Friday Updates - January 21, 2022

Friday, January 21, 2022

Main Street downtown Durham, Circa 1950s. Courtesy Durham Historic Association

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OYSTER RIVER COOPERATIVE SCHOOL DISTRICT - Important dates to remember for school elections and district budget process.

• January 19th through January 28th until 5:00 PM - Filing Period for School District Openings (No Filing Fee Required) {1 Moderator—1 Year term, 2 At-Large positions—3 Year terms.}
• February 8th - Annual Meeting Session I - Deliberative ~ ORHS Auditorium 7:00 PM , Snow Date: February 9th
• March 8th - Annual Meeting Session II - Voting Day ~ Vote in Town of Residence

            Durham ~ Oyster River High School   7:00 AM - 7:00 PM

            Lee ~  Lee Safety Complex  7:00 AM - 7:00 PM

            Madbury ~ Madbury Town Hall 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM

The following positions are open during this election cycle (The names of those who have filed thus far are written in ORANGE beside each category)

• 1 Moderator, 1-year term
• 2 At Large positions, 3-year terms (Matthew Bacon from Madbury, Giana Gelsey from Madbury, and Rita Bartell Drum from Lee)

STUDY FINDS THAT COVID-19 VACCINATION PREVENTS HOSPITALIZATION MORE THAN NATURAL IMMUNITY FROM PRIOR INFECTION ALONE

According to WMUR, a study published this week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that both vaccination and previous infection protect against new COVID-19 cases, but vaccination prevents hospitalization more than natural immunity from prior infection alone.

The study looked at the risk of COVID-19 infection and hospitalization in four groups of people: Those vaccinated with and without prior infection and people unvaccinated with and without prior infection. The data was based on 1.1 million cases in California and New York between the end of May and mid-November of 2021.

The rate of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations was highest among unvaccinated people who did not previously have COVID-19, the study says.

Initially, people who had COVID-19 previously had higher case rates compared to those who were vaccinated and had no COVID-19 infection previously. The delta variant shifted the data and people who survived COVID-19 previously had lower case rates than those who were vaccinated alone, the study found.

The shift reflects a time when vaccine immunity was waning and the study did not consider the time from vaccination or the potential for waning immunity. The study also didn’t include the effect booster doses may have and took place before the omicron variant began to spread.

SOME YEAR END THOUGHTS ON ACCOMPLISHMENTS FROM THE TEAM AT THE DURHAM FIRE DEPARTMENT

Chief Emamuel would like to recognize and thank the members of the Fire Department their hard work, which resulted in numerous achievements at the department in 2021 while noting that pandemic challenges are still a considerable influence on department operations and administration which regularly disrupt workflow by requiring constant attention, research, policy realignment, and constant communication. 

Some significant DFD accomplishments in 2021 include: 

