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Durham resident Bernie Casey captured some beautiful images of Durham's Fourth of July fireworks display on Wednesday evening, July 3rd.
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The Durham-Great Bay Rotary Club, with ancillary support from the University of New Hampshire and the Town of Durham, hosted fireworks on Wednesday night at Wildcat Stadium in Durham.
With the fireworks, the weather has improved and it’s finally beginning to feel a little like summer. Enjoy!
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FAREWELL IN ORDER FOR LIBRARY DIRECTOR ROSE BEBRIS
Library Director Rose Bebris has submitted her resignation and will be taking an exciting new position with the City of Westbrook, ME as their Library Director. Westbrook is a suburb of Portland and is much closer to her home. We thank Rose for her service over the last couple of years and wish her well in this new post. Her final day will be mid-July.
The Library Trustees will be selecting an interim Library Director to help keep things running smoothly while the board gears up to conduct a search process to fill the vacancy.
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PFAS SAMPLING COMPLETED AT GROUNDWATER MONITORING WELLS AT TOWN LANDFILL - Proposed new state rules mean that one sampling site would be higher than guidelines recommend for a private well over a lifetime of exposure for the most vulnerable populations.
As a follow up to recent per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) sampling completed at groundwater monitoring wells at the Town Landfill in April 2017 and November 2018, the Town via Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. voluntarily (with homeowner permission) collected samples of groundwater from four residential water supply wells within a 1,000 ft radius of the landfill be tested for PFAS to identify impacts to these sensitive receptors, if any.
Results of the testing show that two of the four homeowner wells sampled had concentrations of some of the eight PFAS isomers above laboratory reporting limits, however concentrations of PFOS and PFOA were below State of New Hampshire Ambient Groundwater Quality Standard (AGQS) of 70 ng/l (ppt).
The Town is aware that The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) has filed a final rulemaking proposal to establish Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs)/drinking water standards and Ambient Groundwater Quality Standards (AGQS) for four per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) to ensure greater protection of public health related to the consumption of drinking water. The rulemaking proposal was filed Friday June 28th with the New Hampshire Joint Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules (JLCAR) for consideration at their July 18, 2019, meeting. If approved by JLCAR, the new rules are scheduled to become effective on October 1, 2019.
One Durham site test result exceeded these new limits by 1 ppt. DPW will be in touch with the affected homeowner in the next week to discuss the situation.
Using the most recent and best science available, NHDES is proposing the following drinking water standards that are protective for the most sensitive populations over a lifetime of exposure:
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DURHAM SUPERVISORS OF THE CHECKLIST MEET JULY 12 TO ACCEPT NEW VOTER REGISTRATIONS AND MAKE CHECKLIST CORRECTIONS
The Supervisors of the Checklist will meet at the Durham Town Hall on Friday, July 12, at 10:00 AM, to make corrections to the checklist and to accept new voter registrations. Changes in party registration can also be made at this time.
Prospective voters are required by law to show proof of identity, age (18 by the next election day), domicile/residence in Durham, and U.S. citizenship. A driver’s license and a birth certificate or passport are useful. Affidavits of domicile and citizenship may be signed under oath if proofs are lacking.
The next election is the Presidential Primary. This is usually in early February. Any party changes must be made at least 90 days before a primary. An Undeclared (Independent) voter can pick either a Republican or a Democratic ballot at the primary, but members of either of the two parties cannot switch until AFTER the election. If you are not sure how you are registered, check out https://app.sos.nh.gov/Public/PartyInfo.aspx. If you changed your party status after April 15, 2019, please wait until after July 12 to check as the system will not update until after this meeting. Party changes may be made at the Town Hall whenever it is open for business until about November 1.
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Electric scooters are attracting increasing controversy. Courtesy Getty Images/World Wide Web
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DURHAM and UNH WORKING TOGETHER TO DEVELOP MICROMOBILITY ORDINANCE & CAMPUS POLICIES - Bracing for the likely arrival of e-bikes/e-scooters.
The past year has been marked by a race toward micromobility, where bikes, electric bikes, and electric scooters provide a new way for residents and college students to move throughout their communities. While there is a great deal of promise with these innovations, the emergence of micromobility comes with its own set of challenges and considerations.
The rise of micro-mobility companies has been well documented over the last few years with companies like Ofo and Mobike in China and Citi Bike and Jump Bikes in the US providing consumers with convenient options for last-mile transportation. All these companies have gone on to raise venture capital or be acquired, showcasing both the consumer and investor demand for last-mile transportation solutions. In 2018, this micro-mobility trend was re-energized with the emergence of the shared and dockless electric scooter (e-scooter for short), pioneered by Lime and Bird in the US. These e-scooters quickly found such strong product-market fit that Bird and Lime became the fastest ever US companies to reach billion dollar valuations, with each achieving this milestone within a year of inception.
