Friday Updates - August 12, 2012

NEWS AND HAPPENINGS ...

Friday, September 21, 2012

Yes...that's Durham Fire Chief Corey Landry being tackled while recently refereeing a Division 1AA college football game, Fordham Football vs. Cornell University. This is what he does in his spare time to relax! Courtesy Corey Landry

Leaves turning colors, cool nights, crisp mornings, and a successful Durham day behind us means just one thing … the first day of fall begins tomorrow.

NO "FRIDAY UPDATES" ON OCTOBER 5, 2012

The Administrator's Office will be closed on Thursday and Friday, October 4 and 5, 2012. During that time, Business Manager Gail Jablonski will serve as Acting Administrator and may be contacted at 603-868-8043 or email gjablonski@ci.durham.nh.us

There will be no "Friday Updates" on Friday, October 5th. The next "Friday Updates" publication will be on Friday, October 12, 2012.

DURHAM DAY A SUCCESS!

Durham Day at Wagon Hill Farm was held last Saturday, September 15th. The weather was cool and clear and participants enjoyed a wonderful event. Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped make Durham Day this year such a great success! To view a slideshow of the day's events, provided by Town Planner Michael Behrendt, click HERE, then follow these steps:

Click on View Album.
Click on View Slideshow at the upper right.
Click on Full Screen at the upper right.

You can then use the left and right arrows to go forward or backward, or just let the slideshow go. Captions are shown on the bottom of each photo.

THANK YOU FROM OUTGOING PARKS & RECREATION DIRECTOR SANDY DEVINS

The outgoing Director of Durham Parks & Recreation, Sandy Devins, would like to extend many thanks to all of the departments, organizations, councils, and committees who contributed to make Durham Day a wonderful community event last Saturday! A special thank you and much credit goes to the Parks & Recreation Committee for their hard work and collaboration. The day was a great success with the help of Durham Public Works, Durham Town Council, UNH Dining, ORPP, ORCSD, Durham Fire Dept, McGregor Ambulance, Boat Organizer: Peter Smith, Durham Marketplace, the band Fling, Fitness Instructors: Kathy Kerrigan, Lin Lin Choy, and Ruth Abelmann. Thank you all for working to bring our community together!

Stefanie Frazee, Durham's new Parks & Recreation Director. Courtesy Robin Mower

APPOINTMENT OF STEFANIE FRAZEE AS NEW 30 HR/WK DIRECTOR OF DURHAM PARKS AND RECREATION

Section 4.6 of the Durham Town Charter requires that the Town Council provide its “advice and consent” to the appointment by the Administrator of Department Heads.

In July 2012, Parks and Recreation Director Sandra Devins notified the Administrator of her resignation, effective August 1, 2012.

The Town immediately began advertising for the vacancy, which had a closing date for receiving applications of August 10, 2012. The Town received a total of 55 applications for the vacant Director of Parks and Recreation position. The position is currently budgeted for 30 hours/week, and it is the hope of the Parks and Recreation Committee to increase the hours to full-time in 2013.

Administrator Selig asked interested/available members of the Parks and Recreation Committee to join him as part of the selection panel which ultimately included David Leach, Diane Moore, Michael Mengers, and Sandy Devins. Former Parks and Recreation Chair Sara Badger Wilson was also included as part of the selection process for finalist interviews.

The selection panel worked diligently with Mr. Selig to evaluate applications received and narrowed the field for an initial set of interviews. The panel met with seven semi-finalists for in-person interviews. Ms. Frazee and another finalist were invited to attend the September 13th meeting of the Parks and Recreation Committee. Ms. Frazee was then extended a Conditional Offer of Employment with the Town of Durham and has accepted.

Ms. Frazee holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesology-Outdoor Education from the University of New Hampshire. She has been working as an Education Director for the Wake County Boys and Girls Clubs in Raleigh, North Carolina since April 2011.

A criminal background investigation is currently being conducted and the Administrator has had conversations with professional references provided by Ms. Frazee.

Based on the feedback received from these individuals, the Administrator has moved forward with the appointment of Ms. Frazee to the position of Parks and Recreation Director at this time and seeks the “advice and consent” of the Town Council pursuant to the Town Charter.

To view Ms. Frazee’s resume, click HERE.

POLICE RESPONSE TO RENTAL PROPERTIES –TOP 10 TROUBLE LOCATIONS

Administrator Todd Selig recently asked Police Chief David Kurz to provide details regarding the activity of the Durham Police specifically as it applied to rental properties in town. Mr. Selig wanted to understand how the beginning of this academic year compared with others. Mr. Selig also wanted to understand whether the new 619-bed Capstone student housing complex on the western edge of Durham was monopolizing police resources. In short, it is not.

