“FRIDAY
UPDATES”

September
19, 2008

Photo courtesy
Andrea Bodo

The Durham Water Department will
begin the semi-annual water meter reading this afternoon.  It will take
approximately one and a half weeks to read all meters. Please do not be
alarmed if you see the water foreman walking in your neighborhood. 

OUR
VERY OWN "BIG MUDDY": MILL POND "DEWATERING" THIS
WEEKEND

In connection with the scheduled
structural inspection on Monday and Tuesday of the Mill Pond Dam on the
Oyster
River, the low level gates
on the dam have been opened to allow the water level in the Mill Pond to drop
slowly over the weekend.  Anyone who wishes to monitor the draw-down or
inspect the exposed muck and debris should do so from the town-owned land on
Mill Pond
Road--and should avoid crossing private property near
the dam. Town Engineer Dave Cedarholm asks citizens who notice problems to call
Durham Public Works at 868-5578 or the Durham Police 868-2324. If all goes as planned,
the gates will be closed on Tuesday afternoon and the water level will rise
slowly over the remainder of the week.

QUARTERLY
PLANNING BOARD MEETING – WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24^TH

On Wednesday, September 24, 2008
beginning at 7:00 PM, the Planning Board will be holding a quarterly planning
meeting in which Resource Systems Group, Inc. (RSG) will be in attendance to
introduce the traffic model they have been working on for Town of Durham
and the University of New Hampshire.  RSG, Inc. will be discussing what a
traffic model is, how it should be applied, and discuss prior models they have
completed for UVM, Dartmouth, New Paltz, and Middlebury. 
They will then discuss and show the Durham-UNH Transportation-Land Use
Model.  There will also be time for questions and answers.  The public
is invited to attend and the presentation will also be aired on
DCAT.

MILL
POND ROAD
WATER REPLACEMENT PROJECT

The bid opening for the Mill Pond
Road Water Main Replacement Project was last Friday afternoon. 
The Department of Public Works received seven bids and is in the process of
reviewing and preparing to make a recommendation to the Town Council on October
6th.  We are happy to report that the costs came in a little lower
than estimated. 

MORGAN
WAY
AND INTERSECTION OF ROUTE 4

Over the past several months the
Durham Police Department has been working with the residents of the Morgan Way
neighborhood to improve the safety features of the intersection with Route
4.  As Route 4 is a State roadway, the Town of Durham is governed by the State of New Hampshire and its
protocol and rules regarding virtually every aspect of maintenance,
improvements, and even the placement of signs.  This past week Chief David
Kurz, Deputy Police Chief Rene Kelley, and Director of Public Works Mike Lynch
met with several representatives from the New Hampshire Department of
Transportation to discuss options that would enhance the safety of those turning
into Morgan
Way from Route 4.  Ultimately, the Town is
seeking funding opportunities that would add an eastbound turning lane to Route
4 for those queuing to turn into Morgan Way.  Although this turning
lane was identified in the September 2000 US Route 4 Safety Study, the project
has not been placed on the NHDOT schedule for completion.  As discussions
continue, progress will be reported in future weekly updates.

INVESTIGATION
OF LICENSED LIQUOR ESTABLISHMENTS

The Durham Police Department,
working in cooperation with the University of New Hampshire Police Department
and the New Hampshire State Liquor Commission, recently completed an
investigation, which tested all licensed liquor establishments in the Durham community for
compliance with State laws.  During the investigation, underage persons,
working in conjunction with the police, attempted to purchase alcoholic
beverages from those businesses licensed to sell and/or serve
alcohol.   We are pleased to report that for the first time since the
Durham Police started conducting compliance checks, all of the establishments in
Durham remained
in compliance with all applicable laws.  This investigation was
accomplished after a training seminar that was supported by ONE Voice for Southeastern NH, a coalition
of twenty communities in the area that focus upon the issues of underage alcohol
consumption and binge drinking.  In addition, the compliance checks were
supported by a grant from the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, which
provides funding to combat underage drinking.

Tree
City
USA

The Town of Durham has been named a Tree City
USA town for the 30^th
consecutive year. We are proud to hold the record for the longest running
recipient of the Tree City Award in the State of New Hampshire.  The Tree City
USA award is a national
awards program that recognizes towns and cities across the United
States with a documented commitment to an
outstanding, comprehensive urban forestry program. The awards program is
sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation, the US Forest Service, and the
National Association of State Foresters. There are over 3000 Tree City USA communities in the United
States. A small celebration and formal
presentation of the award is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, October 16,
2008 at 4:00 PM at the Dorothy Wilcox Memorial Garden located in the area of Old
Landing Park adjacent to Newmarket Road. Governor John Lynch will be in
attendance to present the award to the Town. All interested citizens are invited
to attend this event.

