Friday Updates - January 28, 2022

Friday, January 28, 2022

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DBA PLANS TO HOST CANDIDATE FORUM FOR DURHAM TOWN ELECTIVE POSITIONS

The DBA has once again stepped forward to host the 2022 Candidate Forum for Durham elective positions. Details to follow in the coming weeks prior to the March 8th Town election.

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

• 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 filing period for local elective offices in the school district closed today at 5PM. The following individuals have signed up to run for the offices below. To the best of our knowledge this is an updated list from ORCSD.

• 1 Moderator, 1-year term
• 2 At Large positions, 3-year terms (Matthew Bacon from Madbury, Giana Gelsey from Madbury, Rita Bartell Drum from Lee, Marie Therese D’Agostino from Lee, Debra Harmon from Lee, Heather Smith from Durham)

COVID-19 RAPID TESTS TO BE SOLD BY THE STATE AT NH LIQUOR STORES | COVID ACTIVE CASE COUNTS ACROSS NH REMAIN VERY HIGH

The NH Executive Council voted unanimously Wednesday of this week to use $12 million in Federal money to buy one million at-home Covid-19 rapid tests, which will be sold to the public at state-owned liquor stores. “You may pick one up when you go to get a bottle of wine, to have it in your medicine cabinet,” DHHS Commissioner Lori Shibinette told the Executive Council. The money comes from American Rescue Plan Funds.  

NH announced 1,941 active cases of Covid-19 for January 27th. There were an average of 1,770 cases per day over the most recent 7-day period (January 21 – January 27). This is a 38% decrease compared to the previous 7-day period. One reason for the decrease is the expanding use of home-based rapid tests, which are often not reported to the state. The 7-day positivity rate for NH is 16.1%. 387 individuals are currently hospitalized for Covid-19 across NH.  

UNH classes are now back in session as of January 25th. As part of the University’s mandatory testing program for the campus community, the positivity rate is currently at 3.83%.  The positive tests as a % of people tested on campus is at 4.21%, well below the state average of 16.1%.  

Active Covid-19 case numbers in other communities of interest follow as of today’s date per NHDHHS:

Durham – 251

Lee – 36

Madbury – 14

Barrington - 102

Newmarket – 83

Dover – 323

Rochester – 335

Somersworth - 163

Portsmouth – 160

Exeter - 119

Keene – 299

Hanover – 421

Plymouth – 88

Concord – 503

Manchester – 1,415

Laconia - 191

WHY DURHAM HAS NOT IMPLEMENTED A LOCAL MASK MANDATE - Information from Administrator Selig

We continue to monitor local case counts, positivity rates at UNH compared to the State of NH as a whole (which continue to be comparatively low even given mandatory campus testing), work to align our collective planning efforts with UNH, evaluate what is happening across the region/state, evaluate Durham’s ability to actually enforce such a measure given limited policing capacity (the department is currently down four officers and Covid exposures have reduced our staffing by another three to four officers weekly), etc.  

Our general outlook at this stage of the pandemic is that individuals must make personal decisions concerning the level of safety they need to exercise based upon their personal health circumstances and the degree of risk they feel comfortable taking on. Someone with higher risk may want to limit trips to areas where people congregate in larger numbers, wear high quality Kn-95 masks, participate remotely in public meetings, etc. At the Town Hall -- and in all of our public buildings -- we have been recommending mask wearing regardless of vaccination status for months and compliance is extraordinarily high. Nearly everyone coming inside Town Hall wears a mask.  

Individual businesses downtown and elsewhere are able to self-select and require the wearing of masks by patrons. Whether or not they do is a business decision.  

To date, given the national and state politics around mask wearing (which is extraordinarily unfortunate but very real), the nature of the pandemic at this stage, and the clientele with whom we work in Durham (not simply UNH students, but numerous non-student residents and numerous visitors (from away) to Durham as well), we believe enforcement of a local option downtown-focused mask mandate will have limited benefit and will prove to be unsuccessful and highly problematic for our police department. 

People know the ins and outs concerning the pandemic, vaccines, masks, etc. and at this point in time are making conscious decisions about things like vaccinations and mask wearing given their personal circumstances and ideological/political/societal outlook.

We fully support the ORCSD in its mask requirement within school facilities to keep the children at school safe, as do we support UNH in requiring mask wearing within its own facilities for institutional health, safety, and operational continuation reasons. We also support the towns of Exeter and Portsmouth in their local decision making around this topic based upon local circumstances.