Police Chief David Kurz writes:

As you requested Todd, I am providing you with a brief overview of the activity of the department the beginning of this academic year. It is very similar to previous UNH openings where approximately 3,200 new students grapple with understanding the ramifications of being away from home, entering college, having roommates, and attempting to meet new friends. Often these quests are combined with various levels of alcohol consumption and equate to hundreds if not seemingly thousands of young people walking, wandering from place to place looking for parties and other such activity.

As you are aware I provide a weekly arrest matrix for the “Friday Updates” which provides weekly, academic year, and calendar year comparisons to the same time period for the past eight years. This week’s matrix demonstrates that arrests are slightly below the average in all three categories.

Additionally, we have added extra patrol shifts to augment our normal staff compliment. This enables the department to respond rapidly to calls for service, act in a more proactive manner to problems the officers observe during patrol, and to have an adequate number of officers on duty to address the increase in activity and often times, violence.

As for police response to rental properties for August 30th through September 15th, the top ten locations for police activity with the corresponding number of responses are:

Young Drive 6

5-7 Dennison Road 3

Park Court 3

4 Davis Court 2

22 Garrison 2

24 Madbury Road 1

7 Bagdad Road 1

8 Coe Drive 1

26 Strafford Ave 1

26 Clubhouse (Cottages) 1

The Impact of Capstone’s Cottages

With the understanding that the Capstone project is now on-line with 619 student rentals fully occupied, I wanted to provide you with an overview of the impact of this property on the police department. As you will note, Durham Police received one call within the past three weeks to the Cottages and that was at the request of their own on-site security personnel. Overall, the Cottages have been extremely positive corporate neighbors. The management team has met with the police administration regularly as we collectively formulate positive initiatives to minimize the need for police intervention.

In the aftermath of the Durham Police response to the Capstone property, Cottage management initiated eviction proceedings against the responsible tenants and brought the parents into the discussion. With agreement from the parents, and a signed document by all tenants stipulating that if there is another police response to this specific unit, the tenants will vacate, a tone has been established throughout the Cottage development. Given the extremely large student population located in one relatively small area, the services required have been minimal.

The Durham Police have long maintained that management of rental properties must equate to more than simply retrieving rental checks at the end of each month. It is critical that landlords are involved with the building complex, the broader community, and are desirous of being responsive to surrounding neighborhoods.

A management company that is invested, literally and figuratively into the Durham community, is the single most critical component for a well-managed and mutually successful rental property. So far, I can confirm that is the case at Capstone’s Cottages.

Late Night Bus Service at Capstone’s Cottages

The Cottages hoped to offer courtesy buses that would provide transportation to and from the downtown in the late weekend hours for their tenants. What the police and Cottage management discovered was that college aged non-residents of the property, many of whom were highly intoxicated, would take the buses to travel to the Cottages so they could seek opportunities to party, resulting in challenges for the police and Cottage management. These young people were abusive to Wildcat Transit’s student bus drivers, caused serious issues, and in many instances chanted “Tip the Bus” while they swayed to and fro attempting to topple the Wildcat bus. Cottage management encountered such unruly visitors to the development and did not want them disturbing and invading their neighborhood.

The original good faith intent on the part of Capstone was converse to what was actually occurring as the buses were bringing problems to the property! After several fruitful meeting with UNH transportation, Durham Police, and University Police, the Cottage management decided that the service was counter to the original design and discontinued it. While Capstone is reviewing various options to restart the initiative with smaller, private buses where the company can demand identification for the service, their decisive action stopped the unintended problem.

"DRUG TAKE BACK" PROGRAM AT THE DURHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT

The initiative of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been a national success where the previous events have taken in an astounding 276 tons of unwanted or expired medications.

Chief Kurz has decided to provide this program on a continuous basis since a significant number of residents participated by dropping off at the police facility a significant amount of unwanted or expired prescriptions. During any business day, from 8AM to 5PM, residents can drop off their unused, unwanted, or expired medications at the Durham Police facility on Dover Road for no cost and it’s all anonymous!

Doing so prevents prescription drug abuse as six out of ten teenagers who have taken prescription narcotics state that they get them from their parents or relative’s medicine cabinets. Additionally, using this service keeps trace drugs out of our lakes, streams and estuaries as wastewater treatment plants cannot remove many compounds found in medications; so when flushed or put in a landfill, drugs are discharged into our surface and ground water and consumed by fish and wildlife.

