Friday Update May 30, 2008

Untitled Document

FRIDAY
UPDATES

May
30, 2008

Emery Farm located on Route 4

(Photo courtesy
Beryl Harper)

The Memorial Day Parade went off without
a hitch on Monday, May 26th. A thank you is extended to Dick Dewing and all
the other individuals who helped to make the day memorable for the community.
An additional mention is offered with respect to the Oyster River Middle School
Jazz Band which was simply fabulous.

BEHIND
THE SCENES AT EMERY FARM

A final reminder that on Sunday, June
1, 2008 from 3:30 5:00 PM, Emery Farm invites families to come and explore
one of Durhams newest conservation lands and learn
what it takes to make Emery Farm function. The walk will begin at 3:30
and will take place rain or shine. Bring your binoculars for bird watching!
The trails are easy, but please wear appropriate footgear and take measures
to protect from those pesky insects. Please leave pets at home.
Call Cynthia Belowski at 868-5562 for more information. Meet at the Emery Farm
stand off of Route 4. This walk is sponsored by the Durham Land
Protection Working Group and the Durham Conservation Commission.

NEWMARKETS
WATER NEEDS

On Tuesday afternoon, June 3, 2008,
Town Engineer David Cedarholm and
the Administrator will meet with the Newmarket Town Administrator to discuss
the Town of Newmarkets long-term water needs. Newmarket is evaluating the possibility of utilizing water
from the Lamprey
River to recharge its own
well head area in an effort to improve its municipal water supply. The meeting
is intended to bring Durham up-to-date on Newmarkets
efforts and to see whether the discussions in Newmarket
have any bearing on Durhams
own water supply.

MILNE
PARCEL

The Department of Public Works has
moved a large piece of granite from the entrance of the Longmarsh Trail area
to the Town-owned Milne property on Mill Road to be utilized as part of a long-term
monument commemorating the Milnes deep love of the community. A working group
comprised of members of the Town staff, Conservation Commission, and Trustees
of the Trust Funds will be evaluating different approaches for the memorial,
including a visit to the studio of Walter Liff to evaluate potential artistic
renderings that might be included as part of the memorial stone.

Fire
Captains Richard Miller, Mike Hoffman, and Hubert Matheny TO BE HONORED

On June 7, 2008 the Fire Department
will hold a retirement / promotion celebration for Captain Hubert Matheny, Captain
Richard Miller, and Captain Michael Hoffman
thanking them for their 70 years of combined service to the Durham
community. The department will also welcome three new Fire Captains.
For more information and to purchase a ticket for this event, please call Melissa
at the Durham Fire Department 862-1426.

TOWN
COUNCIL BUDGET WORK SESSION

A reminder to members of the Council
that a special budget work session has been scheduled for Monday, June 9, 2008
beginning at 7:00 PM. I have asked each of our department heads to attend to
so that they might listen to the discussion that takes place and answer questions
from Council members that arise.

STATUS
OF MILL PLAZA PROJECT

The Administrator called offices of
the owner of the Mill Plaza property this week to touch base in
an effort to maintain an open line of communication with respect to possible
interest in redevelopment of the property. At this time the property owner is
focusing a good deal of attention on the parcel and has been in communication
with many individuals concerning possibilities on the site. The Administrator
was encouraged to continue to reach out the owner moving forward and plans to
do so.

CONCEPTUAL
REUSE OF DURHAM EVANGELICAL CHURCH AS DURHAM TOWN OFFICES, POLICE STATION, AND DISTRICT
COURT

The Administrator requested a proposal
from Kellie Davis from Sumner Architects with regard to the above. A scope of
work has been submitted, reviewed, and Administrator Selig has approved Sumner
Davis moving forward with an initial conceptual analysis for the reuse of the
Durham Evangelical
Church. The fee for the scope of work is
$2,806.00 and will include the following: 1) Review of the floor plan
and exterior elevation drawings of the DEC building; 2) Analysis of the overall
condition of the existing church building and quality of construction; 3) Prepare
two concept programs for the district court and police station which have yet
to be done. The Town office program is already completed from a previous study.
4) Assemble an existing site plan to study the relationship to the site of the
three proposed uses; 5) Suggest locations in the existing building for the three
proposed uses; and 6) Attend meetings with the Town Administrator, the Economic
Development Committee, and other stakeholders to present findings.