We continue to monitor the pandemic closely and will endeavor to revisit our approach on an ongoing basis as circumstances/needs change.

IT’S WINTER AND THE ICE ON NH’S FROZEN RIVERS, PONDS, AND LAKES CAN BE DANGEROUS - Exercise caution if you are out on frozen water in Durham and across NH.

As we annually note, before you venture out onto any frozen river, pond, or lake to ice fish, snowmobile, ski, skate, or snowshoe, play it safe by following these important guidelines, suggested by NH Fish & Game and passed along by the Durham Fire Dept., for ice safety:

• It is not advisable to drive vehicles onto the ice.
• If on foot, carefully assess ice safety before venturing out by using an ice chisel or auger to determine ice thickness and condition. Continue to do this as you get further out on to the ice, because the ice thickness will not be uniform all over the waterbody.
• Though all ice is potentially dangerous, the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research & Engineering Laboratory in Hanover, NH, offers a "rule of thumb" on ice thickness. There should be a minimum of six inches of hard ice before individual foot travel, and eight to ten inches of hard ice for snow machine or All-Terrain Vehicle travel.
• Remember - thick ice does not always mean safe ice! Ice can be thick, but not strong, because of varying weather conditions. Weak ice is formed when warming trends break down ice, then the slushy surface re-freezes.
• Be especially careful of areas with current, such as inlets, outlets and spring holes, where the ice can be dangerously thin.
• Stay off the ice along the shoreline if it is cracked or squishy. Don’t go on the ice during thaws.
• Watch out for thin, clear, or honeycombed ice. Dark snow and ice may also indicate weak spots.
• Small bodies of water tend to freeze thicker. Rivers and lakes are more prone to wind, currents and wave action that weaken ice.
• Don’t gather in large groups or drive large vehicles onto the ice.
• If you do break through the ice, don’t panic. Move or swim back to where you fell in, where you know the ice was solid. Lay both arms on the unbroken ice and kick hard. This will help lift your body onto the ice. Carry a set of ice picks; they can help you pull yourself out if you do fall through the ice; wear them around your neck or put them in an easily accessible pocket. Once out of the water, roll away from the hole until you reach solid ice.
• Ice safety is also very important for snowmobilers. Don't assume a trail is safe just because it exists; ask about trail conditions at local snowmobile clubs or sporting goods shops before you go.

For more ice safety tips, click HERE.

DURHAM PD WELCOMES A NEW OFFICER

Officer James Failla, of Durham, NH, was sworn in as a Durham Police Officer on Monday, January 24, 2022. Officer Failla is a 2020 graduate of Auburn University, with a degree in Sociology. He is currently a Reserve in the United States Coast Guard. Officer Failla will start his formal 16-week police training in February as part of the 188th New Hampshire Police Academy class.  

NEWS FROM THE AGRICULTURAL COMMISSION - Farmers from Oyster River region get together.

Forty farmers from Durham, Lee, and Madbury gathered on January 25th at UNH The Browne Center in Durham at the invitation of the Durham Agricultural Commission to discuss the formation of a three-town foodshed focused on making connections between each other and between local consumers.

Farmers shared information about their operations, which produce a wide variety of agricultural products, and the type of support they are looking for to expand sales and gain support for local farms. Many in attendance were also members of the Durham and Lee Agricultural Commissions. The group decided to press on and work together to identify and implement projects designed to strengthen the local farming community and make their communities more resilient in the future.

EPPING WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES CREATE CONCERN FOR UNH/DURHAM WATER SYSTEM - Wastewater discharged into Lamprey River upstream of UNH/Durham intake creates concern & temporary operational changes.

The Town of Durham and the University of New Hampshire were notified by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) that the Town of Epping’s Wastewater Treatment Plant has been experiencing operational difficulties with their wastewater treatment process. The timing of the resolution of these issues remains undetermined but it has been reported that this may extend for the foreseeable future.  

The Epping wastewater treatment plant discharges its treated effluent into the Lamprey River, upstream of Durham’s raw water intake and pump station which conveys water to the UNH/Durham drinking water treatment plant. 

The Town of Durham and UNH have positioned themselves extremely well through deliberate long-term planning of the water system. This planning results in an extremely resilient system, which includes multiple source water supplies and a multi-barrier treatment process that provides Durham with maximum flexibility to adjust its operations to use other water sources when needed. 