If anyone has any questions about this service, please call the Durham Police during business hours Monday through Friday at (603) 868-2324.

NEW POLICE OFFICER HIRED

Patrol Officer Matt Brown resigned in July to accept employment at the University of New Hampshire Police Department leaving a vacancy that has been filled with the offer of employment to David Carpenter.

Mr. Carpenter graduated from Ramapo College in Mahwah, NJ with a BA in Law and Society and has worked as part-time police officer, EMT and dispatcher in New Jersey. His parents have moved from New Jersey to Stratham and his desire to be near them caused his exploration of various options in this area. After an extensive selection process, background investigation including oral board, medical, psychological and physical examinations, Mr. Carpenter emerged as the primary candidate. He will begin his indoctrination phase on October 1st and attend the New Hampshire Police Academy commencing January 7, 2013.

Chief Kurz wants to extend a hearty thank you for the assistance of Andrea Bodo and Peter Wolfe who graciously provided their time, insight and life experience by participating in the oral board process. It is important that residents be involved in this process to ensure that Durham Police Officers possess the necessary attributes to be a successful employee of the community.

Town Engineer Dave Cedarholm.

TOWN ENGINEER DAVE CEDARHOLM TO SPEAK AT GUNDALOW COMPANY EVENT

The Gundalow Company is holding a series of speakers on Thursday evenings this fall and Durham’s Town Engineer Dave Cedarholm will be the feature speaker aboard the Great Bay Estuary’s Gundalow Piscataqua this coming Thursday September 27th. The focus Mr. Cedarholm’s discussion will be non-point source pollution in the Great Bay Watershed and what the you can do help reduce its impacts. The Gundalow Company has free tickets available for Conservation Commissioners and other municipal decision makers for this and other speakers. To learn more click HERE or visit the Gundalow Company’s website, http://www.gundalow.org/, or call 603-433-9505.

AMTRAK EXECUTIVES VISIT DURHAM

This week, Administrator Selig met with Mr. William Hollister, Principal Officer of Government Affairs at Amtrak, as well as with Mr. Ray Lang, Chief of State Government Relations for Amtrak. Messrs Hollister and Lang are in the process of visiting with host station communities along the Amtrak Downeaster line. They updated Durham on rider statistics (Period FY 2011 10/1 – 9/30) for the service which are of general interest.

Station Total Ridership

Portland   208,979

Old Orchard Beach  14,533

Saco    47,920

Wells    52,728

Dover    59,091

Durham   53,087

Exeter    90,968

Haverhill   39,070

Woburn   16,762

Boston-North   456,198

Sustaining Amtrak Downeaster service is very consistent with the Town Council’s goals toward sustainability, reducing our carbon footprint, and reducing unnecessary congestion on Durham roadways. To this end, we will explore whether there is more we can do locally to educate residents concerning the train’s presence in Durham to encourage wider use of this local resource.

DURHAM/AFSCME UNIT REACH TENTATIVE AGREEMENT FOLLOWING LONG MEDIATION SESSION ON 9/10/12

The Town of Durham and the AFSCME Public Works Collective Bargaining Unit have at long last reached a "Tentative Agreement" for a successor collective bargaining agreement. The unit has been without a contract since December 31, 2009.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Town of Durham and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 93 and its Appropriate Affiliate Local 863 (AFSCME) representing Durham’s public works personnel expired on December 31, 2009. Subsequent to that time, three Tentative Agreements (“TA’s”) had been reached by Town and Union negotiators only to be voted down on two occasions by the AFSCME membership and once by the Durham Town Council. The parties continued discussions until an impasse was reached earlier this year. The parties then by mutual agreement entered into mediation.

A lengthy mediation session was held on September 10, 2012, at which time the parties ultimately reached a TA. The AFSCME bargaining team will bring the TA to their membership for a vote on September 25th. If the AFSCME Unit votes to ratify the TA, it would then be brought to the Town Council for a ratification vote on October 15, 2012.

Highlights of the TA follow:

Wages Increases:

2010               0%

2011               0%

2012               0%

2013               2%

2014               2%

2015               2%

One Time off the salary Schedule $750.00 signing bonus upon ratification

Health Insurance:

Migration from Anthem to Cigna Insurance, effective 1/1/13. The Cigna plan is of high quality and is less costly than the existing Anthem plan offered through the Local Government Center.

Employee insurance premium contribution increases from existing 10% level to:

2013               11%

2014               12%

2015               13%

5% Insurance Premium Cap, effective 12/31/15, to be implemented based upon 7/1/16 rates.

