Friday Update October 14, 2011

Friday,
October 14, 2011

Pumpkins and mums at Emery
Farm. Courtesy Joan
Weinstock

A
reminder to residents that Trick-Or-Treating
in Durham, Lee, and Madbury takes place on
the night before Halloween from 5 - 7:30 PM.
 

In
addition, be sure to check out
the 8th
Annual Halloween Extravaganza -
Thursday, Oct 27, 2011, 5:00 - 8:00 PM at
Mills Hall, UNH. More information can be
found in the Community Events section
below.

RENTAL HOUSING ORDINANCE
LEGISLATION TO BE CONSIDERED BY TOWN
COUNCIL
Throughout 2010, the impact of college
students renting properties located within
neighborhoods once again become a focus for
various Town departments, the Rental Housing
Commission, and residents living within
affected neighborhoods. Included as part of
this ongoing challenge were the matters of
parking, noise, vandalism, and crime in
general.

The
Rental Housing Commission worked diligently
to develop potential ways in which to address
these various issues, including the creation
of a rental registry, a property maintenance
code, a large gathering permit, amending the
Town’s current Noise Ordinance, and
adoption of a Disorderly House
Ordinance.

An
ordinance amending certain sections of the
Town’s Noise Ordinance was introduced
to the Council and adopted on June 21, 2010.
In addition, a Disorderly House ordinance was
adopted by the Town Council on September 13,
2010, the focus of which is not on tenants,
but on property owners with the idea that
ultimately the owner needs to be responsible
for the behavior occurring on his/her
property.

Town
Councilor Jay Gooze has been in contact with
attorney Cordell Johnston, counsel for the
Local Government Center, to craft draft
legislation language that would allow
municipalities to adopt, by ordinance,
requirements for annual licensing and
inspection of non-owner occupied rental
dwelling units.
 

Members of Durham’s legislative
delegation were invited to the October 3,
2011 Town Council meeting where they were
provided an update on the status of
legislation which passed during last
year’s session and any legislation
being considered that may be of particular
interest to Durham or the surrounding area.
At that meeting, Councilor Gooze asked
Senator Amanda Merrill about the idea of
introducing the draft legislation crafted by
attorney Johnston. Senator Merrill indicated
that she would be willing to consider this
draft legislation for introduction as a
Senate Bill.

On Monday
evening, October 17, 2011, the Council will
give consideration to a draft resolution
(Resolution #2011-19) requesting
Durham’s legislative delegation to
support and introduce legislation that would
allow municipalities to adopt, by ordinance,
annual licensing and inspection requirements
for all non-owner occupied rental dwelling
units as well as requiring the annual renewal
of such licenses to ensure compliance with
local laws, ordinances, codes, and
regulations. The proposed language is as
follows:

________________________

Amend
RSA chapter 31 by inserting after section
_____the following new
section:

31:___
Licensing of Rental Dwelling
Units

I.  Any college town, as
defined in this section, may, by ordinance
adopted by its legislative body, require the
licensing of all non-owner occupied rental
dwelling units with the town, and may require
the renewal of such licenses not more often
than annually. The ordinance may establish a
license fee not to exceed $50.00 annually per
unit as a condition to granting or renewal of
a license. Any such ordinance shall not apply
to (a) housing owned or managed by the
college, or (b) units in an owner-occupied
building containing a total of four dwelling
units or fewer.

II.   For purposes of
this section, a “college” means a
private or public post-secondary
degree-granting educational institution with
more than 500 students in residence, and a
“college town” means any town or
city in which a college is located unless all
students are required to live in housing
owned by the college.

III.   A local ordinance
adopted hereunder may provide for inspection
of licensed rental dwelling units by an
authorized officer of the town for compliance
with all laws, ordinances, codes, and
regulations. Any such inspections shall be
performed not more often than annually,
unless the authorized officer has reasonable
cause to believe that the unit is in
violation of any such law, ordinance, code,
or regulation. The inspecting officer shall
be required to give the landlord at least 24
hours’ notice of all
inspections.

IV. 
Licensing and inspection requirements under
any ordinance adopted under this section
shall not apply to any dwelling unit that is
subject to regular inspections by another
governmental authority for legal compliance
under state or federal law.

V. 
An ordinance adopted under this section may
contain such additional provisions, not
inconsistent with this section or with other
laws, as may be necessary to carry out the
intent of the ordinance.

VI. 
Violation of any ordinance adopted under this
section shall be deemed a
violation.

The Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity
sits prominently on Main Street in
Durham.