But do town/cities actually want e-scooters, or other micro-mobility solutions?
It depends which municipality you ask. However, what most communities agree with is that e-scooters, electric bikes, and pedal bikes, whether docked or dockless, are viable solutions to help alleviate traffic congestion, especially at rush hours, and they are excited about that. The main concerns with micro-mobility vehicles, and e-scooters in particular, are safety and whether a community's current infrastructure can support the massive influx of these vehicles. Common questions include, “How do we keep the e-scooters from being parked where we don’t want them?” and ”How do we modify our bike lanes to keep e-scooter riders and bike riders safe while also keeping enough sidewalk space for pedestrians?”
At the present time, Durham and UNH are collaborating to develop an ordinance and on-campus policies to put at least initial regulations in place locally in advance of what we expect may be the arrival of these devices locally.
View the latest draft ordinance HERE.
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DURHAM FARMERS' MARKET - Each Monday afternoon in the Sammy's downtown lot off Pettee Brook Lane
Be sure to stop by the Durham Farmers' Market being held on Monday afternoons at the Sammy's/Store 24 Parking Lot. A variety of locally produced farm products, prepared foods, and fine crafts will be available Mondays 2:15 - 6:00 PM. There will be regular as well as guest vendors with an increasing variety of vegetables available as the season progresses.
One positive aspect is that folks can walk downtown to access the market and while they are there, shop/eat in other downtown establishments.
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SWAP SHOP CLOSED ON TUESDAY JULY 16TH
The Swap Shop will be closed on Tuesday, July 16th in preparation for the construction of new shelving! We will attempt to reopen on Saturday, July 20, but if we do, volunteers will be restocking so you will be asked to put any items you are dropping off on the shelves instead of on the outside tables. Please make your plans accordingly.
Special appreciation goes out to the Town of Durham for providing the funding and the members of the Great Bay Rotary for their building expertise of this initial shelving project. Please also remember that the Swap Shop accepts items from 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM.
Interested in volunteering? Call or text 603-969-4732. Joanna or Cristina at mailto:foggdrive@yahoo.com
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Old Town Hall / Durham District Courthouse building. Courtesy Todd Selig
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WHAT’S THAT FUNKY BRICK BUILDING ON THE CORNER? - The old Durham Town Hall!
The old Durham Town Hall is an important representative of a small and unusual group of brick commercial structures that appear in the Piscataqua Region of NH and nowhere else in the state! These buildings are characterized by their three-story height, their curved corner bays, and their fine masonry. In addition to the old Durham Town Hall, representatives of this small group of buildings include the Sawyer Building in Dover and the corner buildings of several commercial blocks in Portsmouth.
Only the Durham and Dover buildings, both built around 1825, are free-standing blocks. Both of these structures were built near their respective town landings. Both were constructed as stores, serving business interests at their landings in an age when most commerce was water-borne and when town landings were the commercial and mercantile hubs of any tidewater community.
So back in the day, it was the Old Landing in Durham that was the commercial center of town, not what is now known as Main Street as at that time, the University of New Hampshire was still farmland!
The old Durham Town Hall is significant in three major areas: First, architecturally the structure is an impressive example of local masonry construction. The design is dramatic, commanding vistas along both Main Street and Newmarket Road. The architecture is built of locally-made bricks and hammered granite, recalling the fact that Durham was one of the major brick manufacturing towns of New Hampshire in the early nineteenth century.
Second, the building is a rare survivor of an early-nineteenth century commercial block. It was built as a store by local merchant and shipbuilder Joseph Coe (think Coe Drive where ORMS and ORHS are located). Whereas other stores that once stood near Durham Landing were wood, Coe’s massive and urbane structure proclaimed the commercial importance of Durham as a trading center and the connecting link between water-borne traffic and overland traffic on the New Hampshire Turnpike. The significance of the structure as the functional heart of old Durham is strengthened by the fact that the town’s post office was located in the building for many years.
Third, the building is significant as the seat of Durham’s government from 1840 until the late-twentieth century. The building’s long civic history is symbolized by the enlarged windows that express the presence of the old town hall, created in 1852 by removal of the original third floor of the building.
In recognition of its importance, the old Durham Town Hall was recorded by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1936 and was entered in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Durham Historic District in 1980.
