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 NEWS AND HAPPENINGS ...
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Friday, December 11, 2015
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Route 4, just north of Wagon Hill Farm. Courtesy Pamela Weeks
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As most are aware, longtime former resident and former Durham Town Councilor Julian Smith relocated earlier this year to St. Simons Island, Georgia. This week we received a copy of Mr. Smith’s campaign flyer for the Glynn County Board of Commissioners. Mr. Smith’s flyer states, in part:
Vote for “Puddy”
He’s good, he’s old, but he’s not a good ol’ boy.
True Julian! We wish Mr. Smith good luck in his race for Glynn County Board of Commissioners. To view Mr. Smith’s campaign flyer, click HERE.
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NEW DEADLINE FOR JANUARY 12, 2016 ZONING BOARD MEETING
The deadline for the January 12, 2016 Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting has been changed to Wednesday, December 23, 2015 due to restrictions on putting legal notices in Fosters the week of the New Year’s Day holiday.
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SAND/SALT AVAILABLE FOR DURHAM RESIDENTS
DPW has had many calls about where the residential sand/salt will be now that the old Town Hall is sold, shed included. For this year, a pile of salt has been placed outside the gate at the DPW under a tarp on Stone Quarry Drive. It is bound on 3 sides by concrete blocks. Although there may be a more “shed-like” structure in the future, for now this will serve well. This is for residential use only, not commercial.
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FREE HOLIDAY PARKING IN DOWNTOWN DURHAM
In coordination with the Durham Business Association, the parking kiosks in the immediate downtown business area will allow free parking to encourage residents and others to shop the downtown during the holidays. The screen on the applicable kiosks will inform parkers of the free parking and will not accept any payment. No receipts on your dashboard will be required during the Holiday Parking period! The grace period that allows for free parking for shoppers will commence Monday December 21st and run through Monday January 4th!
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UNH LAUNCHES NEW MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER FOR SEACOAST RESIDENTS
The University of New Hampshire recently launched a new monthly e-newsletter, CATCH. CATCH highlights public events, news, and features from the UNH Durham campus and is a way for its subscribers to learn about upcoming events and read about some of the work UNH is doing in Durham and throughout the Seacoast.
To subscribe and begin receiving the monthly e-newsletter, click HERE.
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CODE/ZONING/HEALTH OFFICER SELECTION PROCESS – Audrey Cline of Wolfeboro Hired to Succeed Tom Johnson
In August, the Town began advertising for the position of the Code/Zoning/Health Officer. A total of 20 applications were received. A core selection group, comprised of Administrator Todd Selig, Council Chair Jay Gooze, Police Chief David Kurz, Fire Chief Corey Landry, and current Zoning and Code Enforcement Officer Tom Johnson carefully reviewed the application materials and narrowed down the number of applicants to be interviewed to 5 semi-finalists.
Upon completing interviews of the semi-finalists, the interview group narrowed the field to 3 finalists.
An invitation was extended to the chairs of the Historic District/Heritage Commission, Planning Board, and Zoning Board of Adjustment as well as Town Planner Michael Behrendt, Planning, Zoning & Assessing Administrative Assistant Karen Edwards, and former Town Councilor Cathy Leach to join the original group in interviewing the final 3 candidates. At the conclusion of the final interviews, the group reached consensus and Administrator Selig has chosen Audrey Cline for the position. On Monday evening, December 7, 2015, the Town Council provided its “advice and consent” to the appointment.
Ms. Cline holds an Associate of Science degree in Architectural Engineering from the N.H. Technical Institute in Concord, NH and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Boston University, and comes with nearly ten years of directly relevant code administration and enforcement experience. She also has prior experience in architectural design as a small business owner.
In 2015, Ms. Cline was named Building Inspector of the Year by the New Hampshire Building Officials Association (NHBOA).
The outgoing Zoning/Code/Health Officer’s annual salary was $88,000. Ms. Cline will begin her service in January at an salary of $73,000.
