Friday Updates - April 12, 2013

NEWS AND HAPPENINGS ...

Friday, April 12, 2013

Durham native and Major League Baseball player Sam Fuld (center), son of Ken Fuld and Amanda Merrill, posed with Town Council Chair Jay Gooze and his wife Martie (right) when the Gooze's attended a Tampa Bay Rays game in Dallas, TX this week. Also pictured are Bill and Sally Dix from Dallas.

Later this month, the Tampa Bay Rays organization will be producing an episode of Inside the Rays focusing on Sam Fuld and his hometown of Durham, NH.

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At Monday’s Council meeting, Doug Bencks, Chair of the Durham Library Board of Trustees, will provide the Town Council with an update relative to the new Library project presently under construction on Madbury Road.

TOWN COUNCIL TO DISCUSS GOALS FOR 2013/2014

On March 18, 2013, the Town Council began its discussion concerning the development of its 2013/14 goals. At that meeting, the Council representatives to boards and/or committees were asked to provide their respective committees with the current Town Council goals and provide feedback/suggestions for other goals they would like to be included.

In addition, Administrator Selig has provided an overview of work accomplished over the last year as part of last year’s goals which can be viewed HERE.

DURHAM ACQUIRES FORMER BANK PARCEL | SCHEDULES PUBLIC FORUM TO DISCUSS TOWN HALL DESIGN OPTIONS FOR April 25th at 7 PM

The Strafford County Superior Court at long last cleared the title to the former People’s United Bank parcel located at 8 Newmarket Road. Per the terms of the Purchase and Sale Agreement between the Town and Bank, the Town was able to close on the parcel today.

The Town’s architect for the Town Office project, Durham resident Art Guadano from AG Architects of Dover, will be present at a public forum scheduled for April 25, 2013, to discuss possible design options and site layout/cost implications with members of the community for the former People's United Bank parcel located at 8 Newmarket Road as the new Durham Town Hall. The meeting will take place at 7 PM in the Town Council chambers.

DURHAM QUARTERLY FINANCIAL REPORT

On Monday evening, Business Manager Gail Jablonski will provide the Town Council with an overview of the Town’s finances as of the close of the last quarter. In summary: Revenues are only showing 7.2% collected as of March 31st which is not unusual for the first quarter of the year. The first half tax bills will be mailed out in late May/early June so we will be seeing an increase during June and July. We will also be receiving the UNH payments on a quarterly basis throughout the year.

The Town’s expenditures as of March 31, 2013 show a total expenditure of $2,830,062 or 22.3% of the total approved budget. To compare, the amount expended as of March 31, 2012 was 26.2%.

The Town’s Water, Sewer, Parking, Depot Road, Churchill Rink, and Library Funds are all performing as expected with nothing abnormal to report.

The audit firm of Melanson Heath & Company was here during the month of March 20013 to perform the 2012 audit. As this is the first year with this new audit firm a lot of time has been spent on looking at internal controls. Once we receive the final audit it will be presented to the Town Council.

A department by department breakdown of expenses may be found as part of the Council packet for April 15th.

STATISTICAL UPDATE OF VALUES FOR ALL TOWN PARCELS SCHEDULED FOR 2013 AS PLANNED

Article 6 of the State of New Hampshire’s Constitution requires that all property assessments for NH communities be updated once every five (5) years. The last statistical update in Durham was in 2008. The Town of Durham had a contract with Cross Country Appraisal Group, LLC to perform the statistical update for tax year 2013, but for various reasons chose not to have Cross Country update the values. As a result, the Town of Durham sent out requests for proposals (RFP’s) for another contractor(s) to fulfill this requirement.

After reviewing the applicants, Durham Assessor Jim Rice has recommended KRT Appraisal, LLC to perform the residential/land portion of the update and Property Valuation Advisors to update the commercial, industrial and tax exempt properties (excluding UNH properties which will be updated in-house). It is not unusual to hire two or more contractors to work on one project as different levels of assessing/appraisal expertise may be required.

In addition to updating the residential/land assessments, KRT Appraisal, LLC will also update all the tables in the Vision CAMA system. This includes all building tables (base rates, subarea code adjustments, size adjustments, etc), land tables (land curve, neighborhood adjustments, site index adjustments, etc) and depreciation tables. KRT Appraisal, LLC will also update the cost modeling tables to ensure that all of the adjustments within the Vision CAMA system are calculating properly.

