Friday Updates - April 28, 2023

Friday, April 28, 2023

Happy Arbor Day! Arbor Day is a holiday that celebrates the planting, upkeep and preservation of trees. It was founded by Julius Sterling Morton in Nebraska in 1872 and has since spread to many countries around the world.

Durham’s Earth Day Event scheduled for April 29th is being cancelled due to the inclement weather being forecast. All of the folks participating in this year’s event will be at Durham Day with great information and displays! Come see us at Durham Day on June 3rd!!

UNH SUSTAINABILITY DAY TRAFFIC ALERT

Police Chief Kelley would like the community to know that the University of New Hampshire will be hosting their annual “Sustainability Day” on Saturday, May 6, 2023. The event is expected to start at 12 pm and will end at 4 pm. Main Street will be closed between Garrison Avenue and Edgewood Road from 10 am to 5 pm. 

DURHAM GREAT BAY ROTARY ANNUAL FLOWER SALE

Durham Great Bay Rotary is having their second annual flower sale and would love if you would support this great cause. They have expanded their flower offerings this year to include three types of lilacs and an option for hydrangea plants as well. Plants are $50 and can be picked up (or delivered to you) the weekend of May 13-14. These make a great client gift! Funds raised from this sale support the Rotary's charitable fund which helps to support the scholarship program for high school seniors, the boot & shoe program which provides new sneaker and boots to families in need, and lots of great organizations in the area. These are high quality local plants! If you have any questions, you can contact Will Lenharth at will@lenharth.com

If you have any interest in supporting Durham Great Bay Rotary’s Lilac fundraiser you can order Lilac plants and Hydrangeas by clicking HERE.

DID YOU KNOW? - BULKY WASTE DAY ALTERNATIVES

This year, Durham’s bulky waste curbside pickup begins on May 1. Despite this being a convenient service for residents, there are many important things to consider before leaving your items curbside.

Although this appears to be a “free service”, it is, in fact, costly to taxpayers. This labor-intensive work is paid for with taxpayer dollars and takes many weeks for the public works staff to complete. This is time the staff could be dedicating to other necessary town projects.

In addition, all bulky waste items picked up curbside are sent to the landfill. Landfill tipping fees alone for this program were close to $18,000 in 2022. Additionally, 180 tons were landfilled from this program in 2022, which equates to 55% of the total yearly volume of bulky waste in Durham. 

If, instead, these bulky waste items were brought to the transfer station, they could be sorted, disassembled and many could be re-purposed or recycled. Alternatively, bulky waste can be brought to places like Savers or Best Buy, who have robust reuse/recycling programs. Or, if the items are clean, work, and have all of their parts, they can be brought to the Swap Shop.

The Raymond A. LaRoche, Sr. Transfer Station and Recycling Center is located at 100 Durham Point Road. Public works will accept bulky waste items free of charge on May 2nd, 4th, 9th, and 11th from 7:30 AM – 3:00 PM. 

For more information about the reuse program at Savers, please click HERE.

To learn more about Best Buy’s recycling program, please click HERE.

For more details on the Swap Shop, please click HERE.

Thank you for considering these alternatives!

Brought to you by the IWMAC Committee

Questions about recycling or composting? Email us at Durhamrecycles603@gmail.com

May is Preservation Month across the country. The National Trust for Historic Preservation declares a “national high-five to everyone doing the great work of saving places – in ways big and small – and inspiring others to do the same.” Thank you to Durham’s Historic District/Heritage Commission for all of their important contributions in protecting Durham’s special heritage. Take a look at their website HERE.

MAY IS ALSO BUILDING SAFETY MONTH!

The International Code Council (ICC) has declared the month of May as Building Safety Month. Each week in May there will be a topic in Friday Updates on Building Safety for both individuals and communities. This week's topic is Building Safety Starts at Home. Building safety impacts our everyday life as family members, friends and individuals at home. Click HERE to read about everything from fire safety tips and home maintenance best practices, to how to be more sustainable to ensure a cleaner and greener tomorrow.

