Friday Updates - March 14, 2025

Friday, March 14, 2025

Today is Pi Day (since the first 3 numbers of Pi are 3.14) - a time to celebrate the number and the delicious dessert!

Happy St. Patrick's Day on Monday, March 17!

Spring Break at UNH is next week, March 17 - March 21. Our downtown Durham businesses need the support of residents to remain viable, particularly during times with UNH is out of session. To that end, we hope you’ll stop down to support local restaurants and other businesses during this otherwise slower time.

Admin. Selig penned an Op Ed relative to the state’s housing shortage this week. You can read it HERE.

The new Town Clerk/Tax Collector office hours start next week. See below for more information.

VACANCIES ON TOWN BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, AND COMMITTEES - Consider becoming a volunteer member of a local board, commission or committee.

On April 30, 2025, terms on various Town boards, commissions, and committees will expire. The Durham Town Council is seeking interested residents of the Town of Durham who have the ability, desire, and time needed to fill the vacancies listed below.

To obtain an application form, you may stop in or contact the Administrator’s office at kedwards@ci.durham.nh.us. The deadline to submit completed applications is Monday, March 31, 2025. You can see more information on vacancies by clicking on the button further down.

There are two basic forms of town government under New Hampshire law: (1) traditional, board of selectperson/town meeting form; and (2) town council/town manager form described in RSA Chapter 49-D. Each form has several variations.

The board of selectperson/town meeting is the traditional, "pure democracy" form of town government, where the voters themselves, acting at town meeting, are the legislative body of a community. Budgetary, legislative, and other questions are put before the voters in the form of warrant articles, the merits of which are debated, and then voted on at the meeting held on or around the 2nd Tuesday in March.

The selectboard acts as the governing body and carries out the decisions of the town meeting and manages the prudential affairs of the town over the course of the year including town property and municipal staff. The board of selectpersons sometimes creates “administrative assistant" or “town administrator” positions, which have only those powers specifically delegated to them by the selectboard, which can change from year to year as the selectboard changes. Madbury and Lee have an administrative assistant and town administrator, respectively, which fall into these categories. Alternatively, a town at the annual town meeting may adopt the provisions of RSA 37, establishing a statutory town manager position. The town manager is selected with special reference to education, training, and experience to perform the duties of the office, and without reference to political belief. When a town manager position is created, the management of town property and the hiring and firing of municipal staff is transferred from the selectpersons to the town manager. The selectboard, therefore, assumes a policy focus with the town manager carrying out the day-to-day responsibilities of managing the municipality.

The town council/town manager is the second form of town government (with a few possible variations) allowing a town to adopt a charter establishing a representative body - the town council - which has powers analogous to those of a city council. The charter must provide for the appointment of a town manager by the council, who shall have all the powers of town managers as set out in RSA Chapter 37 (the town manager may be referred to by a similar name - in Durham it is the “administrator”). The council may have as many as 15 members (!), and must have an odd number unless the vote of the chair is reserved for breaking ties. Durham’s town council, approved in 1988 at Town Meeting and put into effect in 1989, has 9 members. At the time, Durham wanted to ensure there were a large number of members sitting around the table in order to bring multiple perspectives to weighty issues facing the community.  

The adoption of a town council-town manager charter abolishes the traditional board of selectperson/town meeting form of government.

The town council functions as both the governing body and legislative body, as do city councils in cities. Where the town council is both the governing body and the legislative body, it generally has all the powers and duties of selectmen, city councils and boards of aldermen, and may address all matters that general law requires to be done at town meetings, all as provided by RSA 49-D:3, l(a).

Durham's town council may both make local laws (called ordinances) and adopt a budget without further action of the town. The "administrator" proposes an annual budget to the town council. Only bond questions on a single issue with proposed debt in excess of $2.3 million must be approved by referendum. Referendum matters may also be brought to a vote of the town.  

The Town of Newmarket operates under a slight variation of the town council-town manager format. In Newmarket, the town council may adopt ordinances, but the budget still requires adoption by the community at a special annual budgetary town meeting.

The only other town in NH that operates exactly like Durham is Derry, NH. Durham and Derry are in essence the only two towns in NH that have the governmental structure of cities with a council/manager format.

View the Town of Durham's Charter HERE.

PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED DUNKIN DONUTS SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 26 

The Planning Board is holding a public hearing at their meeting of March 26 on a proposal to relocate the Dunkin Donuts on Dover Road from the Irving site to the vacant lot across the road (formerly Cumberland Farms). Irving will be expanding the Circle K convenience store into the space now occupied by Dunkin Donuts. 

Tropic Star, the applicant, has submitted an attractive design for the redevelopment of the Dover Road property, but the key issue is traffic impact. The applicant’s traffic engineer submitted a 289-page traffic study. In any site that is adjacent to a very busy road the concern is always the impact of left turns into the site and out of the site, and the impact on neighboring intersections. The Planning Board is reviewing the traffic study and comments received by NHDOT on the proposal (Dover Road/Route 108 is a state highway). You can see documents related to the proposal HERE.

A fun perspective Courtesy, Farzaneh Farhoodi 

PLANNING BOARD PROPOSING INITIATIVES TO SUPPORT DOWNTOWN BUSINESS

The Town Administrator recently asked the Durham Housing Task Force to explore strategies to enhance housing and general development opportunities in core areas to provide more support for downtown businesses. The Task Force has proposed four initiatives which were recently presented to the Town Council for discussion. Three zoning amendments are being considered by the Town Council on Monday, for which the Town Council may begin the amendment process, and a fourth initiative related to state statute 79E will be discussed at another upcoming meeting. Here are the proposals:

• Mixed use with residential. Mixed use with residential is the key category for development projects in the Central Business District (commercial on the first floor and mainly residential above). However, the use is allowed by conditional use which can discourage developers from applying due to the uncertainty of the conditional use process. The proposal involves splitting the Central Business District into two separate zoning districts: Central Business-1 and Central Business-2. CB-2 would cover Mill Plaza (and a section of UNH land to the west, included for the legal purpose of drawing a cohesive district, though this change would have no effect as UNH is exempt from zoning). Due to sensitivity of the adjacent Faculty Road neighborhood, mixed use with residential at Mill Plaza, in CB-2, would remain a conditional use, subject to a stringent review. The rest of the Central Business zone would be designated Central Business-1 where mixed use with residential would become a permitted use, allowing development to proceed following an easier review process. 
• Multi-unit residential. The ordinance is very restrictive for multi-unit residential (aka multifamily residential/apartments), which in most cases historically has meant student housing. Prior to the 2000 Master Plan zoning for multi-unit residential was highly restrictive, but the master plan recommended expanding the zoning to allow for new high quality student housing and to support the tax base. The zoning was expanded and the town realized over 2,000 new beds of student housing. In response, the Town once again tightened up the zoning over the last dozen years. With flat enrollment at UNH, the addition of many new beds, and the large demand for housing in the region, the Town can provide for more multi-unit residential that may attract non-students as well as students. The task force recommends permitting this use in three of the five core commercial districts – Professional Office (PO), Church Hill (CH), and Courthouse (C).  
• Three story height limit. The proposal is to remove a three-story height limit that is imposed in certain areas of the Central Business District. The limit was established in 2012 due to concerns about the construction of taller buildings, but now with the desire to encourage development downtown, the task force recommends allowing the same four and five story (the latter allowed by conditional use) height limit that applies in the rest of the Central Business District to apply to the areas that currently have this three-story limitation.
• RSA 79E. RSA 79E, titled the Community Revitalization Tax Relief Incentive, was adopted by the state in 2006 to encourage downtown development. Potential developers sometimes avoid building new projects when there is any question about the financial viability of those projects, in part because they will need to pay additional taxes on the new value of that new development. The statute allows a town to not tax new development (i.e. to “freeze” the assessment) for a certain number of years as an incentive to build. Durham adopted a resolution in 2011 that created some obstacles to using 79E. The task force recommends removing language in that resolution that discouraged use of 79E. 

"FOOD TOGETHER DURHAM" - Agricultural Commission Survey deadline extended

Durham has strong historical roots in growing food, and the many back- and front-yard gardens that dot our neighborhoods show that growing food locally remains at the core of our community.

The Durham Agricultural Commission, with partnership and support from undergraduate student researchers at the University of New Hampshire, is interested in learning whether our town residents view opportunities for more neighborhoods to produce food together. Your responses to a short survey will help the Durham Agricultural Commission better understand your perspectives, and help aspiring neighborhoods connect toward Food Together Durham. Please click HERE to access the survey.

Please complete the survey no later than March 23, 2025. 