Steve Traub from Property Valuation Advisors has been chosen to update the commercial, industrial and tax exempt properties due to his vast experience in commercial assessing and especially with student housing projects in Durham. Mr. Traub has been contracted by the Town of Durham numerous times in the past to assist the assessor with settlement negotiations and/or Board of Tax and Land Appeals regarding appealed properties. Mr. Traub was also previously employed by Vision Appraisal Technology and is familiar with the Vision CAMA software.

The Assessor’s responsibilities throughout this project will be to manage the statistical update; update the assessments of the University properties as the State of New Hampshire does not provide funding to update the values; finalize the Current Use update per RSA 79-A-5; review all Elderly exemptions per RSA 72:39-a&b; review Veteran’s Credit applications per RSA 72:28; review Total Disabled Veteran applications per RSA 72:35; review Blind exemptions per RSA 72:37; review disabled exemptions per RSA 72:37-b; review Religious, Educational and Charitable exemptions per RSA 72:23-c; assist each contractor as required.

The statistical update will be comprised of the following:

Hold a “start-up” meeting with municipality, DRA monitor to review contracts.
Review and analyze all qualified sales within past 2 years, prior to 4/1/13.
Update all land and building tables as dictated by sales analysis.
Review all properties in Durham for consistency purposes.
Send preliminary revised assessments to taxpayers.Conduct informal hearings with taxpayers.
Implement a public relations program designed to educate taxpayers on all phases of the statistical update.
Submit revised assessments to Town for approval

Assessor Jim Rice will be present at Monday's Town Council meeting to provide an overview regarding the statistical update process planned for 2013.

TUITIONING STUDENTS INTO THE ORCSD - VOLUNTARY SURVEY

The ORCSD will be asking the Durham residents within the district to take part in a voluntary survey pertaining to tuition students. The survey will be a scientific random telephone survey administered through the UNH Survey Center and not all residents will receive a call. The district would like to take this opportunity to thank residents in advance for their input. For more information regarding the survey, click HERE.

PSNH TREE REMOVAL ON MADBURY ROAD

The Town completed discussions with PSNH regarding tree removals on Madbury Road. A public meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 29, 2013 at 7:00 PM at the Town Offices to discuss the tree removal plan. Madbury Road residents will receive a letter in the next few days personally inviting them to this public meeting. Click HERE to read the letter sent to Madbury Road residents.

ADMINISTRATOR SELIG TO ATTEND NEGOTIATION PROGRAM AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY BEGINNING SUNDAY

Durham Administrator Todd Selig will attend a program in negotiations at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government next week.

The five-day course is titled Mastering Negotiation: Building Agreements Across Boundaries. It goes beyond basic negotiation skills training to address the challenges of building working relationships across cultures, sectors, and organizations. The program examines the effects of both social and organizational culture on negotiation, while at the same time helping participants develop the adaptive techniques needed to translate their skills and experience to novel settings.
The program runs from April 14-19, 2013, and is held at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA.

Todd will travel to and from Boston via the Amtrak Downeaster, departing Durham on the 9:03 AM train Sunday.

During Mr. Selig’s absence, Business Manager Gail Jablonski will serve as Acting Administrator.

GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY HELD FOR DURHAM IMAGING TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS – Xemed on Strafford Avenue

Xemed was founded in 2004 by UNH Professor Bill Hersman to advance and commercialize the medical imaging technology he invented as a professor in UNH's physics department. In 2006 he acquired a commercial property on Strafford Avenue to house his growing business.

Now with 12 employees and a number of projects underway, Xemed needs more space. The new building to be constructed on the same site along Strafford Avenue will house office space and laboratories for up to 30-35 employees, allowing Xemed to continue growing.

The Town of Durham incentivized this project through RSA 79-E.

The new Xemed Technology Park is likely to be ready for occupancy by September 2013. To view an article in Foster’s Daily Democrat on the groundbreaking, click HERE.

SPRING NEWSLETTER

This week the Spring Newsletter was mailed out to all residents. To view the newsletter, click HERE. A hot topic in the newsletter is the Spring Cleanup of Bulky Waste, which is scheduled to begin on Monday, April 29, 2013 at 7:00 AM. Details can be found in the newsletter. Please call the Department of Public Works at 603-868-5578 with any questions.