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FINAL UPDATE ON FY 2016 BUDGET PROCESS
The Town Council finalized the 2016 Operating Budgets and Capital Improvements Program at its December 7, 2015 meeting. A resolution adopting the 2016 budgets and CIP will be on the Council's December 14, 2015 Unanimous Consent agenda.
This budget will meet the Council’s Goal which reads: "Task the administrator with developing an operating budget that holds the municipal tax rate at $8.48 given the assumptions there is no change in the downtown TIF allocations and the anticipated 2016 tax valuation is $986 million. . . . For the medium and long-term, the Town will make an effort to control its spending and explore innovative ways to reduce the municipal tax rate.”
Previous "Friday Updates" outlined highlighted items from the Administrator’s proposed FY 2016 budget. In addition to what was previously outlined, the Town Council increased the revenues to be received by the General Fund from the Parking Fund allowing an additional $46,525 to be placed in the Town Council Contingency Fund. Although not specifically earmarked for any particular project at this time, discussion has focused on using these funds for any needed bicycle/pedestrian improvements which may arise and to assist the IT Department with additional staffing if additional support cannot be found within contract staffing. If not expended, this appropriation lapses and monies are transferred to fund balance.
The Public Works Road Program for 2016 has been funded through the operating budget at $344,000. Targeted roadways include a 1” overlay for the asphalt portion of Cedar Point Road ($12,033), Watson Road ($29,824), and Mill Road (including targeted reclamation). Four roads recommended by Public Works were postponed by one year by Mr. Selig for cost savings reasons: Old Landing Road ($26,385), Simons Lane ($46,971), Strout Lane ($11,409), and Spinney Lane ($15,669).
A thank you is extended to the many residents who attended Town Council meetings to respectfully express their opinions regarding the need to ensure Mill Road will be repaved in 2016. Based on this feedback, we were able to reallocate funds to ensure that the plan to repave the full length of Mill Road in 2016 could proceed.
$368,250 remains allocated for a Wagon Hill Farm shoreline erosion mitigation project, however, it will only occur after consultation with the Conservation Commission, Land Stewardship Subcommittee, and Parks and Recreation Committee and with the advice and consent of the Town Council. Funding of this project is recommended as follows: $170,000 tentatively from the Eversource Seacoast Reliability Project as wetland mitigation (although it would have to be approved on its merits and allotted as such by NHDES), $115,350 from the Wagon Hill Farm – L. Brown Trust Fund, and $82,900 from bonding. If the $170,000 from Eversource is not ultimately allotted for this project, it will contributed by Eversource to a fund held by NHDES for general wetland mitigation work/land conservation in the region.
When all is said and done on December 14th, the Town Council is anticipated to approve a FY 2016 General Fund Budget in the amount of $14,100,967 with an estimated local (Town only) 2016 property tax rate of $8.48 per thousand of assessed valuation. This results in a 0% increase in the Town portion of the tax rate and the Council and Administrator coming within the Council’s budget goals.
The Water Fund Budget will be approved in the amount of $770,998 and will result in a water rate of $5.35 per hundred cubic feet of meter water usage effective 01/01/16. This is an increase of 11.1% over the 2015 water rate of $4.82.
The Sewer Fund Budget will be approved in the amount of $2,308,564 and will result in a sewer rate of $7.30 per hundred cubic feet of meter water usage effective 01/01/16. This is an increase of 6.87% over the 2015 water rate of $6.83.
Note, even with these increases in Water/Sewer rates, the total Water/Sewer rate will be on par with the other municipalities in the region that offer municipal water and sewer services to residents.
When all funds are included such as water, sewer, capital funds, parking, etc., an estimated amount of $8,626,189 will be raised by taxation which together with estimated operating revenues of $12,187,492 equate to an aggregate amount of $20,813,681 to be raised and appropriated for the use of the several departments of the town government for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2016.
At over $20 million per year, Durham's municipal operation represents a significant business concern.
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UPDATE ON HOME INVASION ON MADBURY COURT
When a home invasion occurs within a normally quiet community that simply does not experience this kind of event, concern justifiably rises.