Insurance buyback increased from 40% to 45%, effective 1/1/13.

5 day work week for all DPW employees, effective 1/1/13. Many DPW staff presently are on a 4 day workweek which has long been of concern to the Town in terms of optimizing efficiencies within the department.

Earlier this year, the Town of Durham and the New England Police Benevolent Association Local #21 representing Durham's police officers were able to successfully come to terms on an equitable collective bargaining agreement extending from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2013.

ZIPCAR FOR DURHAM?

This week Administrator Selig met with Town Councilors Robin Mower and Kitty Marple and Durham Energy Committee Chair Kevin Gardner to discuss the possibility of approaching UNH with the goal of bringing Zipcar to downtown Durham on Main Street in the vicinity of the Wildcat bus stop across from Jenkin’s Court.

Zipcar is a company that specializes in car sharing, helping to create an environment with fewer cars, less congestion, and less pollution – all goals that are 100% in keeping with this year’s Town Council goals.

The topic had been discussed several years ago and UNH and Zipcar were both quite interested in the location but some Durham residents expressed concern about losing a parking space along Main Street so the conversations were cut off. Mr. Selig believes the time may have come to make Zipcar a reality off campus in Durham. He’ll be reaching out to UNH in the near future to renew the conversation.

To learn more about Zipcar, click HERE.

Kiosk example developed by Durham stakeholders more than 10 years ago for Main St./Jenkins Court Location.

DIRECTIONAL KIOSK NEEDED FOR JENKINS COURT

More than ten years ago, there had been conversation about installing a directional kiosk to help direct people to the many quality businesses located on Jenkins Court in Durham. There had not been consensus around the idea at the time. Mr. Selig believes that the time has come to move forward with such a plan and will begin to direct resources to evaluate this possibility. More information to follow in the coming weeks.

Participants in the "Lean Across the Sectors" Panel of the Governor's Lean Summit on September 18, 2012. (l-r): Doug Folsom, GM and Plant Manager for GE Aviation; Governor John Lynch; Amanda Grappone Osmer, Grappone Automotive Group; Todd Selig, Tracey Lonergan, Lean Coordinator with Community Bridges. Courtesy NH Department of Employment Security

TWO DURHAM RESIDENTS PARTICIPATE IN GOVERNOR’S LEAN SUMMIT – LISTEN TO THE STORY ON NPR

It’s not every day you hear state officials quoting Kipling and Goethe. But in a keynote speech on Tuesday morning of this week, Sam McKeeman, the Programs Manager at the Maine Bureau of Human Resources, recited the first stanza of Kipling’s “Six Honest Serving Men” to 350 or so people, gathered at the Police Standards & Training Council building in Concord, New Hampshire. Among those participating as panelists included NHDOT Commissioner Christopher Clement and Todd Selig, both Durham residents.

The occasion? A “Lean Summit,” organized by Governor Lynch’s office, and designed to recognize and encourage the use of streamlining strategies in state government. Although the room was full of public workers and local business leaders, the summit had elements of both a self-help seminar and a high school science fair. To learn more, click HERE.

XEMED LLC APPLIES FOR RSA 79E DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION TAX EXEMPTION

RSA 79E may apply to either substantial rehabilitation of existing buildings or the replacement of an existing building with a new building within the Town of Durham’s commercial core. This project is for a replacement.

If the Town Council approves the application then the property tax for the total site (land and building) would be frozen at the current level for a period of time determined by the Town Council, not to exceed five years.

Site

Address: 16 Strafford Avenue

Lot: Map 2, Lot 8-3

Zoning: Professional Office

Owner: F. William Hersman, 66 Bucks Hill Road, Durham

Proposal: Complete redevelopment of site, estimated total project costs of $1,307,000

Assessment: $194,600 for the building, $310,800 total for land and building

The proposed project

The site will be completely redeveloped with a new building and a new site. This plan was approved by the Planning Board on February 10, 2010. It is likely that some relatively minor changes to both the building and site design will be made requiring the applicant to return to the Planning Board for an amendment.

Xemed LLC will be the principal tenant, with first floor space for a possible additional smaller tenant.

Other 79E projects

The Town has approved two other 79E projects: a replacement project for 9-11 Madbury Road (at the corner of Pettee Brook Lane) and a substantial rehabilitation for the Sigma Beta Epsilon Fraternity at 26 Madbury Road.