RIGHT-TO-KNOW LAW EDUCATIONAL SESSION SCHEDULED FOR BOARD MEMBERS AND COMMUNITY - TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

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 28, 2013, 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 Right-to-Know 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 the Selectmen and board members from the communities of Lee and Madbury.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS - ENERGY CONSERVATION AND AIR QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT

The Town of Durham, New Hampshire requests proposals from interested parties for an energy conservation and air quality improvement project or projects. The selected energy services company shall be responsible for compilation of all aspects of both the design and the work under a single contract (the “Contract”). The Contract shall include guarantees of performance and a Scope of Work as outlined within this document. It is anticipated that the project may include energy conservation and air quality improvement projects at one or more Town-owned buildings (excluding the fire station, which is shared with the University of New Hampshire).

All responses to this RFP must be received in a sealed envelope and clearly marked “Request for Proposal for Energy Conservation and Air Quality Improvements for the Town of Durham”. Candidates shall submit ten (10) duplicate copies of their qualifications in accordance with this request to: Todd I. Selig, Town Administrator, at 15 Newmarket Road, Durham, New Hampshire 03824, or by email to jberry@ci.durham.nh.us to the attention of Todd I. Selig. Proposals must be received no later than 5:00 PM on Friday, April 19, 2013 to be eligible for consideration. To view the RFP on the Town of Durham web site, go to http://www.ci.durham.nh.us/, “Helpful Resources” at the top of the page, then “Bids & RFPs”.

WATER CONSERVATION: WATERSENSE SPRING 2013 NEWSLETTER

On April 1, the Town Council approved an amendment to the plumbing code that refers to WaterSense labels for bathroom fixtures. Just what is WaterSense? It's a program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designed to identify and promote water-efficient products and practices. The Spring 2013 WaterSense newsletter includes tips for outdoor sprinkler spruce-ups and other homeowner conservation measures, links to resources such as its "Water–Smart Landscape Photo Gallery," and news about water-saving initiatives across the country.

AGRICULTURAL COMMISSION WORKSHOPS

The Agricultural Commission invites residents to the following workshops focusing on backyard poultry and vegetable gardening:

Saturday, May 4th, 10am - Noon, Town Council Chambers: "Vegetable Gardening Success Through Organization and Design". Workshop Leader is Agricultural Commission member and Master Gardener Vin Dell'Ova.
Thursday, May 30th, 6:30pm - 8:30 pm, Town Council Chambers: "Chickens 101: Care and Maintenance of a Healthy Layer Flock". Workshop Leader is Dorothy Perkins of UNH Cooperative Extension.

For more information please contact Agricultural Commission Chair Theresa Walker at theresawalker@comcast.net

Welding in prefabricated parts of the main stairway. Courtesy Walter Rous

DURHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

This week was the reverse of last week, weather-wise. Monday was clear in the low 60’s, Friday, rainy and raw. Work migrated from the exterior to the interior as the week progressed.

Exterior work included re-roofing the back-side of the house and re-trimming the three dormers, installing sprinkler lines in the arcade porch ceiling and continued brickwork on the elevations facing the parking lot and layout of the brickwork on the southwest end of the library. Although the frost is out of the ground, the site is quite wet and spongy making exterior site work unrealistic until the site can dry out a bit.

Lots happened at the interior this week. Workers installed the steel stringers and tread and riser pans of the main stair off the lobby while other steel workers welded, ground and polished the stair rail of the egress tower stair. Large duct trunks were installed in the Mechanical Room and piping was installed to the split AC unit that will cool the DCAT closet. The electricians began running data and security lines throughout the library. Control wiring was run for the HVAC units. The drywallers hung, taped and mudded gypsum drywall in the basement, first floor and ceiling/attic areas of the house. Carpenters installed the fir ceilings in the Adult Reading Bay, Toddler Area and over the New Fiction Area. Last Friday the painters prepared walls for paint and this week, paint they did! A large crew was on-site Monday priming all the drywall and by Wednesday, approximately 50% of the interior painting was complete! As more areas are finished, they will return.

Grinding and polishing welds on the railing. Courtesy Walter Rous

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.