While the Durham Police are actively investigating this matter, Chief Kurz advises that there should not be anxiety as it pertains to this specific incident. While it is not appropriate to discuss ongoing investigations of the Durham Police in the "Friday Updates," it is appropriate to dispel concerns that residents may have regarding the incident on Madbury Court.
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ZONING UPDATE ON MADBURY COURT OCCUPANCY VIOLATION
The Code Enforcement Office followed up on Durham Police reports of the home invasion which confirmed there were 6 tenants living in the “Single Family Dwelling”. Records from the Durham Fire Department inspection indicated that the dwelling had only 3 bedrooms approved for rental under the Rental Housing Standards Ordinance.
Based upon this conflicting information, Code Enforcement contacted the owners of the property to inform them that they were in violation of the Zoning Ordinance by having 6 occupants in the rental where the property is limited to only having 3 unrelated tenants, regardless of the number of bedrooms in the Single Family Dwelling.
Since the conversation with the Code Enforcement Officer, the owner verified that 4 of the occupants had already moved out and that the two remaining tenants were doing so at the end of the Fall semester.
The current owner further stated that he intends to have the property empty next semester so that a contractor can repair the damage and clean the home so that it can be listed for sale in the Spring of 2016.
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LETTER TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS FROM ORCSD SUPERINTENDENT MORSE REGARDING THE 2015 STATEWIDE SMARTER BALANCED ASSESSMENT
Last spring for the first time, students across New Hampshire took the 2015 statewide Smarter Balanced Assessment in mathematics and English language arts. Students in the Oyster River Cooperative School District did well compared to their peers across the state. Although not directly comparable, the results were consistent with the previous statewide assessment, the NECAP, which Smarter Balanced replaced.
To read the letter from Oyster River Cooperative School District Superintendent James Morse to community members, click HERE.
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IN SEARCH OF A GOLD COIN - Durham Police Find Their Man (or perhaps coin)!
One day last week a woman had parked her vehicle downtown and used the Pay and Display kiosk, depositing the appropriate amount of coins for parking.
Several days later she discovered that a gold coin that she kept in her wallet was missing.
After reconstructing her days to determine what may have occurred, she contacted the Durham Police convinced that she had used the coin at one of our kiosks. Not familiar with the community she described the area where she thought she had parked.
Based upon the description, parking enforcement retrieved all the coins from several kiosks. Not finding the gold coin, the parking enforcement personnel expanded their search and were finally able to locate the woman's coin returning it to a very grateful visitor.
Based upon the value of the coin, it turns out that she could have had the spot for several weeks! Kudos to staff for retrieving the money and searching through all those coins!
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THE SWAP SHOP
There will be no large items accepted at the Transfer Station’s swap shop from now until April 2016. Residents are still welcome to advertise them at the Swap Shop on the bulletin board for larger items.
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DECEMBER HOLIDAY SCHEDULE
A reminder that the Transfer Station and Recycling Center will be closed on Saturday, December 26th. There will be no commercial recycling collection curbside on Friday, December 25th, 2015 and Friday, January 1, 2016. The 2016 Annual newsletter will be out to residents in the next two weeks with the 2016 Holiday schedule as well.
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TOWN OFFICES CLOSING SCHEDULE FOR CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS
All Town Offices will be closed on Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24th, and Christmas day, Friday, December 25th.
The Town Hall will close at 3:00 PM on New Year's Eve, Thursday, December 31st.
All Town Offices will be closed on New Year's Day, January 1st.
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TRAFFIC COUNTS IN DURHAM
At the request of the Traffic Safety Committee and the Planning Department, Strafford Regional Planning Commission conducted numerous traffic counts for the Town. To view the various counts, click HERE.
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UNH TRANSPORTATION POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING
Todd Selig and Michael Behrendt attended the UNH Transportation Policy Committee meeting on December 8. Below are some highlights from that meeting:
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Amtrak Downeaster has been in service for 15 years and has experienced an average annual growth in ridership of 15%. Ridership for UNH-Durham in FY 2015 was 54,000. Since the start of service, 655,000 passengers have boarded or disembarked in Durham.