1. Initial migration from Firehouse Software to ESO Software is complete for incident reporting and NFIRS reporting requirements. ESO is being evaluated further and alternate solutions will be pursued if the program does not perform. 
2. The fire department training plan has been implemented to standardize department training across the four workgroups. Feedback is being taken and evaluated to continuously improve the program. 
3. The fire station renovation program is still in process due to constraints beyond the department’s control. Progress has been made in the following areas: Plymovent installation is complete, SCBA fill station, commercial extractors, dryer, residential laundry equipment, and replacement furniture for office equipment, training room, and bunk room wardrobes have all been ordered. The project specifications and engineered drawings have been approved and the general contractor has been hired. The first construction coordination meeting was conducted on January 11, 2022 and noted that the project will be ramping up for construction activity to start around the end of February or beginning of March. The contractor committed to publishing a construction schedule by the end of January.
4. Several measures were taken to address the constantly evolving pandemic situation to include procurement COVID-19 PPE for staff, reimbursement for COVID supplies, implementation of guidance documents for fire department, members, and conducting regular leadership COVID leadership team meetings. Success could be measured by the minimal level of COVID propagation within the fire department which permitted the agency to function at normal staffing levels when other agencies were being crippled by staffing shortages. Durham positively influenced the implementation state-wide weekly FROST COVID testing program for first responders by communicating the success of the department’s bi-weekly testing program on the UNH campus. 
5. Supported Durham Emergency Management grant funded directives to complete Durham’s first Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) and an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) revision and grant funding close-out. Both were explicit Town Council goals for 2020-2022. We will be updating the Town’s Hazard Mitigation Plan in 2022.
6. Participated in the Strafford County – Town of Durham Land Mobile Radio (LMR) replacement workgroup at the County and local level to identify a vendor, required system improvements, and deficiencies between the County and Town of Durham.
7. Conducted hiring processes for the positions of Firefighter, Fire Inspector, and Deputy Fire Marshal, which resulted in the promotion of Fire Marshal Brendan O’Sullivan and hiring of Firefighter Robert Rosselli.
8. Participated in the resolution and ratification of the Durham Professional Firefighters collective bargaining agreement, which included the development of a crew chief position.
9. Executed many CIP items, which include the station SCBA compressor, PPE laundry and decontamination equipment, as well as medic and staff vehicle replacements.
10. Prepared applications and narratives for Federal funding requests to Congressman Papas and Senator Shaheen’s offices for fire station improvements and LMR communication system replacement.
11. Identified a Federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) funding stream and developed a collaborative team with a supporting consultant to prepare a grant application for funding up to $465,000 for self-contained breathing apparatus replacement.

Chief Emanuel notes that as a low-staffing level fire department, both administrative and operational staff are constantly shifting from high to low gears daily (sometimes hourly), recognizing that tasks vary from training, fire prevention activities, delivering apparatus to the repair facility, working with technicians on IT infrastructure, and responding to incidents. This diversity of tasks performed by the staff in a day’s efforts is constantly evolving and generally challenging for clarity of mind and effort on one specific project. 

The Chief observed this week that the quantity of significant projects that have been ongoing or moving through the fire department is astounding. The department’s dedicated staff throughout the entire organization has performed above and beyond to support the number of initiatives that all were involved in during 2021. 

The department has come together to maintain quarterly reporting of fire department incident statistics and fire prevention activities (inspections) to support the 2021 Council goal of government transparency and would like to expand the reporting to include training reports in 2022. 

Collaborative efforts have also paid dividends between the fire department and building department at the Town Hall, sharing inspection resources, permitting processes, code-based resources and opinions, and frequent communication. The department has experienced similar successes with the NH State Fire Marshal’s office which have improved efficiencies with respect to how both entities conduct inspections and issue permits on the UNH campus. Furthermore, the NH State Fire Marshal requested DFD participation in the hiring process for key positions in his command staff, which speaks to the relationship that the team at DFD have built between the agencies.

Chief Emanuel, Assistant Chief Trull, and the team at DFD look forward to continued positive and collaborative efforts to address opportunities and challenges in 2022.  

POLICE DEPARTMENT COMPLETES HYBRID/NON-HYBRID VEHICLE COMPARISON – Hybrid vehicles outperform traditional fleet vehicles as predicted.

Durham Police Office C.J. Young has undertaken an interesting analysis regarding the Hybrid Vs. Non-Hybrid comparison for the DPD vehicle fleet. As expected (and predicted by a past UNH Sustainability Fellow), the Hybrid model surpassed the Non-hybrid in two categories monitored (miles per gallon and miles per engine hour). The data collection timeframe began at the end of July ’21 and ended midway through January ’22 (approx. five and a half months). 

The miles per gallon numbers are as follows: The Hybrid averaged 15.24 miles per gallon compared to the Non-hybrid’s 10.19, a nearly 40% difference. 