Town Council - Monday, April 15, 2013. For agenda and other information, click HERE.

Economic Development Committee Workshop - Tuesday, April 16, 2013 (7PM @ Durham PD Community Room). For agenda and other information, click HERE.

Integrated Waste Management Advisory Committee - Thursday, April 18, 2013. For agenda and other information, click HERE.

Parks & Recreation Committee - Thursday, April 18, 2013 (7PM @ P&R building). For agenda and other information, 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://ci.durham.nh.us/ by clicking the DCAT on demand logo, or directly at http://dcat.pegcentral.com/.

Durham Public Library Board of Trustees meeting schedule, please click HERE.

DCAT Programming Schedule, please click HERE.

TRY THE TRAIN TO MAINE! AMTRAK WEEKEND STEAL DEAL

Amtrak's Downeaster train service is being affected south of Haverhill due to bridge replacement, so the Rail Authority is offering $5 trips on a few select upcoming weekends. The deal covers trips between stations from Haverhill north through Exeter, to Freeport, and all the way to Brunswick, Maine. It's a great opportunity to take a little excursion to Portland (the Old Port!), Freeport (LL Bean!), or Brunswick (Bowdoin College!). Relax and view the scenery instead of the traffic...stroll around your destination town without worrying about parking. Besides, there's no cheaper way to introduce the kids to rail travel.

Dates for the deal: Weekends of April 27-28, May 4-5, and May 11-12; reservations required. Check the details at the promotional website. To help plan your trip, visit the current Downeaster schedule and find visitor tips (including bus and tax connections) at the website for the Portland Transportation Center.

Want to leave your car near Durham's Amtrak station? Park for free on weekends at UNH's "A Lot" across the railroad tracks or the Nesmith Hall parking lot across Main Street, or at Durham's Depot Road parking lot to the right of the station. Free parking is available to Durham residents in the Depot Road Lot for a day trip on the train by contacting the Durham Police Department at 868-2324, M-F, and obtaining a day pass for weekend use.

AMTRAK DOWNEASTER - NATIONAL TRAIN DAY, MAY 11TH

Join the celebration on Saturday, May 11, 2013 from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Brunswick Station, 16 Avenue, Brunswick, Maine. Free event!

Downeaster train tours and cafe samples - 1-4 PM
Kids activities
Travel ideas
Educational exhibits
Ticket giveaway

To learn more about the Amtrak Downeaster, click HERE.

KID'S CORNER

An idea was submitted by a Durham youngster that it might be neat to have a new section in the weekly Friday Updates called the "kid's corner" available for Durham kids to present their points of view. If your child would like to share a brief "idea" for submission in the Friday Updates, please forward it along to Jennie Berry at jberry@ci.durham.nh.us. Here is this week's kid's corner submission from 7 year old Durham resident Zoe Selig:

Calling all Otters! How was the banquet? Did you like the cupcakes, or should I say swimcakes? Well let’s talk about something else, thinking of something to do? Here are a few:

Help with chores.
Play with pets.
Get out and exercise.
Have quiet time.
Play with family and friends.
Call relatives.

Hurray, spring is here! Want some spring crafts? Here some are …

Make a bird feeder. Warning, nuts and seeds included!
Mud pie. A messy craft!
Draw pictures of birds and other spring things.
Go on a nature hike. Be sure to keep quiet!
A yummy spring day.
Put on a springtime play with your friends and family. Put on some springtime music to make it even more special.
Make a springtime puppet.
Make a birds nest. Another messy craft!

DO YOU HAVE A BIG IDEA FOR A SMALL GRANT?

The Lamprey River Advisory Committee is seeking creative, hard-working individuals or groups to apply for small grants that help to spread the word about the Lamprey River. The committee seeks projects whose goal is outreach that highlights protection of the river’s outstanding wildlife & ecology, history, recreation, or other attributes. Past projects include: videos,

town trail planning & mapping, land & soil conservation education, water conservation education and making rain barrels, mapping historic mill sites,

on-site septic system reviews for landowners, Lamprey River Curriculum revision, and creation of a lending library of tools to remove invasive plants.

All proposed projects need to address an issue identified in the Lamprey River Management Plan, 2007 Revision, located at http://www.lampreyriver.org/about-us-2007-mgmt-plan-revision. Grants up to $5000 will be considered for the best proposals. Please note that not more than 10% of the grant budget can go toward overhead costs.