APPRAISALS
FOR VARIOUS PROPERTIES

The Town Administrator has requested
proposals for appraisals on the Durham Town Office site, the Durham Evangelical Church site, the Durham Police Department site, and
the Park Court
properties site adjacent to the Mill Plaza. An Initial proposal has been submitted
by appraiser Peter Knight of the Stanhope Group. Two additional firms were solicited,
and it is the Administrators expectation that at least one of the remaining
two will submit a proposal in the next few days. It is the Administrators hope
that these appraisals can be moved forward in the near future. Two additional
appraisal RFPs were subsequently solicited by the Town: the Grange property
and the property owned by Varsity Durham LLC located at 2
Mill Pond Road

NOISE ORDINANCE

Within the past
week the Town has received several reports related to excessive noise levels.
The Town has a Noise Ordinance which limits private and public areas to acceptable
sound levels during specific times of the day. In short, loud noise is not permitted
before 10:00 AM on Sunday or before 7:00 AM during the rest of the week. Residents
experiencing noise disturbances should contact the Durham Police Department
at 868-2324. Click HERE to
view a copy of Durhams Noise Ordinance.

BROKEN
GLASS ON TOWN SIDEWALKS AND STREETS

This week the Town was notified of
excessive broken glass on the sidewalks in and around the area of Madbury Road, Coe
Drive, and Garrison Avenue. Residents are encouraged
to report any areas in Town where broken glass is located on sidewalks or on
Town streets to the Department of Public Works at 868-5578 so that it can be
promptly removed.

NEW
BUSINESS OPENS IN TOWN WILDCAT FITNESS

Renovations are underway in the Mill
Plaza Shopping
Center for a new fitness center, Wildcat Fitness.
Owners Ken and Susan Entz have a target opening date of June 28, 2008.

CHANGES
IN AUTOMOBILE REGISTRATION

Beginning on Tuesday, June 3, 2008,
the Town Clerks office will be going on-line with the State of New Hampshire
Division of Motor Vehicles. This means the Town will be working directly from
the states motor vehicle database, thereby allowing the Clerks office to offer
more services and limit the necessity for residents to go to motor vehicle substations.
During the initial adjustment period, we ask that residents be patient as the
Town Clerks office will be responsible for more aspects of the motor vehicle
process and it will take longer to process automobile transactions. Registration
renewals may be done on-line through E-Reg by logging on to the Town
web site at www.ci.durham.nh.us, or by mail. New
registrations must be done in person at the Town Clerks office. If registering
a new vehicle, residents are reminded to please bring their old registrations
or renewal notices with them when registering their cars.

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.

Durham Energy Committee
Monday, June 2, 2008 (4:30 PM)

Town Council Monday, June 2, 2008

Historic District Commission Thursday,
June 5, 2008

To view an agenda 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.

SUPERVISORS
OF THE CHECKLIST

On Tuesday, June 3, 3008 from 6:30-7:30
PM, the Durham Supervisors of the Checklist will meet at the Town Hall to make
corrections to the checklist, to accept new voter registrations, and to accept
changes in party registration. This is the last time changes in the party
registration can be made before the state primary on September 9, 2008.
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 drivers license
and a birth certificate or passport are useful. Affidavits of domicile and citizenship
may be signed under oath if proofs are lacking.