Officer Young reports what was interesting was the difference in engine hour usage between the two. Our cruisers are equipped, just the same as most modern civilian vehicles, with an Engine Hour Counter. This system tracks two numbers, the total number of hours that the engine is actively running (including idling), as well as a separate number showing only when the engine is idling. This comparison is a good indicator of the potential for engine wear and tear. On average, the Hybrid model traveled just over 4 times as many miles per engine hour as the Non-hybrid model. The large difference in total hours seems to be affected by the Hybrids ability to turn its engine on and off periodically while idling. Thus limiting the idle hours significantly, with a clear impact on the overall engine hour usage. 

We continue to believe it is clear based on the analysis that the Hybrid model is superior to the non-hybrid, not only in fuel consumption, but also the potential for engine longevity.  Chief Kelley and his staff are very excited to see the results of this comparison. This should translate into savings in both the maintenance required, fuel costs and reducing carbon released into the air.  

Durham's Main Street by night. Courtesy Todd Selig

FINAL WALKS THROUGH HALLS OF THE OLD ORMS

Two opportunities for final walks through the halls of the OLD ORMS, which has brought many great memories since 1935! Feel free to pass on these dates to others you know who might be interested. Masks will be required.



Friday February 11th 4:00-6:00pm (Last Open House)

Saturday February 12th 10:00am-12:00pm (Last Open House)

ATTENTION ALL DURHAM DOG OWNERS! It’s time to renew your dog’s license for 2022. 

Dog licenses may be obtained online at Online Dog License Renewal, by mail, or in person at the Durham Town Clerk-Tax Collector’s office 8 Newmarket Road, Durham, NH 03824. The fees to license your dog are $7.50 for an altered dog, $10.00 for an unaltered dog, and $2.00 if the dog owner is a senior citizen.

Once again, the Town of Durham will host the Top Dog raffle. This raffle was created to motivate and remind dog owners to license their pets every year by April 30, as state law requires. Residents automatically register for the Top Dog raffle when they obtain a dog license before April 30. The winner of the Top Dog raffle will receive a gift basket donated by the clerk’s office and their dog’s biography will be featured in the Durham Friday Update. 

Bo MacGregor was the lucky winner in 2021. Your dog could be the next Top Dog! Please contact the Town Clerk's office for more details on raffle rules and regulations. 

Former Grange building is now home to the Freedom Cafe on Main Street. Courtesy Todd Selig

SUPERVISORS OF THE CHECKLIST ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Supervisors of the Checklist for the Town of Durham will be holding several sessions in the coming weeks for the purpose of accepting applications for new voter registration, as well as requests for corrections to the checklist and/or change of political party affiliation:

Saturday, January 29 - 4:00-4:30 PM - Durham Town Hall

Saturday, February 26 - 4:00-4:30 PM - Durham Town Hall

(this will be the last time people will be allowed to register before the Town/School Election on March 8. However, registrations will then be accepted at the Election on Election Day).

The School Deliberative Session will be held on Tuesday February 8 at 7 PM in the high school auditorium. You must be registered to vote in order to vote on wording of warrant articles. It is best to already be registered, but Durham Supervisors are making the half hour from 6:45 – 7:15 PM an official session for Durham residents who have not yet done so.

Residents who are not registered to vote may also do so at the Town Clerk’s office any time they are open. These registrations are actually applications for registration and must be accepted by a majority of the Supervisors at one of our official meetings.  

Applicants for registration should bring with them proofs of identity, age, citizenship, and domicile. Driver’s license and passport are helpful. Affidavits may be signed under oath if proofs are lacking.

LAMPREY RIVER ADVISORY COMMITTEE WINTER 2022 NEWSLETTER

The Lamprey River Advisory Committee's fall Newsletter is now available and can be viewed HERE.

HDC chair Larry Brickner-Wood awards a plaque to Steve and Lori Lamb at its meeting on January 6, 2022. The Lambs own the Thompson Inn & Cyder House on Bennett Road. The HDC recognized them for their outstanding rehabilitation and redevelopment of the property. Courtesy Richard (Dick) Lord