For many years, the Durham District Court and the Durham Police Department were located in the building. At one point the building suffered a fire and was repaired.
Today the first floor of the structure houses the Durham Parks & Recreation Department and the Oyster River Youth Association. The Second floor of the building houses the Durham Historic Association.
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RAINY SPRING/EARLY SUMMER HAS DELAYED ANNUAL REPAINTING OF ROADWAY BICYCLE/PEDESTRIAN MARKINGS
It’s been an absolutely horrible spring/early summer for repainting the bike/pedestrian markings on our Durham roadways — due to rain! DPW reports that they’ve had to delay and reschedule painting three times now. If the weather stays sunny, we should see progress in the coming weeks.
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Timber mats stored at Durham's Packer's Falls gravel pit as part of Eversource Seacoast Reliability Project. Courtesy DPW Director Mike Lynch
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THE LATEST NEWS REGARDING THE EVERSOURCE SEACOAST RELIABILITY PROJECT - U.S. Army Corps determines Public Hearing not necessary for its review of SRP application.
Work on the new Eversource high-voltage transmission line is under way despite an appeal to the state Supreme Court regarding the utility’s planned crossing of Little Bay and ongoing review by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
In Durham, Eversource contractors are working on boring the line under Main Street by the train station and through the University of New Hampshire campus. There is also work ongoing at the substations. UNH is also moving materials into its laydown areas within the Town's gravel pit on Packers Falls Road and at the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
In Newington Eversource is clearing trees near Gundalow Way in the Flynn Pitt Town Forest, as well as work at the Crossings at Fox Run and abutting Gosling Road.
Eversource spokesman William Hinkle has indicated the project is anticipated being complete in June 2020 barring any delays in getting permits it needs to complete the job.
Eversource still needs a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for wetlands work, and in particular for the crossing of Little Bay. In response to a public notice dated April 23, 2019, the Army Corps received 199 public comments. All were in opposition to the project, of which 128 contained public hearing requests. Of the 128 comments containing public hearing requests, 47 contained requests for the project to be discussed and reconsidered, 35 requested a hearing to allow for public input, 27 were requested out of opposition, and 19 contained identical comments including "public hearing request to include a review of the research being used for this permit decision and an explanation of the expected impact on Great Bay."
In its decision, the Army Corps determined that the Corps' public notice combined with the multiple Eversource and SEC public hearings offered the public ample opportunity to comment. The Corp's decision mentioned that issues raised in this case were clearly stated and could be evaluated with the existing information. The Corps determined holding a public hearing would not provide any new or substantive information "nor would it aid in our understanding of the relevant facts and issues."
"The Army Corps therefore determines that it is not necessary to conduct a public hearing in this matter."
Eversource previously notified the NH Site Evaluation Committee, which approved the project in December 2018, that it would not conduct work in areas where it does not yet have a permit to operate. Eversource also has not started any tree trimming work on Durham Point Road, where it needs to obtain Planning Board approval to conduct tree work within the town’s right-of-way. New poles, however, have been installed, and the Planning Board has approved the installation of new poles within some wetland areas.
After the SEC denied a motion submitted by Durham, groups of residents, and the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) to rehear the case, the residents/CLF filed separate appeals to the NH Supreme Court. The CLF appeal is narrowly focused on whether the state’s Executive Council needs to approve the concrete mattress placed over the cables to be buried under Little Bay between Durham and Newington that would be exposed during low tides. The CLF argues it requires that approval, while Eversource maintains the SEC was right to approve it.
The Town of Durham did not appeal the case after the Town Council, upon recommendation by the Administrator, approved a $1.1 million settlement with Eversource. The Town of Newington has also previously reached a settlement with Eversource.
In addition, this past week Steve Eisenhaure, UNH Land Use Coordinator, contacted Eversource about three trees along the Mill Road access for the project. Between June 20- June 25, someone hammered multiple spikes into these trees - an act which makes the trees non-merchantable and potentially unsafe to cut or damaging to equipment. Eversource had discussed these three specific trees with UNH for the UNH sawmill, which makes the act appear to be related to SRP opposition. UNH and Durham Police have been notified.
Learn more about the SRP, view a recent article in Foster's Daily Democrat HERE.
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Main Street, Durham, NH Courtesy World Wide Web
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DURHAM BUSINESS ASSOCIATION SURVEY OFFERS INSIGHT INTO THOUGHTS OF DOWNTOWN BUSINESS OWNERS TOWARD DURHAM AND UNH
The Durham Business Association recently hosted an economic development survey and follow up business forum. The DBA indicates the survey was sent to all businesses in Durham. There were 43 respondents. The survey responses on the whole were thoughtful as was the discussion at the Forum.