Process

This is before the Town Council on September 24, 2012 for discussion and to set a date for a public hearing before the Town Council.
The application would be reviewed by the Historic District Commission on October 4, 2012 identifying any historical, cultural and architectural value of the existing structure.
A public hearing would be held before the Town Council on October 15, 2012 (if the HDC needs more time for the review beyond October 4, then we would need to cancel or continue this public hearing to the November 5, 2012 meeting or later). The public hearing may not be held until the HDC holds its review. There is no timeframe specified for the public hearing but we would want to have at least a week or so between the notice and the hearing.
The Town Council would vote to approve the 79E project, if appropriate. The Council must take action within 45 days of the public hearing.
The covenant would be written, approved, and recorded at the Strafford County Registry of Deeds.
The applicant may not start work until the covenant is recorded. Tax relief is effective after the applicant grants to the town a covenant ensuring that the structure will be maintained and used in a manner that furthers the public benefits for which the relief was granted.

The applicant would return to the Planning Board for amendments to the site plan. These are minor.

PRESENTATION OF THE 2011 AUDIT REPORT - Greg Colby, Plodzik & Sanderson
Members of the Town Council have been provided with copies of the Independent Auditor’s Report for the Fiscal Year ending December 31, 2011 submitted by Plodzik & Sanderson. Greg Colby, Partner, will be present at Monday evening’s meeting, September 24, 2012, to provide a brief presentation and to answer any questions Councilors may have relative to the audit report.

To view the 2011 Audit document, click HERE.

SPRUCEWOOD FOREST: SITE WALK AND PUBLIC HEARING OCTOBER 3

On October 3, 2012, the Conservation Commission will hold a site walk on the property known as Sprucewood Forest (sometimes referred to as the Oyster River Forest) starting at 4:30pm. The public is welcome to attend.

The Sprucewood Forest property abuts the University of New Hampshire College Woods and has significant frontage on the Oyster River. If conserved under an easement to be held by the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), the property would provide protection of two current or future public drinking water supplies, the Oyster River and the Spruce Hole aquifer. In addition, NRCS is enthusiastic about the site's potential for providing habitat for the threatened New England cottontail rabbit and will provide the majority of funding for the project. Public access would include low-impact recreational uses, such as birding, fishing, hiking, and cross-country skiing.

Following the site walk, the Commission will conduct a public hearing at a special meeting, also on Wednesday, October 3, 2012, starting at 7:00 PM at Town Hall. For complete details on the site walk and the public hearing, click HERE.

FORMER TOWN COUNCILOR MARK MORONG COLLIDES WITH BEAR IN CALIFORNIA

Former Durham Town Council member Mark Morong was injured last weekend when the motorcycle he was riding collided with a bear. The accident occurred in California where Mark has a second residence. To view the article published in the Plumus County News on September 21, 2012, click HERE.

DURHAM PROACTIVELY ADDRESSES WEST NILE VIRUS/EEE CONCERNS
The State of New Hampshire saw a growth in activity in both West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) during the 2005 mosquito season. Despite an aggressive state-wide education campaign, seven NH residents developed serious illness following infection with EEE, two of whom died. Once present in an environment, both viruses will likely continue to surface to some extent every year. The Town of Durham website hosts a detailed memorandum which provides information concerning West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis, prevention and control strategies, and the Town’s planned response in 2012. To view the Administrator's memorandum, click HERE.

What Can Residents do to Reduce Their Risk of Becoming Infected With West Nile Virus or EEE?

When mosquitoes are active, take the following precautions:

Wear protective clothing such as long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and socks if outside during evening, nighttime, and dawn hours, the time when mosquitoes are most active, and at other times when mosquitoes are biting.
If outside during evening, nighttime, and dawn hours, or whenever mosquitoes are biting, consider the use of an effective insect repellent.
Vitamin B, ultrasonic devices, incense, and bug zappers have not been shown to be effective in preventing mosquito bites.
Repellents containing DEET have been proven effective. No more than 30% DEET should be used on adults or children.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated recommendations for use of DEET products on children, citing: “Insect repellents containing DEET with a concentration of 10% appear to be as safe as products with a concentration of 30% when used according to the directions on the product labels.” AAP recommends that repellents with DEET should not be used on infants less than 2 months old.
Repellents containing Picaridin (KBR3023) or oil of lemon eucalyptus (a plant based repellent) provide protection similar to repellents with low concentrations of DEET. Oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children under the age of three years. Do not allow young children to apply repellent themselves.
Do not apply repellent directly to children. Apply repellent to your own hands and then put it on the child’s exposed skin.
Avoid putting repellent on the hands of children or near their eyes or mouth.
Do not spray directly on the face, spray into the hands first and then apply to the face.
Do not apply to cuts, wounds, or irritated, skin.
Do not use under clothing.
Research has shown that repellents based on natural oils or herbs are less effective than products based on Picaridin or DEET.
Vitamin B, ultrasonic devices, incense, and bug zappers have not been shown to be effective in preventing mosquito bites.