Seacoast Eat Local, who organizes the Durham Farmers’ Market, is a local non-profit with a mission to connect the community with fresh local produce, baked goods, spirits, crafts and more! The market is held in the heart of Durham at the Downtown pocket-park, located at 66 Main Street. 

For the 2025 summer season, the market will run every Monday from June 2nd to October 6th! 

Seacoast Eat Local is reaching out in the hope of receiving community feedback regarding the market hours. Historically, it has run from 2:30-6pm. If you attend the market or are interested in attending, please consider filling out this brief survey HERE to offer your feedback on market hours! 

Seacoast Eat Local thanks you in advance for your time and support of local producers and makers- they can't wait to service Durham customers in 2025.

NEW HOURS FOR THE DURHAM TOWN CLERK-TAX COLLECTOR OFFICE STARTING MARCH 17, 2025

The Durham Town Clerk-Tax Collector’s Office will adjust office hours starting on Monday, March 17, 2025. 

Office hours will now be from 8:00am to 5:00pm, extending by 30 minutes each day on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. The office will now be CLOSED to the public on Wednesdays. We do not anticipate this change will cause widespread disruption for most of our residents.

Below is a summary of the changes and reasons for why the Town Clerk-Tax Collector decided to make this change in 2025.

QUESTION: Why does the Town Clerk-Tax Collector need to change the office hours? The former town clerk and clerk staff were always able to manage their hours.

ANSWER: 

1. Less in-person traffic in the office. More residents now utilize the Town’s online services or mail-in payments, reducing the need for the office to be open to the public. Most NH Town Clerk’s offices have already reduced their hours in response to this shift in transaction style.
2. Reduce costs to Residents and Town. By keeping hours at a certain level for staff, we can lower the financial impact on the Town, and ultimately taxpayers. This means fewer hourly wages will be paid by the Town and it removes the need to create another full-time, benefited position.
3. Keep our staff happy. To better accommodate the needs of our amazing staff, hours were reduced for the Deputy Town Clerk-Tax Collector and the Assistant Town Clerk-Tax Collector positions in 2024. Both jobs were cut by 5 hours per week for each staff member, with a 10-hour total loss for the Town Clerk-Tax Collector’s Department. 

QUESTION: What does this mean for me? I don’t like paying additional online transaction fees and I prefer to make payments in person.

ANSWER:

1. We hear you. Town Clerk-Tax Collector Rachel Deane will be responsible and available to manage scenarios for residents with emergencies that require in-person transactions on Wednesdays. Remember, the clerk’s office will still be open from 8am-5pm, 4 days a week. Residents with an emergency on a Wednesday may email rdeane@ci.durham.nh.us. Rachel Deane checks her email regularly and she will manage these cases. Rachel Deane does not have a Town cell phone, so email is best.
2. Tax and Utility Payments, Motor Vehicle Renewals, or Vital Records Requests may also be left in the Town Hall’s secure Lockbox – located just outside the Town Hall. Residents who want to avoid mailing payments or paying online transaction fees can access this service, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Items left in the lockbox will be processed on the next business day.

Please contact Town Clerk-Tax Collector, Rachel Deane at rdeane@ci.durham.nh.us if you have any questions.

HAVE YOU APPLIED FOR YOUR SOLAR EXEMPTION?

While inspecting properties for improvements/renovations, it has been noted that several property owners in Durham who have installed solar equipment have not applied for their solar exemption.

If you own property in Durham and have recently installed, upgraded, or replaced a “solar energy system” that utilizes solar energy to heat or cool the interior of your building; heat water or to provide electricity, you may qualify for a solar exemption. If you are already receiving a solar exemption, you do not need to reapply.  

To qualify for this exemption, you must submit a PA-29 exemption application by April 15, 2025. Applications are available in the Assessing Office. Your application must also include an invoice which includes a detailed list of what equipment was installed on your property and cost of the project. 

If approved, this exemption will be applied to your 2025 assessment.

If you have any questions, please contact the Assessor’s Office at (603) 868-8064 or dfreer@ci.durham.nh.us.

The Durham Community Church spire on a cloudless day. Courtesy, Farzaneh Farhoodi 

ENERGY COMMITTEE SEEKS NEW MEMBERS

The Durham Energy Committee has vacancies and is seeking a couple of new members. It is not necessary to be a technical expert or engineer, only to have an interest in and general knowledge of energy related issues and willingness to learn, participate and contribute to the community. Writing and/or communication/marketing type skills would be valuable.