Courtesy Assessing
Database

ALPHA TAU OMEGA (ATO)
FRATERNITY SUSPENDED FROM
UNH
The Town of Durham has been notified by UNH
that the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity located
at 66 Main Street has been sanctioned with
organization suspension from the University
effective from the date the Delta Delta
Chapter of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity ceases
active operations and disbands for five
years. Suspension involves the loss of
privileges granted to recognized student
organizations including, but not limited
to:

• Use
  of University name in association with the
  organization.
• Use
  of University facilities, materials and
  support services.
• Use
  of University SAFO
  funding.
• Participation in University
  sanctioned events.
• Participation in intramural
  athletics.

NEW HAMPSHIRE
REDISTRICTING

The State of New Hampshire is currently
in the process of redistricting the House of
Representatives, the State Senate, Executive
Council, County Commissioner Districts and
the two Federal Congressional
Districts.  The new districts are being
drawn based on the recent 2010 Census
data.

Public Hearings have been scheduled in
each of the counties.  The goal of these
hearings is to get a clear understanding of
how citizens feel they should be
represented.  Communities and/or
individuals with specific concerns or
thoughts regarding how the new districts are
formed are encouraged to attend.  These
hearings will be open for verbal as well as
written testimony. 

More information may be obtained from
the Special Committee on Redistricting web
page:  http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/committees/committeedetails.aspx?code=H48.

The public hearing in Strafford County
will be held on Tuesday, October 25th, 7:00
pm, at the Strafford County Superior Court,
Court Room 1, Dover.  

Durham Firefighters pose in pink duty
shirts last week honoring

Breast CancerAwareness
Month

Courtesy Mike Ross,
UNH Photo Services

DURHAM FIRE DEPARTMENT PARTICIPATES IN
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS
MONTH

Captain Brown, Firefighter Blatchford,
Firefighter Boutin, and Call Firefighter
Brenner take a break from training to show
off their pink work uniform shirts. This year
the Durham Fire Department will be
participating in the recognition of Breast
Cancer Awareness Month.

The department supports this
awareness campaign because women have a
lifetime risk of breast cancer of 1 in 8. The
breast cancer advocates were the first of the
cancer advocates to rally behind their cause
and promote awareness. Breast Cancer
Awareness Month fosters awareness, action,
and funds research and access to
treatment.

Durham the week of October 2-8, members
of Durham's Fire Department showed
their support by wearing the Durham Fire
Department pink duty shirts. The rest of the
month shifts can wear the uniform if they
wish.

New energy
efficient street lights being installed at
Post Office location.

Courtesy
Todd Selig

ENERGY EFFICIENT STREET LIGHT
REPLACEMENT PROGAM IN DOWNTOWN DURHAM
UNDERWAY SAVING $239,000 IN FUTURE ENERGY AND
LAMP COSTS
The Town of Durham competed for and was
successful in obtaining an Energy Efficiency
and Conservation Block Grant for street
lighting upgrades sponsored by the New
Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning
valued at $167,310. Funds will reimburse the
Town 100% of the cost of retrofitting all of
the ornamental street lighting along the Main
Street corridor and intersecting roadways.
The grant will reimburse Durham for replacing
the existing 175 watt, Metal Halide Lighting
and accessories with a Light Emitting Diodes
(LED) retrofit kits within our current
municipal street lighting
fixtures.

The benefit of this energy grant will
be the following:

• Replacing inconsistent lighting
  patterns of multiple
  colors.
• Upgrade 234 less efficient street
  lights.
• Projected savings of 70.2 metric tons
  of CO2.
• Avoid future energy and lamp costs of
  $239,089.
• Estimated MMBTU savings
  18,053.
• Proposed Energy Savings 1,756,212
  (kWh).
• Simple payback is 4.5
  years.
• Estimated 650 hours of jobs
  created.
• Lower operating fixture wattage from
  175 to 38.
• Increase longevity of lamp from 2.8
  years to 12 – 15
  years. 

HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEW UNH WIND
TUNNEL?
The UNH Flow Physics Facility, http://www.ceps.unh.edu/facilities/fpf.html,
the world’s largest
scientific quality boundary-layer wind
tunnel, opened in November, 2010. 
Located on Waterworks road just west of the
railroad tracks and north of the Oyster
River, the facility generates high levels of
noise with its two 400-hp fans, noise which
travels well beyond the University boundary
and into surrounding residential
areas.  

If you
have concerns about the noise emanating from
the new UNH Flow Physics Facility, please
send an e-mail to FPF.noise@gmail.com and indicate
where you live and how the noise affects
you.  This will assist us in obtaining
information as to the extent of impact the
facility has upon the surrounding residential
neighborhoods. 