The perimeter foundation with fill being spread and compacted with the walk-behind compactor at the new library site. Courtesy Walter Rous

DURHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

Sometimes progress on a building project can seem minor. This week was an example of that. However, appearances can be deceiving. Often what seems to be minor is actually deliberate and careful. With the perimeter foundation walls completed, the careful and deliberate process of filling the space inside the walls with fill began. As much as 3 to 4 feet of new, suitable material had to be brought in to raise the grade up to a point where the interior column footings and under-slab plumbing and electrical work could be done. The new fill is placed in what are called “lifts”. Each lift is about 12” thick and must be thoroughly compacted before the next lift can be placed. Compaction is achieved using vibrating equipment, a walk-behind compactor near the foundation walls and a riding roller compactor for the field. This pro
cess took most of the week but has created a firm and dense base for the under-slab work and ultimately for the finished slab. At the end of the week, the interior column footings had been cast, column base plates had been set and the rough plumbing and electrical work begun.

A thank you is extended to Durham residents and Clerks of the Works Walter Rous and Bill Schoonmaker for thier work in overseeing the construction on behalf of the Town.

Construction worker using a roller compactor at the new library site. Courtesy Walter Rous

COUNCIL TO HOLD CONTINUED DISCUSSION ON DOWNTOWN TIF PLAN
The Town Council had an initial discussion at its June 4, 2012 meeting concerning the concept of establishing a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) district downtown. The Economic Development Committee has also discussed this topic at several of its meetings. A discussion of the proposed plan was placed on the Council’s June 18th meeting, but because of the lateness of the hour was postponed to the Council’s July 2nd meeting. On July 2nd the Council held an extensive discussion on this item and then scheduled a public hearing for its meeting on August 6, 2012.The Town Council held a public hearing on August 6, 2012 on the draft Development Program and Financing Plan.

Copies of the draft TIF plan were mailed to the Strafford County Commissioners and ORCSD School Board for review and comment. These organizations were also notified of the public hearing.

On September 24, 2012, the Council will continue its discussion regarding the proposal taking into consideration feedback received during the public hearing on August 6th. Don Jutton from Municipal Resources Inc., the individual who has advised Durham on TIF districts in the past, has been asked by Mr. Selig to attend the meeting to answer questions that might arise from the Council.

To view the proposed plan for the downtown TIF district, click HERE. Questions regarding the proposed downtown TIF district should be addressed to Administrator Todd Selig, 603-868-5571, tselig@ci.durham.nh.us.

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED FOR COUNCIL MEETING ON SEPTEMBER 24, 2012

Two public hearings will be held at the Town Council meeting on Monday, September 24, 2012. The meeting will begin at 7:00 PM and held in the Council chambers at the Town Hall, 15 Newmarket Road.

Ordinance #2012-10: Amending Chapter 124 “Street Vending, Peddling, and Soliciting”, Sections 124-2 and 124-4 of the Durham Town Code by including the control of buying and/or offering to purchase products. This amendment is designed to adequately address the act of “buying and/or purchasing” by street vendors as defined in the ordinance. Consequently, anyone desirous of doing so would be required to abide by the ordinance and obtain the appropriate permits. Questions concerning this ordinance should be directed to Police Chief David Kurz, 603-868-2324, dkurz@ci.durham.nh.us.

Ordinance #2012-11: Amending Chapter 68 “Fire Prevention” Section 68-4 “Additions and Amendments” of the Durham Town Code by adding 68-4 (F) titled “Public Safety Amplification System Required in Facilities”. Questions concerning this ordinance should be directed to Fire Chief Corey Landry, 603-868-5531.

To view these ordinances, click HERE.

DURHAM GREAT BAY ROTARY CLUB

The Durham-Great Bay Rotary Club meets on Wednesday mornings at 7:30 AM at the Three Chimneys Inn . Everyone is invited to share breakfast with the Rotary Club and enjoy a speaker that is different every week. The Rotary has scheduled the following speakers for its upcoming meetings:<
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September 19: Molly Bolster, Executive Director, The Gundalow Co.

October 17: Dick Umile, UNH Hockey Coach>

October 23: 10 youths from Ireland speaking about what “Friends Forever” is doing for them>

November 7: Mark Huddleston, President, University of New Hampshire

GOT COMPOST?