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This is the 6th year that Zipcar has been in operation, now with about 500 members including two downtown Durham locations (Garrison Avenue and Madbury Road). UNH has added a 4th car to its fleet. Zipcar is an excellent program (open to students, faculty and staff, and town residents, alike) for those who cannot afford a car or wish to not own one. To learn more, click HERE.
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Ridership for Wildcat Transit, UNH’s intercity bus service, has been level since about 2009.
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Ridership for the Campus Connector, UNH’s intra-town bus service (within Durham) has grown steadily, especially in the past three years, likely due to the increase in new student housing on the westerly side of Durham.
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UNH currently has about 320 Moped parking spaces on campus and is thinking of expanding the number.
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Total parking permits issued by UNH to student commuters, student residents, and faculty and staff has been fairly level since 1998, with a total of about 8,300, on average, per year.
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After 15 years of employment with the Town of Durham, Zoning & Code Enforcement Officer Tom Johnson attended his last Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting on Tuesday evening this week. Above, ZBA Chair Sean Starkey presents Mr. Johnson with a Certificate of Appreciation thanking him for the help, guidance, expertise, and professionalism that he provided to the board throughout his tenure. Courtesy Rachel Gasowski
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BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR CAR BURGLARIES IN DURHAM
Chief Kurz wishes to remind residents that vehicles parked in your driveways should be locked. While it is a sad commentary of the times, leaving vehicles locked provides enough deterrent to thieves that they will simply move on to vehicles that are not locked and remove anything of value they can locate quickly. Historically in Durham locking your vehicle has been enough of a deterrent as locked vehicles have not been tampered with while in an adjacent drive, unlocked vehicles are missing GPS, cellphones, spare change and anything else that can be translated into cash! With crimes of opportunity such as these events, locked vehicles and motion activated outside lighting has proven to be very effective in creating a secure environment. Again, if you see or hear something that you deem suspicious, please call the Durham Police via 911 or 868-2324 as we are poised to quickly alleviate your concerns.
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WINTER PARKING BAN
The Durham Winter Parking ban commences Sunday November 1st and will be in effect through April 1, 2015. As many know, parking on Main Street, Jenkins Court and any Town owned parking lot is prohibited between 1:00AM and 6:00AM throughout the year. But the Winter Parking ban prohibits parking ON ANY STREET from November 1st to April 1st between 1:00AM and 6:00AM. As the ordinance states, “Any vehicle so parked during the prohibited hours and dates shall be subject to being towed away at the owner’s risk. The owner or owners shall be required to pay all towing costs and a fine before the vehicle is released.”
For the first week, the Durham Police will endeavor to issue warnings designed to remind everyone of the Winter ban but were a surprise snowstorm to occur next week, there should be an awareness that vehicles may be towed to allow for Durham Public Works to more effectively plow the streets and roadways of Durham.
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AGRICULTURAL COMMISSION WEEKLY MINI FILM SERIES
Durham's Agricultural Commission's has begun featuring a Mini Film Series in the weekly "Friday Updates". Each week a short video on an agricultural topic will be posted that Commission members hope subscribers will enjoy and find helpful.
This week's mini film is about Willow Moon Farm, their beautiful goats and cheese.
The Food Tank: Aqua Culture of Fish Leads to Hydroponic Plant Production
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CORNUCOPIA FOOD PANTRY NEEDS HELP WITH WINTER HOLIDAY FOOD BASKETS
Durham is fortunate to have two local food pantries that serve the wider Durham and UNH communities, the Cornucopia Food Pantry at the Waysmeet Center at 15 Mill Road, and the St. Thomas More Food Pantry on 6 Madbury Road. Both pantries provide holiday food baskets for families at Thanksgiving and Winter holiday times. St. Thomas More expects to do approximately 100 food baskets and Cornucopia expects to do 200 or more for each holiday season. Both accept and deeply appreciate help from the greater community in providing supplies and resources for these food baskets.