Are you interested in local waterways? Would you enjoy mornings out with other volunteers, collecting and testing water samples from the tributaries and freshwater reaches of the Oyster River? Please consider joining us! Monitors go out in small groups from May-October, taking monthly water samples from streambanks or bridges and recording data on water clarity, pH, dissolved oxygen, and conductivity. Training is provided. Levels of involvement can vary from a few times a season to more, depending on your time and interests. This program is sponsored by the Oyster River Watershed Association (http://www.oysterriver.org), the NH Dept. of Environmental Services’ Volunteer River Assessment Program (NH VRAP), and the UNH/Durham Water Treatment Plant. If you are aged 16+ and would like to learn more, please email Thomas Lee at tom.lee@unh.edu

POSTPONEMENT OF PUBLIC HEARING ON THE CLIMATE ACTION MASTER PLAN - Now Scheduled for May 24

The Planning Board postponed its public hearing on the draft Climate Action Master Plan until Wednesday, May 24. The meeting starts at 7:00 pm and the hearing will be held shortly after that. This draft chapter of the master plan was prepared by Kyle Pimental, Principal Planner with the Strafford Regional Planning Commission, in collaboration with representatives from all Town departments. The Town adopted 10 chapters of the master plan in 2015 and a future land use chapter in 2017.  Given the critical nature of climate change, the staff and the regional planning agency thought it worthwhile to pursue grant funding to develop this new chapter. The total project cost of $26,310 was covered with a New Hampshire Coastal Resilience Municipal Planning Grant of $17,540, $3,500 from the Town of Durham, and a match in staff and volunteer time equivalent to $5,270. You can view the draft plan HERE. There is a lot of excellent information about climate change in general and its potential impacts upon the town of Durham. You can see the 2015 master plan documents HERE. Please feel free to speak at the public hearing or to send an email with any comments to the Town Planner at mbehrendt@ci.durham.nh.us

UPDATE FROM PLANNER MICHAEL BEHRENDT

On Wednesday the Planning Board approved an amendment to the four-story mixed use project to be located at the intersection of Pettee Brook Lane and Main Street and voted to support changes to the Wetland and Shoreland Ordinance. 

On Monday the Conservation Commission adopted a statement regarding foraging rights for Native Americans on Town lands and approved the conservation elements for a new archery range at the high school. 

This coming Thursday the Historic District Commission will review three new projects and discuss possible changes in language for the plaque remembering the Oyster River Raid/Massacre in 1694.

LEARN ABOUT APPRENTICESHIP OPPORTUNITIES WITH APPRENTICESHIPNH

Through an Apprenticeship Building America (ABA) grant from the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), ApprenticeshipNH will award funds to expand Registered Apprenticeship and Pre-Apprenticeship pathways and opportunities across the state. This expansion will help fill critical workforce demands and provide opportunities in high-demand industries.

Four events in May will be held in different regions of NH to help businesses launch or expand a registered apprenticeship. For more information, please click HERE.

Sergeant Pelletier recently adopted two ducks, Chuck and Derek, from a local UNH Student who decided that they would be better suited for life on a farm. Courtesy, Durham Police Department

The Durham Professional Firefighters Local #2253 would like to introduce Smokey the Fire Dog. Smokey will give short tips on Fire Safety, weekly so Parents can generate conversation with their children about Fire Safety. Keep an eye out in the weekly updates These small questions and tips are a great way for you as a Parent to teach your kids about Fire Safety, the more they know the safer they will be.

WEEK #17

BIKE SAFETY - ALWAYS HAVE BOTH HANDS ON THE HANDLEBARS.

By having both hands on the handlebars you can maintain the best control of your bike. Here is a helpful link for more bike safety.  Click HERE for more information. 

OYSTER RIVER SCHOOL ROBOTICS TEAMS ADVANCE TO THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS!

Six Oyster River Middle School robotics teams will be competing in the 2023 VEX IQ Challenge World Championship in Dallas, TX, April 30-May 2. To read the full press release, please click HERE. To learn more about this year's challenge, please click HERE.

Above is a chart of membership options for this summer. Please note that two types of seasonal passes are back, thanks to requests from Durham residents.

The Outdoor Pool is experiencing an increase in costs to operate. As a result, the fees for this summer have gone up as well. However, memberships will be available at last summer’s rate from April 19 to May 31. To access the Outdoor Pool website, please click HERE.

In addition, the Outdoor Pool is in need of summer lifeguards. Campus Recreation provides lifeguard certification classes, and the position pays $18 per hour this summer. Please have interested individuals contact Director of Campus Recreation, Dave Charette, directly at David.charette@unh.edu or 603.862.1455.