Kudos to Todd Govoni of Breaking New Grounds for becoming an EcoMovement partner! Now all those coffee grounds will be recycled into compost to be returned to program members. To learn more about how to join this organic waste collection program, click HERE.

DURHAM’S FRIDAY DEALS

This program is intended to give local merchants an opportunity to encourage residents to shop locally.

Wildcat Fitness, 397-3200, http://www.wildcatfitness.net/

$15 sign-up, $15 a month (billed to a checking account)

Located at the far end of the Mill Plaza

Red Carpet Florist, 868-7021, http://www.myredcarpetflorist.com/

$5 bouquets of flowers every Friday

Located at 56 Main St.

Mino’s Roast Beef, 397-5261, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Minos-Roast-Beef/171148346284660

$6.50 Chicken Kebab Salad (Regular Size) on Friday

Located in the Mill Plaza

Domino’s Pizza, 868-6230, http://pizza.dominos.com/new-hampshire/durham/

$.99 Small Cheese Pizza every Friday

Located in the Mill Plaza

Uppercut Hair Salon, 868-7363 http://www.facebook.com/pages/UpperCut-Hair-Salon/226530887441101

20% off all hair care products every Friday

Located in the Mill Plaza

Mama Mac and More, 868-7449 http://www.durham-menus.com/mama_mac_menu.pdf

$5 for an 8" sub or salad (add $2 for chicken or steak on salad)

Located at 38 Main Street

Durham House of Pizza, 868-2224 https://www.facebook.com/durhamhouseofpizza

$4 for a small cheese pizza

Located at 38 Main Street

Candy Bar, 397-5154 https://www.facebook.com/thecandybarnh

Free dark caramel and sea salt chocolate truffle with every $10 purchase

Located at 44 Main Street

Bindy’s Boutique, 590-0044 http://www.bindysboutique.com/

20% off on Fridays when you mention this ad from the Friday Updates

Located at 42a Main St.

Wiswall House Antiques, 659-5106, http://www.wiswallhouseantiques.com/

20% off all antique and vintage table lamps

Located at 28 Wiswall Road

Money spent locally stays local. Support Durham business.

If your business has a Friday deal to offer please send it to

Ken Entz at sentz@comcast.net.

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, September 24, 2012. To view the agenda and accompanying materials, click HERE.

Economic Development Committee - Monday, September 24, 2012 (7 pm at Three Chimneys Inn. To view the agenda, 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/.

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.

THE CANDY BAR GRAND OPENING - SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22ND
The Candy Bar, located at 44 Main Street, will hold a Grand Opening on Saturday, September 22, 2012 from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM Enjoy some free samples, get a chair massage, enter a jelly bean contest, win some cool prizes. Meet the Candy Bar staff and see for yourself the wide assortment of treats they offer including gummi candy, party favors, gift baskets, holiday items, gourmet chocolate truffles, organic fair trade chocolate, and ice cream!

DURHAM BUSINESS ASSOCIATION BUSINESS AFTER HOURS
Please join the Durham Business Association and Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate ~ The Masiello Group for a Business After Hours on Thursday, October 11, 20112 from 5:30 – 7:30 P.M.

Enjoy an evening of networking and the opportunity to visit Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate ~ The Masiello Group fabulous new office located at 9 Madbury Road, Durham. Appetizers and beverages will be served with desserts by the Candy Bar and Mama Mac & More.

Please RSVP to durhambusinessassociation@gmail.com by Thursday, October 4, 2012.

UNH students in the EcoGastronomy program. See Durham Garden Club event below for more details. Photo courtesy Durham Garden Club

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

New England Fall Astronomy Festival, Friday (6 PM) and Saturday (10 AM), September 21 & 22, 2012, UNH Observatory. Presented by UNH Physics Department and the NH Astronomical Society. Free admission, but donations appreciated. Contact Katy Sternberger with questions, krt43@unh.edu.

An Evening With Author Maude Barlow, Monday, September 24, 2012, 6:30 PM-light supper, 7:00 PM, Durham Community Church. Free event. Ms. Barlow will share her global perspective about water issues facing the world's people and offer solutions for the challenges ahead.

Durham Garden Club, From Farm to Ford: the New UNH Dual Major in EcoGastronomy, September 25, 2012, 6:30 PM, Madbury Town Hall, 13 Town Hall Road. Program director Dan Winans will join the Durham Garden Club members and guests to acquaint them with this innovative new program.