This year, food resources from the NH Food Bank will be less than in past years, due to their own shortages in donations and the increased demands on food pantries across the State. Cornucopia is particularly in need of eggs, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, muffin and pancake mixes and eggs, and turkeys for the winter baskets. Community Members who are able can help in the following ways:
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Providing a turkey, gift certificate or monetary equivalent to allow Cornucopia to purchase turkeys.
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Providing an entire food basket with specific items to feed one family for the holidays. A food donation packet and list is attached.
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Providing several of the specific items on the food list, in particular, stuffing mix, muffin mixes, cranberry sauce, gravy, flour, potatoes, onions and celery.
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Providing one or more of any of the items on the suggested food list.
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Providing gift certificates of $20.00 or more for local supermarkets.
Volunteers are welcome to help organize and distribute food baskets. Winter baskets will be organized on Tuesday, December 15th, and distributed on Wednesday, December 16th, all at the Waysmeet Center on 15 Mill Road.
Residents interested helping in any way or who have questions may contact Larry Brickner-Wood at Larry.brickner-wood@unh.edu or by calling Larry or Jen Turner at 603-862-1165.and www.cornucopia.unh.edu.
People in need of a food basket may fill out a request form HERE.
The Cornucopia Food pantry is open weekly on Tuesday from 4-5:30 p.m.and Fridays from 12-1 p.m. All are welcome and we always welcome community members as volunteers. Erin Fitzpatrick is the Coordinator at ef2003@wildcats.unh.edu
The St. Thomas More Food Pantry is open on Thursday from 4-6 p.m. and questions can be directed to 603-868-2666 and Cynthia Racic at cynth95419@aol.com.
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Local group going to Peru are (l-r): Drew and Jill Hardcastle, Christine Watts and Xanthi Russell, and Dave and Maggie Howland.
HOLIDAY DONATIONS SOUGHT FOR PERU CHILDREN'S HOME EXPEDITION
Six members of the Oyster River Community (three parent/child teams) are preparing to head to the Sacred Valley outside Cuzco, Peru to build a greenhouse at the Azul Wasi Children's Home. They will also be bringing clothes and supplies for the children -- all part of a service trip over the holidays organized by Generations Humanitarian, which supports orphanages in South and Central America.
The group is asking for donations of either clothes or money to support the construction of the greenhouse. They are in need of winter coats for children 8 to 18 years old. Gifts can be dropped off at the Durham Town Hall, ORMS, ORHS, or make a donation online to support the greenhouse.
The Greenhouse project is a self-sustaining, scalable, water efficient, organic greenhouse that teaches children a work ethic, gives them pride in their produce, and funds their home. This will be the second greenhouse at the Azul Wasi home. To learn more about the greenhouse project, click HERE.
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DCAT CABLE CHANNEL 22
Don't miss DCAT 22 Studios latest "In the Biz: Durham Business Spotlight with Mary Ellen Humphrey" episode. EDC Director Mary Ellen Humphrey chats with new and established businesses in Durham. Our second episode features: Laura Rothstein, Owner & Chris Buteau, Manager of, SolSistar boutique located at 9 Madbury Rd., Durham. Mary Ellen chats with Laura & Chris about managing a women’s clothing business, and their relocation from one Durham location to another. This video is available On Demand & replay on DCAT 22. Show times: Saturday & Sunday @ 1:15 PM – Monday & Wednesday @ 6:45 PM & Friday @ 10:15 PM. If you’d like your business recognized or have any comments, please contact: dcat@ci.durham.nh.us
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Perhaps you missed the first of the Healthy Living Series: Food Shopping for Your Health at the Durham Public Library on Wednesday, October 7th. DCAT 22 Studios was there to record the first of the series for your viewing pleasure. Find out why sugar isn't all that bad, give your body what it needs, and planning your supermarket visit. Presenters: Gale Carey & Kevin Pietro/UNH's Dept of Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences. Part of the Healthy Living Series in October. This video is also available on our On Demand site. Replay times on DCAT 22 – Saturday & Sunday @ 10:00 AM & 4:00 PM.