DURHAM
QUARTERLY FINANCIAL REPORT AS OF SEPTEMBER
30, 2011

Revenue
Update

Durham’s revenues are showing
58.4% collected as of September 30th. 
It is estimated that the Town's revenue will
be under projections by $75,000. This loss in
revenue is mainly attributed to a reduction
in motor vehicle permit fees, interest
earned, and fewer court
fines.

In addition, the taxes revenue line
reflects the amount paid out for abatements.
It is anticipated Council will have approved
up to $300,000 in abatements by December
31st. The Town had budgeted for an estimated
$125,000 which will require either an
increase to the overlay line at tax setting
time by approximately $175,000 thereby
increasing the local portion of the tax rate
or the use of fund balance which will further
deplete unreserved fund balance below
generally accepted accounting levels and
Council policy.  It is important
to note that we are
projecting $300,000 for overlay in 2012 as
well due to the number of large multi-unit
appeals which are still pending dating to the
2008 revaluation.

We have begun receiving building permit
fees from Capstone within the last few months
which, although unbudgeted for, have been
taken into consideration when estimating out
revenues for the year. Building permit fees
for the Capstone project will exceed
$100,000.  In addition, we had also
planned to offset additional construction
code compliance inspections with a portion of
the funds.

Expense Update

The Town’s expenditures as of
September 30, 2011 show a total expenditure
of $8,053,034 or 73.1% of the total approved
budget.

At this point the areas which are
showing a large percent expended
include:

• Legal line
• DCAT line due to the installation of
  equipment to allow the replaying of
  meetings on-line costing $12,488
  (anticipate offsetting this cost with funds
  budgeted in the Town’s contingency
  line).
• MIS
  due to the need to rewire the Police
  Station to allow for the installation of
  new computers at a cost of $14,328
  (anticipate offsetting this cost with funds
  budgeted in the Town’s contingency
  line).
• Police Department due to the increase
  in retirement costs.
• Building Inspection and Public Works
  Engineering due to the hiring of additional
  support staff to perform inspections at the
  Capstone project.
• Communication Center and Ambulance
  Services have been paid in full for the
  year.
• Direct Assistance (welfare) is
  currently over expended. Based on past
  history we had budgeted $10,000 for 2011,
  however, due to the economic times we have
  seen an increase in the number of
  individuals requiring
  assistance.
• $70,000 has been allocated from the
  contingency line to cover cost overruns
  associated with concrete anchors at the
  Wiswall Dam project.

We anticipte being able to bring in the
budget on target and within appropriation due
to the spending freeze implemented across all
departments as well as the curtailing of
hiring a 19th police officer and a fire
inspector.  It will be extremely close,
however.  The Business Office continues
to monitor the situation carefully.
 

Logo developed following EDC
downtown business visitation program
survey.

Courtesy Yusi Wang
Turell

TOWN-WIDE MARKET ANALYSIS
OF DURHAM

Earlier this year, the Durham Economic
Development Committee received a presentation
from Mr. Ian Colgan of Development Concepts,
Inc. regarding the Town-Wide Market Analysis
for Durham. 

The report was written by Mr. Colgan,
Dr. Ross Gittell from the University
of New Hampshire, and Dr. Charles Colgan
from
the University of Southern
Maine.  The purpose of the report is to
help the community better understand the
economic market in which we exist with the
long-range goal of capitalizing on available
opportunities to enhance the vibrancy
of Durham and broaden the local tax
base in a desirable
manner. 

Highlights from the report
follow:

DURHAM DEMOGRAPHICS

• The
  Town of Durham’s population is
  14,638 according to the 2010
  Census.
• Approximately 58-60% of the
  Town’s total population is made up of
  UNH students. 
• Utilizing 2010 Decennial Census data
  the consultant estimates a UNH student
  population of 8,323 and a full
  time Durham resident population
  of 6,527.
• Durham residents are highly
  educated - more than 40% have professional
  or graduate degrees. 74% of the
  Town’s population has a bachelor
  degree or higher.  The population
  average of all other geographies
  in Southern New Hampshire is
  between 20-30%.