Many of the topics raised are not new and several items rose to the top.
Click HERE to see the full survey responses, forum agenda, and forum minutes.
Some examples of responses in italic can be found below...
Do you feel Durham is a good place to conduct business?
Some of the biggest problems for conducting business in town are the hoops the town officials make businesses jump through. Durham adds additional red tape to the process that many other towns do not.
I enjoy the small town atmosphere, the friendliness of the community and the diversity of the population. The biggest difficulty for me has been the lack of quality rental space for small businesses and difficulty with parking in town. To park near my business in the business spaces I must arrive at my office by 8am and if I leave and try to return during the work day, I'm likely to have to park at a meter. On the worst days, I have to park at meter and the move my car after 3 hours.
It was a very hard place to open a business in terms of building codes and the Fire Department -- because there was a lot of changing information, unclear information and lack of coordination. It was expensive, time consuming and stressful.
It is difficult, many regulations, lack of support, distrust of business practices by many people involved in the process that come from backgrounds of non profit making fields. Many don't understand the difficultly we face or give our concerns lip service. Many believe they know our businesses better than us, arrogant.
It should be, but is not. Parking will continue to be a problem. Different interest group keep the town from moving ahead together with a common purpose.
I love Durham, the downside is that it really is a seasonal business place. The rents and taxes are high and profits low.
What are the most important resources or strengths Durham has to attract or encourage economic development?
The real resources and strengths of Durham all center on the university. Until the town recognizes that Durham is a university town there will be nothing unique in Durham to attract anyone. Any and all economic development should be geared towards supporting UNH and it's students, events, families, and hopefully it's Research Park. Example: The latest & greatest development in Durham is Riverwoods. Why? Because people want to retire close to a university.
The University is a large resource. Both Wagon Hill and Great Bay are wonderful places to see. The downtown area needs more for people to do and see. The shopping is limited as are dining choices.
1. town leaders 2. business owners/residents 3. UNH 4. natural attractions and activities
Great inclusive community. Dedicated town government.
What are the biggest challenges Durham faces in attracting or encouraging economic development?
Consistency and a large enough range of businesses to attract local community members to come into town and take advantage of our walkability.
Lack of affordable housing for young professionals and graduate students with young families, etc. Also, need more affordable retail/ restaurant space in downtown.
What are the biggest challenges Durham faces in or encouraging economic development?
A need for a positive reception of good business development in the community. (a good example would be many of the negative comments on social media about the rumor of SigSauer coming to the town for manufacturing)
Not enough downtown space and parking. Older buildings
Restricted zoning regulations
Please list Durham’s features, regulations and practices that you consider as FAVORABLE for economic development.
Closing Main Street for events, bringing farmers market to Sammy’s lot, fostering businesses on the ground level below apartments.
Services provided by the town's departments in helping businesses settle in Durham;
Durham has an amazing Police Chief and staff that have constant training making it a safe place to be. The Fire Department is great and immediately respond when called. Our Town Administrator really cares about the growth of Durham and wants to help in any way he can to assist in getting business into the doors.
Please list Durham’s features, regulations, and practices that you consider as OBSTACLES for economic development.
parking, access, traffic flow, taxes
Zoning and parking
Parking, traffic, three story zoning on Main Street, commercial/residential % in new construction,
Zoning in the downtown area; Planning Board process may take a longer causing added expenses when seeking approval of plans; as already mentioned several times that parking can be an issue for visitors not familiar with Durham parking.
Briefly describe what you believe should be the role of the University of New Hampshire in Durham's economic development.
I think that they should work closely with the Town to achieve what is best for both Durham and the University.
They have become too burecractic (sp) and don't follow through with the statement that they want to work closely with the downtown. The communication we both enjoyed 20 years ago does not happen anymore. Also, the expanding commercial activities hurt the downtown businesses as bad as the internet and the big box stores. David May makes no excuses that he is tasked with creating revenues for the University. If they don't want to end up with a downtown with empty storefronts they have to step up to the plate to make sure that doesn't happen.
Pay taxes on the land you occupy! UNH also has enterprises working on campus they are for profit and should be paying taxes to the Town.
Please provide additional comment, observations, or suggestions for economic development.
Listening to the town and finding ways to help take the ideas from just a thought and bring it forward to hopefully make the town better.
Get rid of Selig.
Increased parking & hotels.