The committee advises the Town Council on energy matters. Goals include helping the town and residents conserve energy, reduce expense, acquire more environmentally friendly energy sources that reduce greenhouse gasses and help achieve Durhams Climate Action Plan goals.

If interested or you would like more information, please contact Karen Edwards at kedwards@ci.durham.nh.us

Did You Know?  Composting

According to the EPA, in 2018, more than 33% of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream was composed of food remnants and yard trimmings. We could significantly reduce the amount of waste going to landfills, and the potent greenhouse gas that it produces (methane), by diverting these materials.

Composting is the best way to get rid of your kitchen scraps without sending them to the landfill.

Whether you’ve been composting for a while, or looking to start, you may be surprised by some of the lesser known compostable items we suggest on this list. 

All of the items below can be composted in a backyard compost system, or at the transfer station compost drop off. NOTE: This is not a complete list of compostable items - there are many more! You can find the complete list on the IWMAC page HERE. 

Coffee grounds and unbleached coffee filters.

All fully compostable!

Tea, Paper Wrappers, Tag, & Probably the Bag.

Tea leaves are very compostable as are paper wrappers that don’t have any sort of lining. There are some inconsistencies around the compostable-ness of the bag itself, staples, and the string connecting the tea bag to the paper tag. If your tea bag is made of cloth (cotton) or filter paper, you’re good to go (and compost).

However, if the bag is nylon, it’s not compostable. The same goes for your teabag string. Do your research to find out what your specific teabag and string are made of. Staples of any kind should be removed and are not compostable. 

Bamboo Skewers, Wooden Chopsticks & Toothpicks.

These small, disposable, single-use wooden kitchen tools can all be composted. Do break chopsticks in half to lower their surface area.

White Tissue Paper.

Tissue paper is a very low-quality paper whose fibers can’t be reused again. Therefore, tissue paper should never be put into recycling. White tissue paper (without sparkles or glitter) can be composted. If you cannot reuse colored tissue paper, you should throw it in the trash.

Kitchen Single-Use Paper Products.

Brown paper towels and brown napkins can be composted. The same goes for uncoated paper plates and cups if they are marked as compostable. Do make sure that your plates and cups have no coating whatsoever.

Spent Potting Soil.

If you are changing the soil in your houseplants or outdoor flowerpots, add the soil to your compost bin.

Interested?

If you are interested in learning how to compost in your backyard, please check out the link HERE. In addition, feel free to reach out to us anytime at DurhamRecycles603@gmail.com. We are happy to explain the easy composting process available to all Durham residents at our transfer station compost drop off.

Brought to you by the IWMAC Committee 

Questions about recycling or composting? Email us at: DurhamRecycles603@gmail.com

Check us out on Instagram: sustainable.durham.nh

Not sure if an item can be recycled? Check here: https://recyclesmartma.org/

OYSTER RIVER HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS VARSITY BASKETBALL TEAM IN THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH ON SATURDAY AT UNH

The ORHS Girls Varsity Basketball team defeated #1 Laconia Wednesday night in semi-finals of the Div II State Basketball Tournament and will be playing Saturday March 15 in the Div II State Championship.

Game site: UNH Field House --- This is like a HOME game, so come and show your town spirit! Girls Basketball has not made it near the Finals in many years. This is their year! They set an all-time Div II 3-point shot record of 14 in one game!!!

Details: Saturday, March 15 at 12 PM NOON vs Milford High.

Arrive Early- Oyster River is likely the first game, but traffic around the field house picks up and parking is available in A-Lot (might be a parking fee)

Tickets can be purchased at the window in the front of the UNH Field House. (get there early to avoid the line) Tickets for ORHS STUDENTS will be REIMBURSED at the door, so admission is FREE for students. Tickets can also be purchased at: https://gofan.co/app/school/NHIAA. Select the March 15 Girls Basketball game.

Tournament info can be found at https://www.nhiaa.org/

Please come out and support this exciting team and their chance for a State Championship! Bleacher seating, handicapped seating available.

Durham Police Detective intern Zachary Gleason is a UNH senior studying in Homeland Security – Corporate Security and National Intelligence. Zach has been interning since the beginning of spring semester and is working on a variety of projects, including creating mock special event and large-scale event plans, incorporating his studies into real world applications.