THE DURHAM HOUSING
MARKET

• Median Durham family income is
  significantly higher than surrounding areas
  - at $114,757. This number reflects the
  non-student population
  only.
• Durham’s housing market, which
  the consultant deems affordable for current
  residents, may act as a barrier to new
  residents wanting to relocate from other
  parts of the Region.
• Even with a national recession
  affecting housing cost, the median annual
  sales price of single family homes
  in Durham have increased 15% over
  the last two years, with the median annual
  price of all for-sale product increasing by
  11%. Regional trends and the pressure on
  the local market will influence the local
  housing market, maintaining a relatively
  high housing cost.
• Amenities and availability of land
  have significant influence on the cost of
  housing  --more
  than Durham’s relatively high
  tax rates.
• Housing is not affordable for low to
  average wage workers in Durham, who would
  need to average $48 per hour ($100,000 in
  annual salary) in order to meet average
  housing cost.
• The
  Town’s highly rated school system and
  the location of
  the University of New
  Hampshire within proximity to
  downtown Durham provides ample
  amenities that attract
  residents.
• The Oyster River Coop School
  District is ranked 10th in the State
  of New Hampshire for all school
  districts with 1,000 or more students
  (ranking is based on test scores.) 
  The strength of the district is an asset to
  the community which helps to bolster
  housing prices.

DURHAM'S STUDENT HOUSING
MARKET

• University of New
  Hampshire students exert the most
  pressure on the housing market. The lack of
  on- and off-campus housing opportunities
  for students has forced many to seek
  alternative housing options within
  residential neighborhoods and in
  surrounding communities.
• It
  is estimated that approximately 2,600 UNH
  students live in off-campus housing within
  the Town of Durham, while 4,300 UNH
  students live outside of the
  community.
• It
  is estimated that as many as 30% of all UNH
  students live outside of Durham. Given
  the appropriate circumstances, there may be
  an opportunity to broaden the tax base by
  attracting some of these students back into
  town via new and/or updated housing
  offerings.

DURHAM'S RETAIL
MARKET

• The
  potential to expand Durham’s
  retail market exists, but on an incremental
  level. The Town should focus on
  “enhancement” over
  “expansion,” aiming to add an
  additional 25,000 – 35,000 square
  feet.
• Durham should focus the majority
  of its “enhancement” on retail
  targeted to the resident and employee
  populations.
• At
  the time of this Study, much of
  Downtown’s businesses were aimed at
  University students, marked by the high
  numbers of limited service restaurants,
  student services, and college themed
  stores. With the existing student housing
  demand unfulfilled, the potential to add
  student-focused retail should only be
  encouraged when the demand for student
  housing is met with additional units in the
  Downtown area.
• Downtown Durham is the best
  location for retail enhancement due to
  higher than average population densities
  and traffic counts.
• Currently a $30 million dollar retail
  gap exists for Durham residents
  and employees ($ spent outside
  of Durham which could
  realistically be spent here instead). Some
  of this leakage maybe recaptured by
  increasing the goods and services targeted
  towards these two population
  groups.
• There appears to be an opportunity to
  attract 25,000 - 35,000 sq. ft. of new
  retail, much of which will materialize as
  smaller scale “storefront”
  retail that draws upon residents, employees
  and residents of nearby towns like
  Newmarket and Lee.

DURHAM'S HOSPITALITY (HOTEL)
MARKET

• Currently there are two hotels
  in Durham with a total of 91
  rooms.
• The
  number of hotels located in communities
  surrounding Durham is evidence
  that there is a sufficient market to
  support additional hotel space
  in Durham.
• There is currently a high supply of
  conference / meeting space in Durham.
  However, with the New
  England Center vacating 12,000
  square feet of space it is plausible
  additional space could be absorbed in the
  market.

DURHAM'S OFFICE & INDUSTRIAL
MARKETS

• One
  of Durham’s best opportunities
  for non-university based employment growth
  is to focus on incrementally increasing job
  opportunities in the health care sector. If
  the market continues at a similar
  rate, Durham could expect to add
  51 jobs in the health care sector
  alone.
• The
  largest hurdle to growth in the employment
  sector is Durham’s short supply
  of available office
  space.
• The
  lack of immediately developable land does
  little to help the deficit of available
  office space.
• While sites exist in Durham,
  very few exist that are development ready,
  and many lack utilities and other
  infrastructure needed for
  development.
• Durham should focus on a long
  term strategy to add office space on the
  land that is ready for development, such as
  the Durham Business Park,
  but the Town will require a corresponding
  economic development strategy to attract
  businesses due to the lack of speculative
  office / industrial
  market.
• The
  lack of available office space makes it
  difficult to gauge demand for this type of
  space in Durham. Demand may exist,
  particularly from University
  commercialization efforts, but without an
  inventory of available space, trends in the
  office or industrial market are difficult
  to predict.
• Existing vacant office space is
  currently the only option for growth
  opportunities for new businesses
  in Durham.
• One
  major reason for Durham’s lack
  of available space, is the lack of
  development ready land.