The water system has currently shifted its source water supplies to the Spruce Hole and Lee wells and the Oyster River.

We continue to monitor the situation and work closely with NHDES to ensure that the water system continues to provide safe, reliable, and dependable drinking water to Durham.

TRANSFER STATION CARDBOARD SHED REPAIRS UNDERTAKEN AFTER STRONG WINDS TEAR OFF SECTIONS OF EXTERIOR WALL OF STRUCTURE

The Durham Public Works Facilities and Grounds Division, led by supervisor Nick Bennion, performed repairs to the cardboard shed at the Raymond A. LaRoche, Sr. Transfer Station and Recycling Center this week. 

Anomalously strong easterly winds during the January 17th winter storm event damaged a portion of the back wall of the structure. The exterior sheathing was removed, and several damaged wall joists were repaired/replaced.

CLEANING SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATION OFF VEHICLES - Be sure to clear the snow off your car before driving; it's the law.

Snow and ice falling from a moving car or truck can create hazardous driving conditions for vehicles travelling around them and possibly result in fines and/or civil liability for failing to take reasonable steps to remove the snow or ice accumulations.

Under New Hampshire State law, a driver can be cited for driving a vehicle in a manner that “endangers” or “is likely to endanger any person or property.” Large amounts of snow accumulating on a vehicle or trailer often melts and refreezes over time causing build-up of ice that can often damage vehicles when falling from a vehicle. Early removal of the snow after a snowstorm is the best way to prevent such ice from accumulating.

It is also very important for drivers of all vehicles to leave sufficient space when following large trucks to give themselves enough time to react and be able to avoid any snow/ice in the event that it does fall from a large truck or trailer.

RSA 265:79-b Negligent Driving - Whoever upon any way drives a vehicle negligently or causes a vehicle to be driven negligently, as defined in RSA 626:2, I(d), or in a manner that endangers or is likely to endanger any person or property shall be guilty of a violation and shall be fined not less than $250 nor more than $500 for a first offense and not less than $500 nor more than $1,000 for a second or subsequent offense.

ODOR CONTROL SYSTEM UPGRADE PROJECT AT DURHAM'S WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT SOLIDS HANDLING FACILITY - An update.

Wright Pierce Engineers was selected through a competitive qualifications-based process to design an activated carbon odor control system for the Town’s Sludge Processing Building. This includes the installation of the odor control system, new concrete pad, and associated piping, site work, instrumentation, control and electrical system. Final Design and permitting of this project have been completed and the project is currently out to bid. Construction bids for this project are due on February 15th. It is expected that Durham Public Works will bring forward a contract to the Town Council for award in late February, early March 2022.

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)

Aeration Tank No. 4 – Air header and pipe supports showing moderate rusting and pitting with concrete spalling of tank.

INVASIVES SPECIES ROADSIDE MOWING WORKSHOP FOR DURHAM DPW STAFF

Durham Public Works continues to focus on the refinement of its roadside mowing program which is critical in maintaining proper sight lines while improving pedestrian and vehicle safety.  During these operations, mowing crews frequently encounter invasive plants, including Japanese Knotweed (Reynoutria japonica also known as Fallopia japonica and Polygonum cuspidatum). 

The proper identification of these plants and recognizing where they are present is key to avoiding mowing and propagating these invasives into other areas where they do not exist. Because of the risk roadside mowing presents to the spread of invasives, the Durham Public Works team took part in an interactive workshop with Mr. Doug Cygan, the State of New Hampshire Department of Agriculture’s Invasives Species Coordinator. The Durham Public Works Right of Way (ROW) Vegetation Management team is also working with Mr. Cygan and others in the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) and State of NH Department of Agriculture permits to control the spread of invasive species and undesirable vegetation through mechanical means, as well as exploring options for targeted chemical treatment by in-house State of New Hampshire licensed pesticide applicators which will minimize the ongoing spread of invasives on public property.

Additional information will be shared in the future as the invasives management program within the ROW continues to be developed. 

MINIMAL FLOODING AT OLD TOWN HALL/COURTHOUSE

During the snow, ice, and rain event on January 17th – sufficient water got into the Old Town Hall/Courthouse through the front door threshold that it caused damage to flooring and sub-surface.  DPW reports there was a minimal amount of water that entered the building, but it was enough to cause some warping in a small section of the new hardwood floor we installed last year. DPW met with the original installer this week to evaluate the floor and estimate the cost of repair.  A claim has also been made to our insurance carrier.