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DCAT is Live Streaming
Please join DCAT for any of our regularly scheduled meetings live-streamed directly to the device of your choice . It’s easy, all you have to do is go to: live-stream.com and follow the prompts to set up your live stream account. You’ll receive email updates as to when the meeting will be held and the start time. All you have to do is click and watch. Live-stream works on any PC (just remember to update your Adobe Flash player), Apple or Android device. Please contact dcat@ci.durham.nh.us with any questions.
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MCGREGOR MEMORIAL EMS STAFF ATTEND DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY TRAINING COURSE
McGregor Memorial EMS responders recently returned from a week of comprehensive disaster preparedness and response training provided by the Department of Homeland Security in Anniston, Alabama focusing on incident management and mass casualty events. Three members traveled to the FEMA-operated Center for Domestic Preparedness to realistically drill on best practice preparation and response with other healthcare professionals and first responders from the State of New Hampshire in environments ranging from a fully equipped hospital, to storefronts, residences, institutional laboratories, schools, and outdoor environments.
As host to New Hampshire’s flagship university and with many annual large-scale events drawing thousands of visitors and participants, emergency responders in Durham have good reason to continually prepare for incidents, man-made or natural, that we all hope will never happen.
All three participants from McGregor, each choosing separate training tracks, voiced an eagerness and increased willingness to continue coordinating with local fire, police, and hospital resources to provide the best services possible to the communities served. Patrick Ahearn, a paramedic and McGregor’s longest serving member, put it succinctly: “I hope we never have to use the training, but if we do, we are certainly much better prepared.”
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PARKS AND RECREATION PROGRAMS AND EVENTS
Durham Parks and Recreation, its Director and Committee, strive to offer a wide range of quality programs, parks, and facilities that encourage all community members to participate in healthy, fun, and enriching activities. Together, they celebrate the essential role public recreation plays in fostering a cohesive and vibrant community.
Downtown Main Street during the Annual Tree Lighting on Saturday evening. Courtesy Rachel Gasowski
Tree Lighting Celebration 2015
We had a great time at the Annual Tree Lighting Celebration Saturday night! Thank you to everyone who came out to support the event and to be part of the FUN!!
DPR is grateful to those who helped make it a success- ORPP with their ornament making station, the Candy Bar with hot cocoa and a special craft, Bikram Yoga with hot cider, Alablaster Blue a capella group & Mike Dunbar with live music, Camden Moore with the ice sculpting demonstration, Ben Sturgill with Ruby the Photo Bus, Kappa Sigma & Alpha Phi Omega with running the activity stations, ORHS Boys Soccer (state champs) with the tree lighting countdown, the Fire Department & Professional Fire Fighters with popcorn, campfire and escorting Santa, the Police Department with traffic control, and the Department of Public Works with set-up, the bonfire, SNOW!, lighting the tree and clean-up.
We had some amazing raffle prizes donated to this year’s tree lighting, totaling over $1,300 in value. Many thanks to the Makery, Bella’s Casual Dining, Red Carpet Florist, Libby’s Bar & Grill, Fore on 4 Golf, Dover Farm Bar N Grille, Pizza Spinners, Basil Leaf, Churchill Rink, 7th Settlement, Riverworks, Hayden’s Sports, 3 Chimney’s Inn, UNH Athletics, Waterville Valley Ski Resort, Durham Bikram Yoga, and the Candy Bar.
Winter Programs
Our Winter Program and Event Guide will be out to the community on Monday, December 14th! Please be sure to visit us here for a complete list of programs and events taking place this winter!
Here’s a sneak peek of what we have going on: adult fitness classes including, Bootcamp, Pilates, Strength & Stretch, Zumba, Yoga and Tai Chi classes. Pick-up pickleball and volleyball, after school programs, vacation week expanded programming and camp, trips for adults, and a teacher workshop ski/snowboard day to Gunstock Mountain. Also, new at Churchill Rink, Saturday Night Lights- Teen Skate Night!!