DURHAM'S UNIVERSITY RELATED
OPPORTUNITIES

• The
  core of a university based
  commercialization strategy exists
  and Durham is likely to be a key
  player in the regional
  context.
• Start-ups and university-led
  commercialization initiatives will present
  a limited opportunity for the Town. But
  without the necessary space to compete for
  businesses, the start-ups will eventually
  out grow Durham and seek
  alternative communities for the 2nd and 3rd
  Phase growth.
• A
  strategy to increase space will
  allow Durham to be competitive in
  the regional market. This opportunity will
  most likely be centered on real estate
  development, and it is up
  to Durham to decide how
  aggressive an approach to
  take.
• UNH’s Research &
  Commercialization and InterOperability
  Laboratory are poised for upcoming
  growth.
• The
  IdeaGreenhouse and Innovation
  Commercialization Center (ICC) will likely
  be crucial first stage components of a
  University commercialization
  strategy.
• University R&D led development
  efforts surrounding UNH are too nascent to
  be able to predict specific real estate
  impacts and growth. Opportunities exist,
  but local efforts in engaging UNH will need
  to be proactive in order to capitalize on
  future commercialization growth and
  expansion should it happen, as well as
  prevent a significant percentage of that
  growth from moving to other
  communities.

Photo of beautifully restored
historic Smith Chapel exterior - Mill Pond
Rd.

Courtesy DPW

SMITH CHAPEL
RESTORATION

Work continues on the Smith Chapel
restoration project.  At this point, the
majority of exterior work has been
completed.  There will be concentration
on interior work in the coming
months.   

WORKFORCE HOUSING - POTENTIAL CHANGES
TO BE DISCUSSED
At its October 3rd meeting, the Council
discussed the proposal to amend the zoning
ordinance by adding a new Workforce Housing
Option (WHO) section to "Article XIX.
Conservation Subdivisions" and voted five to
four to adopt that amendment as
presented.

On Monday evening, the Council will
consider a proposal by Councilor Julian Smith
concerning whether it has an interest in
amending the Workforce Housing Option by
adding the Residential Coastal (RC) and
Multiunit Dwelling/Office Research (MUDOR)
districts to the "Applicability"
section.

Why RC? Because continuing to exclude
this district may leave the impression that
the Council and the Town have a bias against
workforce housing in the area where land
prices tend to be highest, whereas inclusion
is the ostensible goal. (The development of
the WHO was facilitated through the
Inclusionary Zoning Implementation Program,
designed "to assist NH communities create and
adopt inclusionary zoning ordinances.") In
addition, there is a considerable amount of
undeveloped open space in that
district.
 
Why MUDOR?  Because much of that
district is owned by UNH and requires a
minimum lot size of 40,000 square feet, as
opposed to the 150,000 required in Rural (R)
and RC. If UNH is serious about helping to
provide affordable housing near campus for
faculty, staff, and married graduate
students, the amendment suggested would make
the MUDOR district attractive to a developer
for purchase and thus attractive to UNH for
sale.

The Council will also consider whether
it desires to ask the Planning Board to
clarify what is meant by the "Alternative Lot
Sizing" section of the WHO, which stipulates
that "The Planning Board may authorize
variations from the minimum lot sizes and lot
dimensions specified by standards of the
underlying zone through the Conditional Use
Permit . . . "  That is, what range or
limit of variation might be considered? Under
what conditions?

Among possible amendments to the Table
of Uses in our Zoning Ordinance, Councilor
Smith would suggest including several new
categories of use: "Workforce Housing
Duplex," "Workforce Accessory Apartment," and
"Workforce Housing Accessory Dwelling Unit."
These new uses would, of course, require new
definitions. In the case of accessory
apartments and accessory dwelling units, it
may also be useful to make changes to the
performance standards and to amend the Table
of Dimensional Controls.

The newly
installed culvert under the Depot Rd.
Brownfield Site next to

Durham/UNH
Train Station.  

Courtesy
DPW

DEPOT ROAD
CULVERT
REPLACEMENT

Replacement of the 60” culvert is
now completed at the Depot Road site. 
This project was part of an EPA
Brownfield’s
grant.  

UNH CAMPUS
SAFETY WALK

Chief Dave Kurz was invited by the
University of New Hampshire to participate in
an annual campus safety walk this past
Wednesday evening.  The goal of the walk
is to inspect areas of safety concerns that
may be darkened by the lack of lighting, high
bushes or some other obstruction that can be
addressed.  While the main focus is upon
the UNH campus, with many of Durham’s
streets and walkways adjacent to the campus,
the safety walk provided an informative
opportunity to enhance the safety of students
and residents alike as they traverse to and
from the downtown
area. 