OLD COURTHOUSE/PUBLIC WORKS FIRE PANEL UPGRADES UNDERTAKEN

The Durham Public Works Department’s contractor for its fire and security systems, Norris/Minuteman Inc., recently upgraded the control panels and several of the heat & smoke devices at the Public Works, Old Courthouse and Town Hall Facilities. The components within the processing and transmitting portions of the 25-year-old fire alarm systems at these facilities were antiquated and obsolete, posing a significant risk to the facility, employees, and first responders if a malfunction were to occur.

DURHAM PERMEABLE REACTIVE BARRIER PILOT PROJECT UNDERTAKEN IN PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN SRPC AND DURHAM USING NHDES WATERSHED ASSISTANCE GRANT

The Great Bay Estuary, which includes 21 square miles of tidal waters in southeastern New Hampshire, is impaired due to elevated levels of nitrogen. The Planning Board approved an application in December 2020 for an innovative technology which should help to mitigate this environmental threat. The project at 51A Durham Point Road on property owned by Katharine Paine is now completed. (Another similar project was installed at 4 Griffiths Drive in Durham in 2015.)

Nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus are essential for plants and animals but excess nitrogen causes overstimulation of growth of certain aquatic plants. This can reduce the amount of oxygen available to other species and block light to deeper water resulting in algae blooms, loss of eel grass, and fish kills.



About half of the 325,000+ residents in the Great Bay watershed are served by private septic systems. Almost 30% of the non-point source of nitrogen into the estuary comes from these systems (municipal sewer systems can also generate nitrogen but at a significantly lower level).

One promising method for removing nitrogen is called a permeable reactive barrier (PRB). Wood chips, placed in a trench dug downgradient from the leach field, intercept nitrogen in the groundwater. The trench is then backfilled and planted so that it blends into the landscape. Research shows this simple approach to be effective in reducing nitrogen from 74 to 94% in the effluent from the leach field. It appears also to reduce levels of phosphorus. Monitoring wells are installed to measure the effluent before and after installation of the PRB. Use of wood chips is ideal because they are inexpensive, readily available and an effective carbon source. Some research shows this approach to be effective for at least 30 years.  

The work was funded in part through a Watershed Assistance Grant with the Town of Durham providing an in-kind match with the Public Works Department assisting on installation. Findings from the research will be reported to the NH Department of Environmental Services which will look at possible wider use of this method in the future.

Mark Kelley, hydrogeologist with Haley & Aldrich conveyed Wednesday, “I wanted to let everyone know that the wood chip trench and sand interceptor trench were successfully installed at the Paine Property…The Durham DPW did an amazing job preparing the site on Sunday with some fill to extend the road to access the trench locations, and did a great job in installing the trenches and restoring the site as best as they could. The frost was thick which was good and bad. Good for keeping the equipment out of the mud. The downside to the frost is there will be some seasonal settlement that may occur this spring.” See the attached pictures. The site will look beautiful in the spring when the landscaping grows in.

Many thanks to Katharine Paine for hosting this important project and to our partners Kyle Pimental at SRPC, consultant Danna Truslow, and Mark Kelley.

SUPERVISORS OF THE CHECKLIST MESSAGE

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:

The Saturday, January 29 session at 4:00 PM has been cancelled due to the impending snowstorm. Prospective voters may register at the town hall at any time.

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.

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. 

PUBLIC WORKS WINTER MAINTENANCE UPDATES

Historically, New England is beginning to enter its most active time of year for winter storms, with the frequency of Northeast snowstorms (Nor’Easters) peaking in February.

The Public Works Department has remained busy over the last few weeks battling multiple winter storm responses. The most significant of the storms was a strong, multi-faceted “Inland-Runner” type storm on January 17th. After a quick inch of snow, temperatures climbed 9 degrees from 26 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit at dawn over the course of an hour to change the predominant precipitation type to rain. Despite air temperatures above freezing, the Public Works team continued to battle icing conditions on both asphalt and gravel roadways as sub-zero temperatures in the days leading up to event allowed for a deep layer of frost to maintain cold temperatures at the immediate road surfaces. Further complicating matters, a period of gusty easterly winds knocked down several trees and large branches. The photo above is from the Ross/Stagecoach development. Despite many challenges, the team performed exceptionally well in allowing the motoring public to reach their destinations safely. 

LAMPREY RIVER ADVISORY COMMITTEE WINTER 2022 NEWSLETTER

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