town Hall during regular business hours or
on the evening of June 1 between 7:00 and 7:30.  New voters may register
(and choose their party) any time up through September 7. New registrations will
also be accepted at the polls on Election Day, but no changes to party can be
made on that day.

 

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. 

 

Durham Energy Committee – Monday, May 10,
2010 (7:30
PM)

Zoning Board of Adjustment –
Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Planning Board – Wednesday, May 12,
2010

Conservation Commission – Thursday,
May 13, 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

 

DURHAM PARKS AND RECREATION
PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

Stay
current with all Durham P&R programs by viewing the April Recreation
Reminder, please click HERE. 
Also, visit our website at http://www.ci.durham.nh.us/COMMUNITY/recreation.html or on Facebook - search ‘Town of Durham
Parks.’ 

 

To register for any of the classes
below, please contact Durham P&R Director Michael Mengers at 817-4074, mmengers@ci.durham.nh.us, or visit
the Town Clerk’s Office.

 

§        
Friday, May 7 (and every Friday!), 6:00
PM, Oyster River Middle School Field – Pickup
Ultimate Frisbee

§        
Monday, May 17, 7:00 PM, Durham P&R: 
Monday Evening Yoga
Begins

§        
Wednesday, May 19, 6:00 PM, Durham
P&R: Women’s
Self-Defense Course.  FREE, but space is
limited.

§        
Saturday, May 22, 10:00 AM, Wagon Hill
Farm: Green Thumb
Gang – Youth Gardening Introduction
Meeting

§        
Monday, May 31, 10:00 AM, starting at
Town Landing – Memorial Day Parade

§        
Saturday, June 12, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM –
The Durham
Bazaar. Reserve your spot today!

§        
Want to join the Durham P&R
Softball Team?  All games will be played on week nights at UNH, starting
June 1^st.

 

PARKS
& RECREATION ADOPT-A-TRAIL – LOOKING FOR
VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers have done
an incredible job clearing Durham trails of debris left from the numerous
winter storms that hit the area.  The Parks & Recreation Committee is
now looking for volunteers to join the Adopt-A-Trail program to continue
maintaining Town trail systems.  Do you have a favorite trail?  Are
you an outdoor person?  Contact Gregg Moore at durhamtrails@yahoo.com if you
would like to volunteer.

 

THE
DURHAM
BAZAAR

The
Parks & Recreation Committee is organizing Durham’s strangest event: The Durham
Bazaar.  For $10 anyone can get a spot in the Churchill Rink to sell their
wares.  Baseball cards, plants, antiques, baked goods, artwork, etc. All
are welcome.  The Bazaar is on Saturday, June 12^th from 9am –
1pm at the Churchill Rink.  Spend the day at the rink shopping, playing on
the Jackson’s
Landing Playground, listening to live music by Fling and much more. 
Proceeds go towards the Churchill Rink.  Contact P&R Director Michael
Mengers to reserve your spot, mmengers@ci.durham.nh.us,
817-4074.

 

COMMUNITY
EVENTS

§        
May 6, 7, & 8, 7:00 PM, Oyster River High
School:  Bye Bye
Birdie. Tickets: $8 students/Seniors
$5

§        
Saturday, May 8, 9:00 AM, St. George’s Church:  Durham Garden Club Annual Plant
Sale

§        
Saturday, May 8, 12:00 noon, Town
Landing: Oyster River
Quackfest sponsored by Oyster River Womenade – a rubber duck race
down the Oyster
River. Ducks will launch at
1:30 PM. To learn more about Oyster
River Womenade and the Quackfest, visit: www.orwomenade.org.

§        
Saturday, May 15, 8:00 AM, Oyster River
High School:  Bobcat Bolt 5K/10K Race and Oyster
River Festival. Registration can be completed online at www.bobcatbolt.com. Following the race,
the 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 orhs92@yahoo.com (or anita@bobcatbolt.com). Residents should expect traffic delays;
especially in the area of the Oyster River
High
School.

§        
Wednesday, May 19, 7:00 PM, Hugh Gregg Coastal
Conservation Center, 89 Depot Rd., Greenland,
NH:  Public Meeting of the Great Bay National Estuarine Research
Reserve. For more information, call Reserve Manager
Peter Wellenberger at 603-868-1095. Read more at http://www.wildnh.com/Newsroom/News_2010/News_2010_Q2/Great_Bay_Hrg_2010.html

§        
Wednesday, May 26, 4:30 – 6:00 PM, Moharimet Elementary
School:  One World Language School Registration and Information
Night. Classes are for children 3 to 15 years of age and are held
Wednesday afternoons at Moharimet. Classes begin September 29, 2010. For more
information, please contact Julie Reece at julie.reece@oneworldlanguageschool.org or
866-0364.

§        
August 2-6 and September 9-13, Museum of Art, UNH Paul
Creative Arts Center:  Summer Art
Camp. For complete description of classes or to register on-line,
visit www.unh.edu/moa or contact Catherine
A. Mazur at Catherine.mazur@unh.edu,
862-3713.

§        
Raffle to
Benefit UNH Sailing Centre. For more information, visit www.unh.edu/sailing-club/ or contact
Coach Diana Weidenbacker at 868-5189, dianaw46@comcast.net.

§        
ORYA Travel Soccer Tryout
pre-registration forms are due by 5/30 for all
players interested in playing travel soccer next fall and spring. Please return
these to the ORYA office no later than 5/30.  Tryouts will be held starting
June 9^th for the girls and June 10^th for the boys. To
access a registration form, please click HERE.

§        
9^th Annual ORYA Golf
tournament
is being held at Wentworth by the Sea Country Club on Monday June
21^st.  Registrations forms are available at www.oryarec.org.

 

Durham
Public Library Programs and Events

Visit our website at www.durhampubliclibrary.org for
more information.

 

§        
Fri., May 7, 10 AM-5 PM; Sat., May 8, 10 AM-2 PM,
Durham Public Library: Durham Library Spring Spectacular Book Sale. For more information, contact
Beth Newkirk at bnewkirk@comcast.net.

§        
Tue., May 11 –
7:00-8:00 PM – Pastures of Plenty:  The Future of Food in New England

§        
Wed., May 12 – 7:00-8:00 PM –  Power of One
Public Awareness Night

§        
Thu., May 13 – 6:30-9:00 PM – Film:  Where Do
the Children Play?

§        
Tue. & Thu., May 11 & 13 – 10:30 AM –
Storytime. This week,
Pigs!

§        
Mon., May 31 – Annual Treasure Hunt & Picnic
immediately following the parade and ceremonies. Sponsored by the Durham Public Library Board of Trustees and Durham Parks and Recreation. Click HERE
for more information.

 

Weekly
Police Arrest Report

 

Week – 46	23 UNH (50%)	23 Other (50%)
*2009/10 Academic Year – 822	513 UNH (62%)	309 Other (38%)
Calendar Year – 279	154 UNH (63%)	79 Other (37%)

*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	45	49	54	84	46
Academic Year	1005	854	841	855	822
Calendar Year	343	351	400	378	279

 

NEW
HAMPSHIRE
TRIVIA & TIDBITS

“The crumbling
remains of the 1814 Walbach
Tower in New Castle (pop. 1,010) still are visible near
Fort
Constitution. Built during
a British blockade of Portsmouth Harbor, the tower was named for Col. John
de Barth Walbach, a German native who joined the American Army in 1799.”
AmericanProfile
Magazine – First appeared:
6/1/2008

 

Have a good weekend and a Happy
Mother’s Day.

 

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.