The deadline for applications is May 17, 2013. Details for the Small Grants Program can be found at http://www.lampreyriver.org/about-us-2013-small-grants-program or by contacting Sharon Meeker, outreach sub-committee chair, at s-meeker@comcast.net or 659-5441. We are happy to discuss potential projects informally prior to application submission. The committee wants to hear from you!

New England Cottontail rabbit

STRAFFORD RIVERS CONSERVANCY FUND-RAISER - PLANT SHRUBS TO RESTORE THE NATURAL HABITAT OF THE NEW ENGLAND COTTONTAIL

Did you know the Cottontail is one of New Hampshire's endangered species? Would you be interested in helping to keep them off the list while promoting native plants? Would you enjoy getting outdoors and getting your hands dirty for a good cause? Then grab a shovel and join us at the Horrigan property off Bennett Road, Durham on Saturday, April 27 and/or Sunday, April 28 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Four SHIFTS are available: Saturday, 4/27: 9 am - 1 pm; Saturday, 4/27: 1 pm - 5 pm; Sunday, 4/28, 9 am - 1 pm; and Sunday, 4/28: 1 pm - 5 pm

To register, please call Emma Carcagno at UNHCE, (603) 862-2512. Please indicate your preferred shift when you register. DIRECTIONS SENT UPON REGISTRATION.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will contribute to the Strafford Rivers Conservancy (SRC) a set amount for each shrub planted.

Expect to get dirty! Take appropriate boots and clothing that will hold up well in mud and dirt, work gloves, shovel, water, and lunch if you plan to stay a while. (A dozen shovels will be available and snacks will be provided.)

WORKFORCE HOUSING RENTALS AVAILABLE - DOWNTOWN DURHAM AT FORMER GRANGE PROPERTY

Two-bedroom workforce housing apartments are now being offered in downtown Durham. Rentals will be available June 1, 2013. Heat and Hot Water included in the rent. Rental application and security deposit are required. Income restrictions apply. This project was part of a public-private redevelopment of the former Grange parcel which has won numerous state planning awards, as well as an award from the NH Wordforce Housing Coalition. For more information, contact Nikki Douglas at 603-557-0834, nikkidouglass@kw.com.

PARKS AND RECREATION PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

JOIN US FOR YOGA: Mondays: 5:45AM and 5PM; Tuesdays: 7:15PM; Thursdays: 6:00AM. What to expect: Yoga is a series of physical poses which promote good posture, alleviate health problems, reduce stress, and make the spine supple. Yoga is often used as both an exercise and a form of physical therapy. Cost is only $40 for 8 sessions! Couples Yoga coming soon! Find out more HERE.

GET FIT! CHECK OUT ONE OF OUR ENERGIZING CLASSES TODAY!

BOOT CAMP, Wed/Fri, 7AM

PILATES, Mon 9AM, Wed 6:30 PM, Sat 10AM

ZUMBA - Mon/Wed 5:30 PM, Sat 9AM

STRENGTH & STRETCH - Wed/Fri 8AM

TAI CHI (Beginner/Advanced) - Fri 4-5:30 PM

TAI CHI (Moving for Better Balance) - Tue/Thu 9-10AM

Find out more HERE.

SUMMER SPEED CAMP: For athletes in grades 7-12 who are looking to improve their game, while having a TON of fun this summer. Find out more HERE.

ADVENTURE PADDLE CAMP: Parks & Recreation is teaming up with Seven Rivers Paddling to offer kids kayaking camps this summer! We are offering a series of week-long sessions for kids ages 6-8 and 9-13. Each session will guide the participants through basic paddling techniques; balance; self rescue skills; wildlife exploration; and conservation topics. For more information, please visit Seven Rivers Paddling on FB, or email: sevenriverspaddling@gmail.com

KAYAK TOURS: Durham Parks & Recreation is teaming up with Seven Rivers Paddling to offer weekend tours this summer! Seven Rivers Paddling Days:

Saturday, April 27th @ 10AM – Jackson’s Landing
Saturday, May 4th @ 5PM (Sunset Tour) – Jackson’s Landing
Saturday, May 11th @ 10AM – Jackson’s Landing
Saturday, May 18th @ 3PM – Jackson’s Landing
Saturday, May 25th @ 10AM – Jackson’s Landing

All tours are $50/person, (ages 9+) and include necessary instruction and gear (boats too)!