ORCSD SEEKS VOLUNTEERS FOR
ADVISORY BUDGET
COMMITTEE
The Oyster River School Board is looking for
new volunteers for its Advisory Budget
Committee.  This commitment can be
time-intensive.   The purpose for
the committee is as follows: "To form an
advisory committee that becomes educated
about the ORCSD budget and provides budget
recommendations to the School Board.
‪These recommendations put the needs of
the students first and will be fiscally
responsible to taxpayers."  Any
interested persons from the Oyster River
School District should send along a letter of
interest with qualifications to wdifruscio@orcsd.org, or mail to
ORCSD School Board, c/o Wendy DiFruscio, 36
Coe Drive, Durham, NH 
03824.

PUBLIC
MEETINGS: SCHEDULE AND VIDEO ON
DEMAND

The following public meetings are
scheduled for the coming week  All
meetings begin at 7:00 PM and are held in the
Council chambers at the Durham 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.

VIDEO ON
DEMAND: Meetings can
also be viewed via Video on Demand.
Interested viewers can access the streaming
site from the Town’s website at
http://www.ci.durham.nh.us/ by
clicking the DCAT on demand logo, or directly
at http://dcat.pegcentral.com/.

Town
Council - Monday, October
17, 2011. To view the complete packet for
this meeting, click HERE.

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.

VACANCIES ON
VARIOUS TOWN BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, AND
COMMITTEES

The Durham Town Council is seeking
interested residents of the Town of Durham
who have the ability, desire, and time needed
to fill the vacancies on its various Town
boards, commissions, and committees listed
below. 

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 http://www.ci.durham.nh.us/ on
the right-hand side in
blue.

Completed applications may be mailed to
the Town Administrator's office, or submitted
via email to jberry@ci.durham.nh.us.

Conservation Commission - (1 alternate
vacancy)

Durham Cable Access Governance
Committee - (2 regular vacancies; 1 alternate
vacancy)

Durham Energy Committee - (1
vacancy)
Historic District Commission - (1
vacancy)
Integrated Waste Management Advisory
Committee - (1 regular vacancy; 1
alternate vacancy)
Parks and Recreation - (1 alternate
vacancy)
Planning Board - (1 regular member; 1
alternate vacancy)

Rental Housing Commission - (1
neighborhood representative vacancy)
Strafford Regional Planning Commission &
MPO Policy Committee - (1
vacancy)   
Zoning Board of Adjustment - (1 alternate
vacancy)

DID YOU KNOW
COMMUNITY ACTION PARTNERSHIP OF STRAFFORD
COUNTY OFFERS LOW-COST BUS RIDES TO ANYONE
AGE 60 AND
OVER?

A wheelchair-accessible bus will
pick you up at your door (and help you on and
off) for anyone age 60 and over. The
requested fare is just $2.00 per
roundtrip.

The
program operates Monday, Tuesday, Thursday,
and Friday, and the majority of the rides are
to grocery, discount and clothing stores,
area malls, and shopping
plazas.

Where
does the bus go? Below is a sample
of routes, which can change depending
upon rider needs:

• Monday morning: Gonic/Rochester/East
  Rochester to Rochester
  stores.
• Monday afternoon: Dover to Dover
  stores.
• Tuesday morning: Dover and
  Somersworth to Dover
  stores
• Tuesday afternoon: Dover to Dover
  stores.
• Thursday morning: Barrington/Durham
  to Lee Plaza.
• Thursday: Rochester/East Rochester to
  Rochester stores.
• Friday morning: Farmington to
  Rochester stores.
• Friday afternoon: Dover and Rochester
  alternate bi-weekly. Rochester to Dover or
  Newington area stores, and Dover to
  Newington area stores.
• How
  do I get a ride?

To schedule a ride, call our driver
Sandy at 603-817-8207
Each rider is asked to fill out an emergency
contact form, which the agency keeps on file
and is not shared with anyone. Call
603-817-8207 or visit http://www.straffordcap.org/ for
details.

DURHAM PARKS
& RECREATION PROGRAMS AND
EVENTS

NEW
PROGRAMS:

Parents & Preschoolers Exercise
Class for Infants to 5 year olds along
with a parent. Class begins soon and will be
held on Thursdays 9am – 10am at the
Durham Parks & Recreation
Building.

Prenatal Yoga begins in
November. Connect with other moms-to-be and a
great relief from common physical discomfort.
Class will be held on Tuesdays 5pm at Durham
Parks & Recreation
Building.