Discover Durham’s Trails
Durham Conservation Commission, Parks & Recreation and the Land Stewardship Committee are offering once a month guided treks for community members to get to know the trails and recreational spaces in Durham. These treks will take place the third Sunday of each month at 10am. Participation is FREE!
Join us for the following treks:
Sunday, January 17th: XC Ski Beech Hill Trail (parking at the end of Beech Hill Rd)
Sunday, February 21st: Snowshoe the Sweet Trail (beginning at Dame Rd parking area)
Sunday, March 20th: Snowshoe Wagon Hill Farm Trails
Are you interested in being a Field Trip Leader to lead or co-lead a trek for Discover Durham’s Trails? We would love to have you!! Please contact Parks & Recreation Director, Rachel Gasowski at: rgasowski@ci.durham.nh.us for more details on this volunteer position.
We want to hear from you! Have a new exciting program idea? Please be sure to share your vision with Parks and Recreation Director, Rachel Gasowski. Stop by the Recreation Department Office (2 Dover Road), or call/email the department at (603) 817-4074/ rgasowski@ci.durham.nh.us.
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COMMUNITY PROGRAMS AND EVENTS
Troop 154 Boy Scout Christmas Trees, weekends 9am - 4pm, Mill Road Plaza parking lot. Christmas Tree sale has been the troop's sole fundraising effort for about 50 years. Look for coupon on Troop 154 Facebook page.
Bikram Yoga Holiday Open House, Saturday, Dec 12, 2015, 1 Madbury Road. 10% off all gift cards and packages. Holiday drink, food, and raffle from 6-8PM.
Gingerbread House Contest, Saturday, Dec 12, 2015, 10AM - 3PM, UNH MUB Food Court. Come build a gingerbread house. All supplies are provided for building fun gingerbread creations.Just show up and have fun. This event is for all ages. All proceeds benefit On Belay which builds community among youth who have or have had a family member with cancer using adventure based programs that encourage participants to uncover their inner resilience. Click HERE to register a team. $15.00/team pre-registration, $20.00/team at the door. Email Jason.leach@unh.edu with questions.
FREE Family Walk at Misty Meadows Herb Farm, Saturday, Dec 19, 2015, 1 - 2:30 PM, 183 Wednesday Hill Road, Lee. Come explore the winter woods. Will look for tracks of deer, fisher, fox, and squirrel. Wear warm clothing & boots. If snow, please call 603-659-7211 before coming in case of cancellation.
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Nancy Davis Johnson, Durham watercolor artist specializing in Giclee prints. Artwork will be on display during December 2015.
DURHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY PROGRAMS AND EVENTS
Library will be closed on Monday, December 14 for staff meeting training and a Board Trustees event.
New Library Catalog System, starting Tuesday, December 15 - A new library catalog system, Atrium, will be available for public use at the library and via our web site beginning Tues., Dec. 15th. Find the catalog on-line: www.durhampubliclibrary.org and click on “Library Catalog/Login” button at the top. Please let library staff know if there are any problems using the new catalog. We also ask for patience during this transition. Thank you!
Library Fines Erased with Toy Donation - Want to do a good deed and have your overdue library late fees erased? Collecting new unwrapped toys now until Dec. 18th at the DPL to donate to the Seacoast Firefighters Toy Bank. Does not apply to lost items.
December Gallery Exhibit – DPL presents, Nancy Davis Johnson, Durham resident and watercolor artist specializing in giclee prints. Her collection of work is on display during the month of December in the library’s second floor gallery.
The First Primary: New Hampshire’s Outsized Role in Presidential Nominations, Mon. Jan. 4th at 7pm – Authors Andrew Smith and David Moore to speak at the DPL.
Game Afternoon resumes on Mon. Dec. 21st, 2:45-4pm – For ages 10 & up – Come and play some fun games and have a snack too.
Storytimes! This week’s theme: Winter/Snow, Tues. Dec. 15th and Thurs. Dec. 17th 10:30am, next week’s theme: Holidays! Join us for stories, finger-plays, felt board, songs and a craft.