Both beginner and advanced paddlers welcome. Tours are 3 hours each. Space is limited!

To register, please fill out a registration form at: ci.durham.nh.us/recreation (follow directions on top of form).

COUCH TO 5K: Have you ever wanted to run a 5k but don’t know how to get started? Come run with us in our “Couch to 5k” program. Nicole and Sheila are great instructors who bring FUN and energy into running. This program includes registration for, and concludes with the Bobcat Bolt 5k in June.

16TH WORLD TAI CHI QUIGONG DAY CELEBRATION: Join Parks & Recreation Tai Chi Instructor Lin Lin Choy on Saturday, April 27th @ 10AM – Great Lawn, UNH. This is a free event for all ages.

COYOTE CLUB: New Session Starting May 6th. Don't miss out! This is our LAST session until the Fall.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

Durham Day - Saturday, September 21, 2013 at Wagon Hill Farm (Rain Date: Sunday, September 22nd)
Music By the Bay Summer Concert Series - June, July, August 2013 at Wagon Hill Farm
Memorial Day Parade - Monday, May 27, 2013

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For more information regarding any of the classes or events offered by Parks and Recreation, visit the P&R web site at https://www.ci.durham.nh.us/boc_parksrec.

The Durham Police Officers Association will host its annual pancake breakfast on Saturday, April 27th from 8-10AM at the Durham Evangelical Church. Proceeds will benefit the Chief Ray Burrows Scholarship Fund. See more information below.

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

Great Bay Figure Skating Club 2013 Spring Revue: Earth Wind and Fire, Saturday, April 13, 2013, doors open at 12:45 PM, Dover Ice Arena. 39th year for this show which highlights the progression of the club skaters from the seacoast and surrounding areas including Oyster River and UNH. Tickets: $8; 4 and under free. For more information call Doreen Wachenschwanz, 603-312-0707 or visit http://greatbayskating.org/

UNH Conference for Office Professionals. For office managers, executive and administrative assistants, clerical and office staff. Wednesday, April 17, 2013, 9AM-4PM, Sheraton Harborside Hotel, Portsmouth. $195 if registered by April 3; $235 after April 3. For more information, click HERE.

Durham Newcomers Unlimited, Master Gardner, Carol Doering will present "A Garden for Wildlife: Natural Landscaping for a Better Backyard", Friday, April 19, 2013, 10:00 AM, Community Church of Durham. Free and open to the public. For more information call 603-868-7364.

Durham Garden Club Presents "Pot Time Gardener: Learning the Basics of Container Design", Tuesday, April 23, 2013, 6:30 PM, Madbury Town Hall, 13 Town Hall Road. A non-member is welcome to attend one meeting as a guest.

Community Archaeology Day, Satruday, April 27, 2013, 9AM to 3PM (May 4th heavy rain backup day), UNH's Great Lawn at intersection of Main Street and Edgewood Road. The students of The Lost Campus: The Archeology of UNH invite all to visit their excavations of the first train station in Durham (opened in 1841, moved in 1912; part of the B&M railroad). Contact Carolyn.Stolzenburg@unh.edu, 603-862-1864 with questions.

UNH May Day Carnival, Saturday, April 27, 2013, 1:00 - 9:00 PM, Parking Lot C and Quad Way at UNH. All are welcome at this campus and community event, featuring amusement rides, game booths, live music, carnival food and more. Admission is free for all UNH students, faculty, staff and their families. $5 Admission for all other community members.

Durham Police Officers Association Pancake Breakfast, Saturday, April 27, 2013, 8:00-10:00 AM, Durham Evangelical Church, Dover Road. Proceeds benefit the Chief Ray Burrows Scholarship Fund. $7/adults, $3/children for all you can eat pancakes, home fries, sausage, bacon, and eggs.