Please check out our Fall/Winter class
schedule which provides recreation for the
whole community. To view the schedule, click
HERE.

Exercises with Kathy for a Cure October
15th at Oyster River High School anytime
between 8am – 3:15pm. To view the
schedule, click HERE.

For more
information on any of these events, please
contact P&R Director Sandy Devins at
603-817-4074, sdevins@ci.durham.nh.us  Also
check out our new Facebook account on
“Durham Rec”.

FRIENDS OF
THE DURHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY ANNUAL FALL BOOK
SALE

The Friends of the Durham Public
Library Fall Book Sale will kick-off at the
Durham Public Library on Thursday, November
3rd from 6pm to 7pm with an Early Bird
Preview--admission to this special one hour
event is $10.

The sale opens to everyone from 7pm to
8:30pm Thursday evening. The sale will
continue on Friday, November 4th from 10am to
5 pm and on Saturday, November 5th from 10am
to 2pm.

Book prices are $2.00 for hardbacks,
$1.00 for paperback, and $0.50 for children
books. DVDs, CDs, and books-on-tape are
$1.00. VHS tapes are $0.50.

All proceeds from the Friends Fall Book
Sale support Durham Public Library
programs.

Courtesy
Durham Public Library

DURHAM PUBLIC
LIBRARY PROGRAMS AND
EVENTS

DPL Public Hearing
Announcement
The Durham Public Library Board of Trustees
will hold a public hearing on Thursday
October 20, 2011 beginning at 6:30 p.m. to
vote to accept donations for the Durham
Public Library’s building fund totaling
$55,339.79. The hearing will be held at the
Durham Public Library, 7 Mill Road Unit H,
Durham, and is open to the
public.

Wildcat
Fitness Donates to Library Building
Fund

Wildcat Fitness, located next to the
library in the Mill Plaza, has a great
opportunity for you that will benefit the
library. Have you been postponing joining a
gym? Wildcat Fitness will donate $10 to the
New Library Campaign Fund for each person who
signs up under a new promotion. You will also
receive $30 off the $45 sign-up
fee.

Don’t wait to take advantage of
this great opportunity to benefit the New
Library Campaign while also saving money.
Simply pick up a promotion flier at Wildcat
Fitness or at the library.

All Together Now For the Durham
Public Library a
Success

Thank
you to all who joined us on Sunday evening
for the New Library Campaign Kick-off
celebration with Beatles tribute band "All
Together Now!". Close to 200 people attended
this event.

____________________

Preschool Storytimes -
Tue., Oct. 18th and Thu., Oct.
20th, 10:30 a.m. This
week: Tools/Building. All are welcome to
enjoy stories, songs, fingerplays, feltboard,
and a craft.

Bookeaters, Middle School Book
Group: Wed. Oct. 19th, 2:45-4:00
p.m. Join the Bookeaters.This month’s
book is Frozen in Time by Ali
Sparkes.  Books are available in the
library.  Pizza is
served.

Pajama Storytime
begins on Tue., Oct. 25th, 6:30
p.m. Join ORPP and the library for our
pajama storytime. All are welcome. The
theme this month is Halloween.  We will
read stories about Halloween and make a
Halloween craft.  Wear your Halloween
costume and trick-or-treat at the
library.
ORHS Poetry Night, Wed. Oct.
26th , 7:00-8:00 p.m. Join Oyster River High
School Students for a night of creative
poetry readings as well as the announcement
of the Oyster River High School new Poet
Laureate.  Refreshments will be served
and all are welcome!
Humanities Discussion,
Fri. Oct. 28th, 10:30 a.m. Join the
discussion of Elizabeth Bowen's Death of
the Heart, facilitated by Jennifer Lee.
Copies of the book will be available at the
library prior to the talk. Paid for by a
grant from the New Hampshire Humanities
Council.

Raccoon Readers (2nd
-4th grade Book Club) - Tue., Nov
1st, 6:00-7:00 p.m. This
month’s book is your Mystery choice.
Read either The Sherlock Files: The 100
Year Old Secret by Tracy Barrett or a
Mystery book of your choosing. We will
discuss the book(s), author(s), play games,
and make a craft. We will also solve
some mysteries. Books are available at the
library.