A parking garage. It would be nice to be able to park longer than 2 hours in the downtown area. Sometimes it takes longer than 2 hours to have your hair done and one does not want to get up while having your hair done to put an extra hour in the meter. We like to promote to our guests the downtown businesses before sending them outside of town but this often times poses a problem for brides, etc. with the current parking.
Durham could be a great town but the seem to want to fight economic growth. It is frustrating I know local businesses must cater to their customers and most of the customers are students. When I want to go to dinner I turn right towards Newmarket out of my driveway rather than left towards downtown Durham. People want to keep the small town charm but it left a long time ago.
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DURHAM POLICE WORKING TO LAUNCH NEW IN-HOUSE PARKING MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE SYSTEM FOR DOWNTOWN PARKING KIOSKS – System expected to enhance efficiencies/save staff time with DPD process.
IT Director Luke Vincent has been working closely with Chief Kurz and his staff at the police department to get the new parking management software system up and running. The DPD staff spent a lot of time evaluating different software solutions and systems last year and ultimately proposed one, which was funded as part of the FY 2019 budget. The new system will allow our parking enforcement personnel to track in real time parking violations downtown and process tickets in a substantially more streamlined manner.
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AVERAGE 2019 SELLING PRICE FOR DURHAM RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES UP BY $100,000 OVER 2018
Assessor Jim Rice reports that there were 48 sales of residential properties in Durham that have been evaluated this past year by his office. The average selling price was $479,000, up $100,000 over properties that changed hands in Durham in 2018. Condominium sales seem to have plateaued, however. When condo prices slow, that often means the real estate market/economy is slowing.
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STRAFFORD COUNTY DISPATCH HIT BY RANSOMWARE! The trickle effects have impacted Durham Police.
While on the nightly news are reports of computer hackers seizing control of cities such as Baltimore and another in Florida where hundreds of thousands of dollars are demanded to return control of the community’s computers, one hit close to home this week.
We often think that it can’t happen here but the Strafford County government computer system was breached. However, Strafford County had a robust back-up system in place that allowed a complete “wiping” of the system with reinstallation of the back-up files to make the system whole again.
With over 300 computers on their system, including the Durham Police record management system (IMC), it has been a very time consuming endeavor.
During this time, Durham PD has been without the ability to enter police reports, scan older records and essentially have information at their immediate disposal.
Chief Kurz and his staff are hopeful that by Friday -- yes the County IT personnel were working over the 4th of July holiday -- to have their management system restored.
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NEWS FROM THE AGRICULTURAL COMMISSION - Public Information Session on proposed changes to the Zoning Ordinance related to agriculture on Monday, July 8th, 7:00 p.m., town Council Chambers in Town Hall.
The Agricultural Commission has been working for many months with Town Planner Michael Behrendt to draft extensive proposed changes to the Town’s Zoning Ordinance related to agriculture. Changes including adopting the State’s definition of agriculture to provide residents and Town staff with guidance to enable and regulate farming activity in Durham and expanding opportunities for agriculture in all zoning districts. Adopting the proposed changes is a primary goal in the Agricultural Resources chapter of the Town’s Master Plan. The Agricultural Commission welcomes the opportunity to talk with residents about this important work. Please join us on July 8th at 7pm.
The proposed changes are available on the Town website HERE.
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Some of the large interpretive/educational panels showing the history of the Great Bay Estuary and the Gundalow. Courtesy Todd Selig
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GUNDALOW INTERPRETATIVE PANELS COMING TO DURHAM TOWN HALL LOBBY FOR VIEWING
In an earlier "Friday Update", it was noted that at a meeting of the Great Bay-Piscataqua Waterkeepers, of which Administrator Selig is a member, the director of the Gundalow Company mentioned to the group that the displays of the Gundalow in the warehouse would have to be packed away for the season to allow for another group to provide displays. Mr. Selig suggested that the display potentially be moved to the beautiful foyer of the Durham Town Hall.
Last week, Mr. Selig and Public Works Director Mike Lynch met with the Gundalow Company's Executive Director, Richard Clyborne, and Program Manager, Gretchen Carlson, regarding bringing the panels to Durham.
We are pleased to announce that the panels will be arriving sometime next week. We invite residents visiting the Town Hall to take the time to view the display.
As you know, Durham has a deep and important connection to the Gundalow and the Estuary, which is featured prominently on our town seal!
One of the displays may include a wooden model of a gundalow.
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UNWELCOME GUESTS: AIRNB, COMMUNITIES BATTLE OVER SHORT-TERM RENTALS - Durham looking to get ahead of the curve with new proactive additional zoning regulations.