Baby-Lapsit, Wed. Dec. 16th 10:30-11:30am - For children & their care-givers, infancy to age 2. Songs, stories, movement, rhymes & socializing afterward. This is the last session for the year. Resumes again on Wed. Jan. 13th.
Knitting Club, Wed. Dec. 16th 4-5 pm - 3rd through 5th graders knitting club. Please register at the Children's desk.
Lego Club (K-4th grade), Thurs. Dec. 17th 3:45-4:45pm – Theme: Winter Holidays – Like to build Legos? Join us to do Lego challenges and build cool structures. This is the last session for the year. Resumes again on Thurs. Jan. 21st at 3:30-4:30pm, please note the new time change.
Homeschoolers Group, Fri. Dec. 18th 10:30am, Theme: Holiday Fun! – Join us for books, games, and a craft. This group is geared toward homeschoolers, but all are welcome. This is the last session for the year. Resumes again on Fri. Jan. 22nd
Family Storytime “Cozy at Home” Sat. Dec. 12th, 10:30am - Join us for family storytime. There will be stories, fingerplays, songs, feltboard and a craft. Next week’s theme: Winter!
Crafternoon, Sat. Dec. 12th and 19th 12-4pm – Drop in anytime and create a fun craft to take home.
Bookeaters Middle School Book Group, Wed. Dec. 16th, 2:45pm - 4pm. This month’s book Selection: “Swindle” by Gordon Korman. Ruth Wharton McDonald, UNH Professor of Education, leads the discussion. Enjoy pizza and drinks.
Family Movie “Annie,” Sat. Dec. 19th at 2pm – Join us for the new-version of the family classic “Annie.” All are welcome. Popcorn and juice are served. Shown in the 2nd floor Oyster River Room.
Library Museum Passes - Patrons need to be aware that museum passes must be picked up at the library before they can be used. Museums will not accept the printout that confirms the reservation, or a phone shot of your confirmation: you must present the actual pass. The Friends of the Library generously support the purchase of museum passes to 12 terrific museums, including 3 different children’s museums, the Peabody Essex, the Currier, MFA , Strawbery Banke and others.
DPL December Calendar for adult programs & events. Pick up locations: DPL circulation desk, DPL Café and Durham Town Hall bulletin Board. The DPL Children’s & YA Program December Calendar is also available at the library and on-line.
Make-It-Take-It Craft, Mon. Dec. 28th to Sat. Jan. 2nd - Visit the Children’s storytime room any time to decorate a giant gingerbread playhouse! Bring home your own sweet creations too. All are welcome. Regularly scheduled programs will resume again on January 4th. Check the Children’s/YA January Program Calendar for details.
Free Ancestry.com at the library – Select the new Genealogy and Local History tab on the website homepage http://durhampubliclibrary.org It will lead you to many helpful links for your research. The HeritageQuest module can be accessed from your home computer; just call DPL 603-868-6699 for the password. The Ancestry.com site is a special library edition, and can be opened from anywhere in our building. Other links take you to cemetery sites, census records, Latter-Day-Saints database, National Archives and many other digitized resources. Local history links take you to the relevant sections of the UNH catalog and other collections of local interest.
Tales for Tails – Have a child who needs to increase their confidence in reading? Have them read to one of our Pet Partner dogs! Your child will read ½ hour once a week to one of the dogs and their handlers. Sessions run for 4 weeks. Next session begins on Jan. 25th. Call the Children’s Dept. to sign up now!
Join the Reading Patch Club! Ages 2-12 years - Earn patches and a tote bag for hours that you read! Program sponsored by The Friends of the Durham Public Library.
Technology Help - The library offers help for people who need assistance using technology, such as computers, iPads and phones. Call us to check on the availability of our volunteers at 868-6699 or email us at durhampl@gmail.com.
For more information, visit the Durham Public Library website.
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WEEKLY ARREST REPORT
*Academic year commenced August 28th and will be measured through graduation at UNH in May.
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