Seacoast Mystery Writer KD
Mason to speak, Tues. Oct.
11th,  6:30 p.m.: Rye mystery novelist
KD Mason will speak about his books,
including Harbor
Ice
Young Adult Writing/Blog
Group, Tue., Nov
1st, 7:00-7:45 p.m.  Like to
write?  Join us for this Young Adult
writing/blogging group that will meet once a
month.
Join our Lego Club,
Thu., Oct 20th, 3:45-4:45 p.m. for
1st-5th graders.  Like to build
Legos?  Come to the Lego club in the
Children’s Room to start
constructing.
Registration for Tales for
Tails has begun. Have a young reader
who could use some non-judgmental
encouragement for reading aloud? A Delta
Therapy dog is waiting for your child. Sign
up at the library.

Join the Patch
Program, our reading incentive
program for children aged 2-12 years.
Children earn patches for minutes read or
being read to as well as a Durham Library
book bag. If new to the program, stop by and
register.  Thanks to the Friends of the
Durham Public Library for their continued
support of this program.  We have new
patches!

Check out our website http://www.durhampubliclibrary.org/
for more info.

Pumpkin patch
at Emery Farm - Courtesy Joan
Weinstock

COMMUNITY
PROGRAMS AND
EVENTS 

The New England Fall
Astronomy Festival: Discovery, Observation
& Fun,
UNH
Observatory, Friday, Oct. 14, 2011, 6:00 PM
and runs into the wee hours of Sunday
morning. Gates open at 10:00 AM on Saturday.
FREE to the public. For more information,
visit http://www.unh.edu/news/cj_nr/2011/oct/bp03observatory.cfm or
contact Karen Burnett-Kurie,
603-862-1044, karen.burnett-kurie@unh.edu.

Know the Coast Day -
Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM,
at UNH’s three marine
laboratories: Jackson Estuarine
Laboratory and the Jere Chase Ocean
Engineering Laboratory in Durham, and the
Coastal Marine Research Facility in New
Castle. Hosted by UNH Marine Program, N.H.
Sea Grant, and the UNH Marine Docents. FREE
to the public. For more information, visit
http://www.unh.edu/news/cj_nr/2011/sep/bp26ktc.cfm.

Big Green Bus Stop
Event, Saturday, Oct 15, 2011 -
Hosted by the Oyster River Sustainability
Coalition. For details, click HERE.

Family Program Offered at
Museum of Art, UNH:  Lions,
Tigers and Animals Galore!, Sunday, Oct 16,
2011, 2:00 PM. The program will include
a look at the animals found in the paintings
of renowned Maine artist Dahlov Ipcar with
ecologist Michael Palace, as well as a
reading of Dahlov’s beloved
children’s book, The Calico
Jungle. FREE to the
public.

Durham Newcomers Unlimited Host
Free Program, Friday, Oct 21, 2011,
10:00 AM, Durham Community Church Fellowship
Hall - China: The Next
Superpower? featuring guest
speaker Lawrence Reardon of the UNH
Political Science department, a recognized
expert on the Chinese economy and the role of
China in Asian and international politics.
For more information, contact Alison Sweatt,
603-868-7364, alisonsweattrRNMS@aol.com.

8th Annual Halloween
Extravaganza - Thursday, Oct 27,
2011, 5:00 - 8:00 PM, Mills Hall, UNH.
Children in Durham and other surrounding
communities are invited to dress in costume,
come trick-or-treat in the building, go
through a kid-friendly Haunted House, and
play in a games
room.

UNH Homecoming –
October 28 - 30. Durham families are
encouraged to participate in UNH Homecoming
events. Check out all of the action at
http://www.unh.edu/homecoming.

Durham
Trick-Or-Treating - Sunday, Oct 30,
2011, 5:00 - 7:30 PM.

ECHO Community Thrift
Shop - Durham Community Church, 17
Main Street, Durham. The economical and
environmentally friendly way to shop. Hours:
Wednesday 10 am-5 pm, Thursday 10 am-7 pm,
Friday 10 am-5 pm, Saturday 10 am-2 pm.
Offering clothing, accessories, small
household items, and vintage. Gladly
accepting donations of clean and gently used
items during hours of operation. For
more information contact: 603-868-1230 or
office@durhamcommunitychurch.org.
The Thrift Shop entrance is at the back of
the Church in the lower parking
lot.

DURHAM POLICE WEEKLY ARREST
REPORT

 *Academic year commences the third week
of August through graduation at UNH in
May.

Last weekend was originally designated
as Homecoming for UNH but the conflict with
Yom Kippur postponed that event until the
weekend of October 29th.  For the past
two-years this has been the weekend for
Homecoming and the arrest data from 2009 and
2010 demonstrate the activity associated with
the event.  Given the outstanding
weather of last weekend, there was a
collective sigh of relief that many young
folks took advantage of the three-day weekend
and went home for the holiday.  Durham
police officers are TIRED.