An Introduction to Rain Garden Design & Installation, Friday, May 3, 2013, 8:30 AM-3:30 PM, Great Bay Community College Room 123-124, 320 Corporate Drive, Portsmouth. Installation rain date: May 6th. Registration deadline is April 29th. For more information call 603-559-1529

UNH New Hampshire Sea Grant Family Boat Building will take place on May 17, 18, and 19 at Kingman Farm in Madbury, NH. Each family must include at least one child age 12 or older. There is a mandatory introductory session Thursday evening, May 16. Extended families or single parents are encouraged to apply. Applications are due by April 15. If you would like more information or want to be considered as a participant, please call Mark Wiley at the Marine Docent office, 603.862.6702, (mark.wiley@unh.edu), or call the program director Ray Belles, 603.868.7180, (ORFARM@comcast.net). Please also visit the Sea Grant web site at http://www.seagrant.unh.edu/family-boat-building.

Great Bay Rowing (GBR) - Registration is now open for the spring session. GBR is a non-profit club fostering interest in the sport of rowing. We provide our members, with the opportunity, facilities, equipment, and instruction to row at both competitive and recreational levels. For more information, click HERE.

Durham Great Bay Rotary Upcoming Meetings. All meetings held at 7:30 AM at the Three Chimneys Inn,. All are welcome. Apr 24th-Carolyn Johnson on her trip to Guatemala; Apr 10th-Club Forum; Apr 17th-Maggie Stier of NH Preservation Organization on Old Man of Mountain; Apr 24th-GSE Team from Nigeria; May 1st-John DeLorey on college financing/planning; May 8th-GBRC member Ric Erikson; May 15th-Club Forum; May 22nd-GBRC member Arthur Bradbury; May 29th-Open. Call 603-868-1664 for more information.

Annual Tech-cycle Event. ORHS's robotics Team, River's Edge Robotics, will hold this second annual event, Saturday, May 4, 2013, 9AM-5PM, senior parking lot at ORHS. Please bring any electronics or appliances that are not being used anymore. Please contact Nate Oxnard, noxnard@orcsd.org with questions.

Legally Blonde The Musical - SAVE THE DATE - May 23, 24, 25 (7PM) and May 26 (2PM), ORHS, Tickets: $7/students, $10/adults

ORHS List of Athletic Events for the Spring - To view the schedule, click HERE. *** Weather could postpone or cancel some of these events ***. For daily updates, contact ORHS at 603-868-2375, extension 2.

FRIENDS OF THE DURHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY SPRING BOOK SALE

The Friends of the Durham Public Library spring book sale kicks off at the Durham Public Library on Thursday, May 9th from 6pm to 7pm with an Early Bird Preview--admission to this special one hour event is $10 for best selection!

The sale opens to everyone from 7pm to 8:30pm Thursday evening. The sale will continue on Friday, May 10th, from 10am to 5pm and on Saturday, May 11th from 10am to 2pm.

Come browse quality books and a great selection! Pick up your summer reads while supporting the Durham Public Library. All proceeds from the Friends Spring Book Sale support Library programs.

The Durham Public Library is located in Mill Road Plaza. (603) 868-6699.

DURHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

Spring Poets: Barbara Allen to Blackbird, Singing the Romantic Poets: Tuesday, April 16 at 6:30 p.m. Don't miss John Perrault in a musical journey to PoetryLand! Once upon a time, poetry and song were inseparable. Then they quarreled. During the Renaissance they broke up. The separation proved painful for both. Gradually they patched things up, thanks especially to Wordsworth and Coleridge who counseled the reconciliation. They put it all in writing in Lyrical Ballads back in 1798—promising to engage their heart-felt lyrics with the old ballad form. Guitar in hand, former Portsmouth Poet Laureate John Perrault sings the story, beginning with the early English ballad, and working his way through poets from Burns to Dylan, Dickinson to Mary Oliver, in a salute to the romantic tradition. Everyone is invited to attend this free program which is sponsored by the Durham Public Library in conjunction with the New Hampshire Humanities Council.
Bookeaters: Middle School Book Group, Weds. April 17th, 2:45-4:00 p.m. - Join us for this Middle School Group! This month's book is "Hush, Hush" by Becca Fitzpatrick. Walk from the Middle School to come and discuss the book of the month. This group is facilitated by Ruth Wharton-MacDonald. Pizza is served! All are welcome.