From Miami Beach to Los Angeles to Portsmouth, local laws vary widely, but complaints about quality-of-life issues caused by short-term rentals are similar. For years, LA has battled illegal party houses in mega-mansions. Other cities like New York have stepped up enforcement. Boston is pushing back against properties being rented out as commercial operations.
The renters book via the major vacation rental websites such as Airbnb, Booking Holdings’ Booking.com and Expedia’s HomeAway.
“You can’t throw a rock in the country right now without hitting a city that’s moving to more aggressively regulate short-term rentals,” said David Wachsmuth (in a CNBC article dated 5/24/18), an assistant professor at McGill University’s School of Urban Planning, who has studied Airbnb around the world.
We have also had concerns here in Durham, although they are primarily proactive in nature to ensure we do not have issues moving forward.
Town Councilor Carden Welsh has been working with Dir. of Planning Michael Behrendt and Zoning Administrator Audrey Cline to refine our Bed and Breakfast provisions within local zoning in order to build in protections concerning the possible impact short-term rentals might have in Durham. The topic was discussed at this week's Leadership Team (department head) meeting and will likely be making its way to the full Town Council in the coming weeks.
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ROADWAY PAVING TO START UP AGAIN NEXT WEEK – Work on Main Street delayed at request of UNH to ensure positive experience for prospective visiting high school tour groups and their families visiting the Durham campus.
Public Works Director Mike Lynch noted this week that twelve roads will be resurfaced in town beginning as early as next week. We do not anticipate any road closures.
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Banners at intersection of Main Street and Quad Way welcoming students and visitors to the UNH campus. Courtesy Todd Selig
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A DECORATIVE BANNER PROGRAM FOR DOWNTOWN DURHAM’S MAIN STREET – Start up cost would be $5,000+
Earlier this year, the Town received a request for hanging decorative rainbow welcome banners on Main Street in advance of Pride Month in June. The idea of hanging decorative/message banners on the twelve light posts along Main Street between Pettee Brook Lane and Madbury Road is not something the community had previously considered and since the Town does not possess the hardware to hang such banners on our light posts, we were not able to consider the idea further. UNH does have decorative banners on its decorative light poles along Main Street from approximately Pettee Brook Lane to College Road.
Durham Public Works researched the cost … and the hardware alone would be $3,460. In addition, a single run of twelve decorative banners wold cost approximately $1,500 ($125 per banner). With a banner program, we would want to have an ever changing array of images/messages depending upon the season/holiday so we’d probably be looking at around six sets of different banners costing about $9,000 for a full year of messaging alone (excluding hardware).
As indicated to the Council when the idea originally came up, we’ll put this in the pile of budget requests that will come forward for further consideration this fall as part of the FY 2020 budget development process.
In addition, a resident wrote to Administrator Selig this week to suggest hanging American flags along Main Street for July 4th. We have received the same suggestion in the past from other residents concerning hanging flags around the Memorial Day and Veterans Day holidays. Durham has no brackets for hanging flags on our decorative light posts so there would be a similar set up cost.
Note as well that all such banner/flag programs would place additional stress on an already overstretched DPW staff asked to do a great deal with limited resources.
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DURHAM EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS RADIO TOWER PROJECT ON BEECH HILL DELAYED, THOUGH NOT FORGOTTEN
With a modestly sized Town staff, it can be easy for planned projects to be tabled so that immediate priorities/emergencies can be addressed. Such has been the case this year to date with the communications tower project slated for the Town’s land atop Beech Hill next to our water tank. The tower will support updated police/fire/public works emergency radio equipment and will be linked in with our Strafford County communications network. Unfortunately, our IT/police/fire staff have not had the ability/time to craft an RFP for the project as yet so things are on hold for now. Installation is very unlikely to occur in 2019; we’re not targeting 2020.
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Map showing 66 Main Street (former ATO fraternity site) in yellow with Durham business parking area in blue along Pettee Brook Lane. Courtesy Todd Selig
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USNH BOARD OF TRUSTEES CONSIDERS DOWNTOWN DURHAM DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS: 66 Main Street & Hotel at Hetzel/Alexander
Last Thursday, 6/27/19, representatives from UNH provided a presentation to the Finance Committee of the University System of New Hampshire (USNH) regarding the two Downtown Durham development projects that have been under active discussion/review/development for for the last two+ years: the redevelopment of 66 Main Street (former ATO fraternity site); potential repurposing/redevelopment of Hetzel/Alexander Halls as a premiere hotel, providing numerous educational opportunities for UNH Hospitality students and creating a wonderful and welcoming facelift for prospective students and their families visiting Durham and UNH.