PAVING
UPDATE

To date, the paving crew has reclaimed
and applied a 2" base coat to Deer Meadow Road, Langley
Road and Fox Hill Road.  The
recently applied asphalt will be left to settle for approximately two months
to reveal any low spots or other issues that can be tended to prior to the final
coat.  The final coat, a 1" wearing course, as well as the tie
in of driveway aprons, mailbox pullouts, and shoulder work, will be completed
sometime in late August.  Miscellaneous landscaping and other cleanup
will also be completed at that time.

ROAD
PROGRAM

The 2008 Road Program will be starting
on Ambler Way, Gerrish Drive, Morgan Way, Williams
Way, and Tirrell Place scheduled to begin approximately
the 3rd week of June.

UPCOMING
WORK AREAS IN TOWN

The Public Works Department
would like to caution residents that there will be two separate operations taking
place in the roadway in various locations of the central Town area for
the next month or so, both of which will be utilizing a large truck and will
have employees or contractors in the roadway from time to time. The projects
include cleaning of stormwater catch basins and cleaning of wastewater
(sewer) manholes. Please use caution when approaching these work
areas.

JACKSONS
LANDING PROJECT

The Jackson's Landing wetland permitting process
has become delayed due to an extensive review of the project by the Army Corps
of Engineers which deals with any projects in or around tidal waters.
We hope to have more information in the near future.

REMOVAL
OF OLD INCINERATOR AND SMOKE STACK AT TRANSFER STATION

On Wednesday, May 28, 2008, the Department
of Public Works staff opened bids for the decommissioning and removal of
the old incinerator and smoke stack at the Transfer Station and Recycling Center. The project was budgeted at
$75,000. Due to the steadily rising price of steel and metal, and because much
of what will be removed is metal/steel, it appears that the decommissioning
cost may be closer to $16,000, half of which will be paid for by the University of New Hampshire. More information will be
provided after a complete review of the bids is conducted.

UNH
MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEERS HOST 7th ANNUAL PLANT SALE AND GARDEN EXPO

On Sunday, June 1, 2008, the
Master Gardener volunteers from the University of New Hampshires
Cooperative Extension, Strafford County Office, will hold their 7th Annual Plant
Sale and Garden Expo in the parking lot of Ocean Bank on Route 108 in Durham (across from the Town Hall). The
Plant Sale and Expo hours are from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, rain or shine.
Master Gardener volunteers from throughout Strafford County will be on hand to help local gardeners.
For more information, contact Jim Berry at 603-750-4114 or email Berrycomm@aol.com.

MCGREGOR
MEMORIAL EMS OFFERS CPR /AED TRAINING

The McGregor Memorial EMS will conduct
training in the life saving techniques of Cardiopulmonary Respiration (CPR)
and the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) for adults, children,
and infants on June 3, 2008 from 6:00-8:30 PM at the Durham Public Library.
Students will also gain knowledge on how to relieve choking and what to do for
a heart attack and stroke. This class is hands-on with students practicing on
mannequins and using AED devices. Course participants will receive a two-year
certification from the American Heart Association. The cost is $20.
To register please email your name and the name and date of the class to cprregistrations@mcgregorems.org
or call 862-3674.

ORHS
SAVE DARFUR CLUB HOSTS COMMUNITY BENEFIT CONCERT

A final reminder that on Saturday,
May 31, 2008 from 1:00-4:00 PM, the Oyster River High School Save Darfur Club
will host a Rock-Fur-Darfur community benefit concert at the Mill Pond Center. All proceeds go to the people of
Darfur. Bring your family and a blanket,
enjoy great music, and learn about this issue.

FROM
HISTORY IN AN OYSTERSHELL 1600 1976

1782 Portsmouth
Received of the Selectmen one hundred twenty seven gallons, by half gallons,
Rum, being a tax on the Town of Durham
agreeably to an Act of Said State passed the 31st of August last.

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

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

var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www.");
document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E"));

try {
var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-9978162-1");
pageTracker._trackPageview();
} catch(err) {}

Email
First Name
Last Name

Friday Update May 30, 2008

Friday Updates