Growing Places Open House at New Early Education Facility, Wednesday, October 3, 2012, 4:30 - 7:00 PM, 56 Pinkham Road, Lee. Refreshments and a tour. Families, friends, alumni, and members of public invited. To RSVP and more information contact Sue Chase, suechase@growingplacesnh.org.

Mast Way Annual Sports Sale and Costume Swap, Saturday, October 6, 2012, 9-11:00 AM, Mast Way Gym. Contact Laura DiMeglio, 603-659-3537, lmdnh70@gmail.com, with questions.

Going Paces Second Annual Race, Sunday, October 21, 2012 (Newburyport Half Marathon and Relay) to raise funds for Growing Places. Training for run in Newburyport, MA on October 12, 2012. For more information contact suechase@growingplacesnh.org.

Outdoor Yoga, Friday, September 28, 2012, 12 noon-1:00 PM, UNH Great Lawn (outside DeMeritt Hall). Open to the community. Please bring your own yoga mat or towel. Please check the UNH Health Services website, http://www.unh.edu/health-services/ for up-to-date information in case of rain. Please call 603-862-3823 or email healthservices@unh.edu with questions.

Student Health 101 Online Magazine, is a free monthly health and wellness online magazine and available to read at http://readsh101.com/unh.html. Email dawn.zitney@unh.edu" style="color:#f738a8 !important;">dawn.zitney@unh.edu with questions.

UNH Museum of Art. Two new exhibitions are currently on display featuring the work of NH artists Peter Milton, printmaker of Francestown; Douglas Prince, photographer of Portsmouth; and Gary Haven Smith, sculptor of Northwood; and a third exhibition presenting the work of four studio art faculty members of the Dept. of Art and Art History and UNH. For more information, contact 603-862-3712 or visit http://www.unh.edu/moa/

Trick-Or-Treating in Durham - Tuesday, October 30, 2012, 5 - 7:00 PM

DURHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

Preschool Storytimes Tues., Sept. 25th and Thurs., Sept. 27th, 10:30 a.m. – This week: Fall/Nature! All are welcome to enjoy stories, songs, fingerplays, feltboard and a craft.
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!

Registration for Tales for Tails has started. 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 in September for a session.
Registration for Seacoast Reads (UNH Reading tutors) has started. Does your elementary school aged child need extra help reading? Come to the library to sign up for a Seacoast Reads Reading tutor. Your child will be paired with a student tutor and they will meet once a week at the library starting the week of Oct. 9th through mid-December. Space is limited so sign-up soon!
Pajama Storytime, Tues. Sept. 25th at 6:30 p.m. – Join ORPP and the library for our monthly PJ Storytime. This month: Fall/Nature stories. We will read stories about Fall and Nature, go on a short nature walk nea
r the library (dress appropriately for an outdoor walk) and make a nature craft with what we collect. Snacks are provided by ORPP and all are welcome.

Friends Book Discussion Group with Jennifer Lee, Friday, Sept. 28th, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Come and join us as we explore the book “Some Prefer Nettles” by Junichiro Tanizaki. Copies will be available at the front desk 3 weeks prior to the discussion.

Raccoon Readers (2nd-4th Grade Book Club), Tues. Oct. 2nd, 6:00-7:00 p.m. – Join us for this fun book group. This month’s books are “Lulu and the Brontosaurus” by Judith Viorst and/or “Guinea Dog” by Patrick Jennings. We talk about the books, play some games, do some puzzles and make a craft. Come ready to talk about pets! Books are available at the library.

Young Adult Writing/Blog Group, Tues. Oct. 2nd, 7:00 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. - Like to write? Join this monthly writing group for Young Adults (10 & up). We do writing exercises and talk about your writing. We post your writing on our blog "Write Away". All are welcome.

CPR and AED Training, Tues. Oct. 2nd, 6:00-8:30 p.m. - McGregor Memorial EMS offers the two-year certification through the American Heart Association. To register, call 862-3674 or cprregistration@megregorems.org. Cost is $20

Check out the library's website at http://www.durhampubliclibrary.org/durham/ for more information.

WEEKLY ARREST REPORT

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

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

"Farm Life in Durham: The The 195-acre Everett Thompson farm is the last farm before the Durham exit. In 1985 the farmhouse, set well back north of the road, still stands, and the fields are still hayed. The big field running down to the Oyster River south of the road just before the Durham Sewage Disposal Plant also is still hayed. It is one of the few open spaces left in Durham in 1985 [for as farming declined in the area, woods and forests reclaimed their own territory]. It is owned by realtor Charles White, who has plans for selling it off in three-acre lots." Published in 1985 by the Durham Historic Association.

Have a 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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