Economic Development Director Christine Soutter and Administrator Selig were in attendance to demonstrate Durham support for these potential public/public/private partnerships. Following the presentation, the Finance Committee held a non-public session privately with UNH officials.
At last Friday's meeting of the the full UNSH Board of Trustees, the USNH Finance Committee Chair provided his report out from Thursday evening’s Finance meeting. It was reported that the hotel project at Hetzel/Alexander will be reviewed/vetted more taking into consideration the possibilities around whether or not to renovate the two dorms (and possibly build more on campus housing) versus proceeding with the hotel. During the public portion of Thursday's meeting, some Trustees questioned whether it would be possible/beneficial to increase UNH on campus housing stock from the current 60% to as much as 70%. These are complex issues and warrant careful consideration by UNH/USNH. So that process will take more time and should be considered a work in progress.
The 66 Main Street project is reportedly still moving forward and UNH will continue negotiations and contract development discussions with the developer, Elliott Sidewalk Communities.
Both projects will likely be discussed at an upcoming specially scheduled Executive Board meeting of the USNH at a TBD time/date in July.
As a reminder to folks who have not been tracking these projects carefully, Durham owns the land at the rear of 66 Main Street (currently downtown business permit parking) along Pettee Brook Lane. For UNH to obtain the highest price for 66 Main Street, Durham will also have to enter into a deal with the purchaser so that the site as a whole can be developed together and maximized as all subterranean parking associated with a redevelopment will come from Pettee Brook Lane. Pettee Brook Lane is a fully story in height lower than Main Street at 66 Main Street.
In addition, as part of our collaboration with UNH, Durham has preserved the ability to develop 66 Main Street with a fourth story, which is not possible farther down on Main Street. To date we’ve been operating under a public/public/private partnership (PPP) assumption so height/density concerns about a 4th story were largely addressed as part of our collaborative discussions.
At the hotel site -- after substantial conversations/process -- the Zoning Board of Adjustment last year provided a variance for the project to move forward.
Finally, development in Downtown Durham of this size/scale is not inexpensive and revenue potential for prospective investors is limited by our restrictive local zoning (and by high downtown land prices), designed to preserve Durham's quintessential New England college town character along Main Street and beyond. It is likely Durham will need to consider utilizing Tax Increment Finance District monies to leverage public portions of the project: potentially structured public parking, outdoor public park/gathering space, etc.
The developer may also need to consider submitting an application under RSA 79-E. RSA 79-E is a property tax relief program that seeks to encourage investment in town centers and to rehabilitate under-utilized sites within these areas. The application process is made to the Town Council by property owners desiring to make improvements that meet 79-E guidelines as well as provide a clear public benefit to the community. In return, the Council may provide tax relief at a pre-rehabilitation value for a finite period, typically 1-5 years.
Regardless, these two downtown Durham public-public-private development projects represent substantial partnership opportunity (and upside potential) for Durham and UNH alike on many levels. They are complex projects, likely to include structured parking to service the projects themselves and the Town/UNH as a whole, and both Durham and UNH will have to carefully weigh pro's and con's as we move forward.
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NEW PARKING SOFTWARE COMING TO DURHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT
The Durham Police, assisted by IT Manager Luke Vincent, are making significant progress with implementing a new parking management system with “Cardinal Track” that will greatly streamline the parking record keeping.
While 90% of this implementation will have no consequence to Durham residents, it will update the manner in which parking tickets are issued for parking violations from hand written to issuing a printed ticket via handheld computers. The old method required the hand written ticket to be entered into our existing computer system individually and then be tracked in a slow antiquated fashion. With the Cardinal system, the parking officers will enter the vehicle information on a handheld computer, print out the ticket all of which simultaneously enters the vehicles’ data into the Police Department’s computer system.
Everyone is working diligently to have the system activated by early August prior to the return of the UNH students and Freshmen Move-In Day on Friday August 23rd!
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7TH ANNUAL DURHAM FARM DAY IS SATURDAY, AUGUST 17TH, RAIN OR SHINE!
An action-packed day to celebrate Durham’s working landscape of farms and gardens across town and campus. Full list of events available soon, including a Community-Bring-Your-Own Picnic Lunch at noon LaRoche Farm which will feature steamed local sweet corn provided by the Agricultural Commission. So much to see and do, mark your calendars and bring your family!
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Cardinal sculpture on UNH Campus. Courtesy Todd Selig
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WHAT’S THAT BIG RED BIRD SCULPTURE ON CAMPUS ANYWAY?