Zach recently presented a capstone project under Homeland Security professor and Durham resident, Dr. Andrew Macpherson, analyzing the use of body-worn cameras in local New Hampshire police departments, to Chief Kelley, Administrator Selig, and members of the Durham Police Department. This week, he accompanied Officer Young on a ride along, seeing the nuances of policing in Durham.  

OYSTER RIVER SCHOOL NEWS

A Message from Superintendent Shaps

I send this message to the voters of Durham, Lee, and Madbury with deep gratitude. Your continued support of the Oyster River Cooperative School District's budget and warrants demonstrates your commitment to Oyster River students, staff, and families. As a result, we will continue the important work we do on their behalf. I look forward to providing updates on our progress.

March 11 Election Results

You may view the results published by the Town of Durham on ORCSD's Business Office page HERE (under the Budget FY 25-26 tab) and the School Board page HERE.

March 20 Humanities Night

At Oyster River Middle School from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. An open house and fun-filled evening to celebrate and showcase the school's Humanities programs and activities. Staff and student art exhibition, pottery wheel and VEX IQ robotics demonstrations, musical performances, Health and PE display, World Language fun and food, refreshments provided by Coffee Connection, and more! 

March 29-30 Spring Play: The Secret Garden

Two performances by Oyster River Middle School students located in the Auditorium at Oyster River High School (55 Coe Dr, Durham, NH 03824).

• March 29: 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. 
• March 30: 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.

April 5 Moharimet Pancake Breakfast

8:00 - 11:30 a.m. at Moharimet School (11 Lee Rd, Madbury, NH 03823). Enjoy Moharimet's delicious maple syrup, served with pancakes! Suggested Donation: $6 per person or $20 per family. Cash or check to Moharimet School will be accepted.

April 10 Coffee House

6:00 - 8:00 p.m., Multipurpose Room at Oyster River High School (55 Coe Dr, Durham, NH 03824). Coffee House celebrates the quarterly launch of award-winning student publication Mouth of the River (MOR). The $5 admission can be purchased at the door and is one of MOR's primary fundraising sources. Food and drink are included with admission.

April 11 Moharimet 4^th Grade Musical 

6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Auditorium at Oyster River High School (55 Coe Dr, Durham, NH 03824). THE LION KING for KIDS, based on the movie and theater production with music by Sir Elton John. Snow date: April 14. 

April 15 Community Dinner

5:00 - 6:30 p.m. at Oyster River Middle School's cafeteria. The Oyster River Sustainability Committee invites you to enjoy a delicious, locally and sustainably sourced Mediterranean chicken and grilled pork loin dinner. Each meal includes side salad options (couscous, garden and Caesar salad), primavera pasta, roasted vegetables, a beverage and dessert. Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options will be available. $15 per adult or $40 per family (a family includes up to 2 adults and children living within the same household). Additional information is available HERE. 

One sure sign of spring is the start of the Cat Trax Bike Share Program, in partnership with the Town of Durham, for 2025! Beginning Tuesday March 25th, the Cat Trax bikes will be dispersed across the UNH campus and surrounding Durham community and can be accessed by any UNH students, staff, faculty, and Durham community members.  

Renting bikes is currently FREE!  

As a reminder, rentals can be made through the Movatic app HERE and scanning the QR code on the bikes. A few more reminders when renting: 

• Cat Trax bikes can be ridden anywhere within Durham (but do not leave at residential properties)
• Wear a helmet and abide by all safety/road laws.
• Do not ride a bike with flat tires/broken brakes/other issue (please report issues using the app!) 
• At the end of your rental, return your bike to a bike rack, LOCK the bike, and end the rental in the app. 

Additionally, we encourage all of you to check out the bike repair clinics this semester! These events are a chance for community members to get free repairs on their bikes. The first clinic will be on April 18 from 1-5pm (on-campus location TBD) and the second clinic will be on May 2 from 10am-2pm at the Durham Public Library. Bring your friends and learn more about sustainable transportation in the Durham community!  

Keep an eye out for more events from Cat Trax this semester and updates on the Sustainability Institute Instagram (@sustainableUNH). Feel free to reach out via email to victoria.whitcomb@unh.edu or donavyn.corcoran@unh.edu with any questions you have in regards to the program, clinic, or anything else. For more information on the Cat Trax program, click HERE.