Flight of Remembrance: 2012 USA Best Book Award Finalist to Speak on "Other Side of WWII History": Wednesday, April 17 at 6:30 p.m. Marina will visit the library to discuss a true narrative from the “other side” of World War II history, written by the daughter of the protagonists, provides a window into the wartime experiences of Rolf, a Latvian aeronautical engineering student forced to repatriate to Germany in 1939 before the first Soviet takeover and Lilo, the young German woman he meets in Berlin. It is a dual love story of two people for each other, but also of a young man’s passion for his chosen technical calling amidst daunting wartime circumstances. The author, Marina Dutzmann Kirsch, will discuss the book’s subject matter, protagonists, sources of inspiration, and special research accompanied by World War II era photographs and an overview of the Holocaust in the Baltic States. "Flight of Remembrance: A World War II Memoir of Love and Survival," written and published by Marina Dutzmann Kirsch of Kirschstone Books, Kensington, NH, has been announced an award-winning finalist in the “Non-Fiction: Narrative” category of The 2012 USA Best Book Awards sponsored by USA Book News.

Preschool Storytimes, Tues. April 16th and Thurs. April 18th at 10:30 am – This week: Pancakes and Breakfasts! Join us for stories, fingerplays, songs, feltboard and a craft. All are welcome.

Lego Club is Back for 1st-4th Graders starting Thurs. March 21st from 3:45-4:45 p.m. -Like to build with Legos? Join us for this fun club for 1st-4th graders. We will meet for 5 Thursdays, March 21, 28, April 4, 11 and 18!

Homeschooling Activity Hour starting Friday, April 19th, 10:30-11:30 a.m. –This week: Write! Newbery award winners, hear some books, make a journal. Homeschoolers join us as we read some books, play some games and work on a craft. This program is geared for home-schoolers but all are welcome. We will meet for eight Fridays (starting April 5th and ending May 24th).
McGregor Memorial EMS CPR Course at the DPL: Tuesday, April 23 from 6 to 8:15 p.m. Register now for the McGregor Memorial EMS CPR Course. The cost for the Community CPR Class is $20, and payment is due the night of the class. Please register at http://www.mcgregorems.org/

Toe Jam Puppet Band Musical Performance Special Joint Library Vacation Program at the ORHS! Thursday, April 25 at 10:30 a.m. - Join the Durham, Lee and Madbury Libraries for this fun musical performance! Toe Jam Puppet Band is a rollicking fun musical performance for children of all ages. Don't miss this interactive musical good time. This is a joint library school vacation program.
Friends of the Library Book Discussion, Friday, April 26 at 10:30 a.m. - Penultimate Friends' Book Discussion in the O.L.*, facilitated by Jennifer Lee, April 26 at 10:30 a.m.: A Summons To Memphis by Peter Taylor, the richly "evocative story of revenge, resolution and redemption", a classic work of American literature. Read it now.*Old Library.

Date change for ORHS Poetry Night! Oyster River High School Poetry Night has been switched to Weds, May 8th, 7:00 p.m- Join Oyster River High School Students for a night of creative poetry readings! The ORHS Poet Laureate, ORHS Poetry Out Loud Winner and the ORHS Literary Magazine Members will do some readings. Refreshments will be served and all are welcome!

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.

Check out our website www.durhampubliclibrary.org for more info.

FROM "DURHAM, NEW HAMPSHIRE A HISTORY - 1900-1985"

"Farm Life in Durham: This brief look at farm life in Durham during the twentieth century would not be complete without a history of Adams Point and the Adams family farm and boardinghouse. Indeed, there have been so many great changes at Adams Point, its history almost deserves a separate chapter.

From the air in the 1980s, farmlands in Durham, which once were an open checkerboard of greens in the spring and summer, and tan and brown as hay ripened in the early fall, now are a dark green, wooded landscape with ill-defined boundaries and only here and there a good-sized hayfield. It is sometimes possible to locate the site of a lost farm while following a trail through pine woods. The stone walls and occasional barbed-wire fences that ramble, seemingly endlessly, through the woods are mute testimony they once marked the boundaries of the open farmland that lay on either side of them." Published in 1985 by the Durham Historic Association.

Have a very nice weekend.

Todd

Todd I. Selig, Administrator

Town of Durham, New Hampshire

T: 603-868-5571 F: 603-868-5572

tselig@ci.durham.nh.us http://www.ci.durham.nh.us

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