There’s a big red bird on the UNH campus, nesting on a plot of lawn off Durham’s Main Street near the Health Services building. Many visitors ask, “What in the world is it?” It’s certainly not a Wildcat!
“Cardinal,” a powder-coated steel, eight-foot-tall sculpture constructed by American artist Dale Rogers, is “meant to spark curiosity, enhance the campus grounds and remind people of the importance of the visual arts in their daily lives,” said Kristina Durocher, director of the UNH Museum of Art, back in December 2015 when the sculpture was installed. Funded by private donations, the installation was intended to remain on campus through 2017 along with another Rogers work. Cardinal has remained through to today.
I will say the stature is seasonally appropriate — there was a cardinal along Bagdad Road this morning!
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TOWN OF DURHAM FACEBOOK AND TWITTER ACCOUNTS
Did you know that the Town has a Facebook & Twitter account and frequently posts Durham & UNH news, happenings, and articles of interest in our area and the seacoast?
Like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.
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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.
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R.E.A.C.H. SUMMER DAY CAMP - July 8 - August 9, 2019
R.E.A.C.H. Summer Day Camp is a community-based summer camp collaboration between Oyster River Cooperative School District and Durham Parks & Recreation. It meets Monday- Thursday, July 8 through August 9 at the Oyster River Middle School. Campers can participate in a morning ORCSD program, and then have the option to transition to afternoon camp with Durham Parks & Recreation. Since Oyster River is providing lunch for all school-aged kids, there is no need to pack one! To complete the week, Durham Parks and Recreation is also offering Friday Field Trips.
Read more about the program in the April 2019 Celebrate Durham blog HERE.
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DURHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY UPCOMING EVENTS
Summer Concerts on the Lawn!
Wednesday, July 10th at 6:30 pm, Back on the Train!
Falling somewhere between singer/songwriter-based roots rock and indie pop, New Hampshire/Greater Boston-based Back on the Train mixes 60s, 70s, and 90s influences into warm, melodic songs with soulful vocals, funk and reggae rhythms, and the occasional straight up dance groove.
Since forming in early 2012, Back on the Train has performed over 100 shows at venues such as The Press Room, Fury’s, The Stone Church, Penuche’s, Waterville Valley Resort and Johnny D's to name a few. The band features singer/songwriter and guitarist Adam Ward, bassist /vocalist and songwriter John Dinger, and Drummer Ebenezer Hearn.
2019 Stargazing Update with John Gianforte
Thursday, July 11th at 6:00 pm
Join DPL to welcome Durham resident, UNH Observatory Director and Astronomer, John Gianforte to our Universe of Stories, summer reading programming! John will be walking us through what will be visible in the sky this summer and fall, breaking astro-stories in the recent news and how they affect you, how to use your at home telescope and the upcoming transit of Mercury! Suitable for all ages!
John is the Director of the University of New Hampshire Observatory and an Astronomer whose main research interests include the observation and analysis of transits of exoplanets, cataclysmic variable stars, comets, asteroids & supernovae. He is an Astronomy Instructor for the Physics Department at the University of New Hampshire, Granite State College and for the Global Student Success Program (GSSP). He has taught Astronomy-related courses for Granite State College since 2002 and appeared in numerous print and television publications. To view some of his work , visit his website at https://theskyguy.org/ and the UNH Observatory website: https://physics.unh.edu/observatory
Universe of Stories Summer reading program sign-ups are ongoing. The reading program runs through July 26th.
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HISTORY IN AN OYSTERSHELL - A Brief History of Durham, NH 1600 - 1976 (A little volume that was the Heritage Project of the Durham Historic Association Bicentennial celebration)
Preface - "Since before God made the first little green apples, oysters have probably been growin in the Oyster River; and some of the largest and juiciest to be found anywhere in the world are still growing here today. The following vignettes from rollicking history of Durham town on the Oyster River are therefore presented between the shells of an oyster."
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1919 - Louis Bourgoin was a one-man police force for Durham and the college for 37 years. He was the butt of endless pranks by students and others, most of which will never be recorded. The Chief could always be counted on to help the down-and-out.
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The American flag being flown from a Durham Fire ladder truck while fireworks are displayed in the background Wednesday evening at Cowell Stadium on the UNH campus. Courtesy Durham FD
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Administrator Selig will be on vacation next week in the Bar Harbor/Acadia National Park area. During his absence, Business Manager Gail Jablonski will serve as Acting Administrator.
Have a very nice weekend.
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