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 Town
Council – Monday, September 22, 2008

Durham Energy
Committee – Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Planning Board – Wednesday,
September 24, 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.

Durham
Trick-or-Treating

Trick-or-Treating in Durham will be on Thursday
evening, October 30, 2008, between the hours of 5:00 and 7:30 PM.

ENERGY
SAVING TIPS

ü     
Cooking with your microwave uses
two-thirds less energy than your stove.

ü     
Using the bus to commute to work, or
carpooling with a friend will reap great energy savings and gas savings! 
If you bicycle or walk to the bus stop, you can eliminate carbon emissions
altogether!

Durham
Historic Association Annual Meeting

On Wednesday, September 24, 2008,
from 7:00-800 PM, the Durham Historic Association (DHA)  will present “The
History of Wiswall Mills - Economic Center of 19th Century Durham" with guest
speaker Nadine Peterson from the NH Division of Historic Resources. The program
will be held at the Durham Public Library located at the Mill Plaza. Prior to the program, the DHA will
conduct its annual business meeting from 6:30-7:00 PM and asks that as many DHA
members as possible attend the meeting.

SITE
WALK OF MILNE PROPERTY

On Friday, September 26, 2008,
beginning at 9:00 AM a site walk has been scheduled for members of the Durham
Town Council relative to the idea of placing a metal sculpture at the Lorus and
Margery Milne property. The property is located on Mill Road, across
from Chesley
Drive and next to Mill Pond
Park. Public Works Director
Mike Lynch will set up a cardboard cut out at the property in order for those
present to envision what the actual sculpture would look like, as well as where
it will be placed. Interested members of the community are also invited to
participate in the site walk and provide feedback on the
idea.

McGregor
EMS to Host Second Annual Open
House

McGregor Memorial EMS will host its
second annual Open House on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM
at its station located on College
Road (across from Rudman Hall.)  Come meet some
of the professional Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics who volunteer
their time in order to keep our community safe.  This event is perfect for
anyone interested in learning about volunteer opportunities, CPR programs for
schools and town residents, and those just interested in finding out more about
this important service.  Food and activities will be available for all ages
throughout the event.  Those with questions should email:  membership@mcgregorems.org

DURHAM
COMMUNITY CHURCH CONCERT

“Let Your Light Shine” – A Special
Night with the Rock My Soul Gospel Choir will be held on Saturday, September 20,
2008 beginning at 7:30 PM at the Durham Community Church, 17 Main Street, Durham. Light hors d'oeuvre, chocolate
fountain & dessert reception will be available, as well as an opportunity to
meet and greet Rock My Soul. In addition, a silent auction with must-have items
and a gala concert with special guests and new surprises will be offered.
Reception and concert:  $25.00 per individual or $40 per couple - Concert
only $15 - Reception: 6:00 PM - Concert: 7:30 PM. Tickets available online at www.gospelmusicproject.org or call
207-450-8016. Proceeds to go toward the Gospel Music Project's charitable
outreach program, where music is performed free for those in hospice, rehab
programs, and other facilities that serve people in
need.

Oyster
River
Clean-up

On Saturday, September 20, 2008 from
9:00 AM to noon, the Oyster River Watershed Association will host a clean-up
effort of the Oyster River. The clean-up is part of the larger
Coastal Clean-up program. Volunteers are to meet and register at the Durham
Landing, where individuals and groups will be assigned to clean-up various
locations. All trash that is collected is to be returned to the
landing, where it will be categorized and weighed for reporting to the
overall program. Volunteers are asked to wear clothing appropriate to the task
and weather. Bags, gloves, and reporting forms will be provided. For additional
information, please contact Dick Weyrick, 868-2862, dweyrick@comcast.net.

Weekly
Police Arrest Report

Week -
56                                          
50 UNH (89%)            
6 Other (11%)

*2008/09 Academic Year -115
           90 UNH
(78%)             25
Other (22%)

Calendar Year
–630                           
367 UNH (58%)           263 Other
(42%)

*Commenced September 1, 2008 

Historical Data
for this same week

FROM
HISTORY IN AN OYSTERSHELL – 1600 – 1976

“1819 – First Christian Church
organized. Brick church built in 1825. Elder Wm. Demeritt served gratuitously
and held record for baptisms and marriages in region. Decline came in 1889 and
building sold at auction and land bought by School
District for $225.”

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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