Friday Updates - September 16 2022

Friday, September 16, 2022

HAZARDOUS TREE REMOVAL

Durham Public Works in conjunction with tree contractor, Orion Tree Service removed ten (10) hazardous trees of various sizes and species from select areas this week. The most notable and challenging removal was a large red oak which had fallen and become hung up across a heavily traveled walking path at Wagon Hill Farm. Other areas included Longmarsh Road, Kelsey Drive, and the Durham Police Department. All trees posed a significant risk to the safety and functionality of the infrastructure in their vicinity. were safely removed without incident.

DURHAM PUBLIC WORKS TRAFFIC/CONSTRUCTION ADVISORY - ROADWAY PAVING

Please be advised that the Durham Public Works Department’s contractor for its Road Program, Continental Paving, will be performing paving operations on the following roadways on Monday, September 19th, 2022 with a rain date of Wednesday, September 21st, 2022:

1) Wednesday Hill Road

2) Timberbrook Lane

3) Pendexter Road

4) Transfer Station Entrance

The roadway will be restricted to one lane in the work area with alternating traffic between 7:00am and 5:00pm. Access to adjacent residences, businesses and institutions within the work areas will be maintained at all times. Disruptions to both pedestrian and vehicle traffic are expected to be minimal however we ask that the commuting public seek alternative routes if possible and allow additional time to reach their destinations. We thank you for your patience.  

This schedule is subject to change without notice due to weather, mechanical issues, and other conditions. For additional information please contact Durham Public Works at (603) 868-5578.

WARREN STREET FAMILY COUNSELING ASSOCIATES OF CONCORD

Warren Street Family Counseling Associates of Concord has set up a satellite office in Durham at the Mill Pond Professional Building to serve the community by providing respectful client-centered mental health counseling for children, families, adults and couples. Qualified clinicians contract with most major insurance companies. Please call (603)226-1999 ext. 111 for more information.

TIDELINE PUBLIC HOUSE

Site work will begin any day now for Tideline Public House, the food truck emporium located behind the old town hall. Construction will involve placing utility lines for water and sewer service, running lines for propane, and placing the overhead electric underground; replacing asphalt with crushed stone, brick pavers, and grass to accommodate the seating area and walkways; and installing fencing, lighting, and other structures. The site work is expected to take several months. Proprietors Scott and Karen Letourneau have been speaking to various food truck vendors and have tentative agreements with four or five. The site will accommodate seven vendors. There will also be a tap room and store located inside the building.

CROSSWALK SIGNAGE ENHANCEMENTS

Durham Public Works’ Traffic Control Division continues to update crosswalk signage to align with the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Device (MUTCD) guidance Section 2C.50. The standard states, a post-mounted W11-2 sign is placed at the location of the crossing point where pedestrians might be crossing the roadway, a diagonal downward pointing arrow (W16-7P) plaque shall be mounted below the sign. These non-vehicular warning signs may be used to alert road users in advance of locations where unexpected entries into the roadway might occur or where shared use of the roadway by pedestrians might occur. Recent installations have occurred adjacent to mid-block crosswalks on Madbury Road, Mill Road, and Bagdad Road.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE DURHAM HISTORIC ASSOCIATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT

• For the month of September 2022, the Durham Historic Association will receive a $1 donation from each purchase of a $2.50 reusable Community Bag at the Hannaford store located at 7 Mill Road, Durham NH. 
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• The Durham Historic Association's mission is:
• To preserve the memory of events connected with the history of the Town of Durham, or of individuals who may have resided there;
• To serve as guardian of the town's history;
• To preserve the artifacts of the town's history;
• To inform and educate the citizens of Durham and others of the history of the town and how contemporary Durham arises out of its past. 

DATA VERIFICATION FOR 2023 REVALUATION IS UNDERWAY BY THE DURHAM ASSESSING OFFICE AS PART OF TWO-YEAR REVALUATION PROCESS FOR DURHAM

As you may be aware, the State of New Hampshire requires all real estate within the municipality to be reappraised at least every five years (per RSA 75:8-a) so property tax assessments are at their full and true value. To keep in compliance with this law, the Town of Durham has contracted with Municipal Resources, Inc. to reappraise all residential and commercial properties in Durham for TY 2023.

Staff members from MRI have started the process of measuring the exterior and inspecting the interior all structures in Durham to make sure the data regarding each property is accurate. Post card notifications will be mailed to residents letting them know they will be working in specific neighborhoods during the next few weeks. If, for any reason you are not comfortable allowing an interior inspection, we kindly ask you to verify information at the door. If you are not home, a notification will be mailed to you requesting an inspection or to verify information by phone. If you do not wish to have a representative from MRI visit your property, please notify the Durham Assessor’s Office as soon as possible. All MRI representatives will have a photo ID and a Municipal Letter of Introduction.  

Any questions regarding the project should be directed to the Durham Assessor’s Office at 603-868-8064. Updates regarding the project will be posted in the Friday Updates newsletter and through mailings. We greatly appreciate your cooperation throughout this project.

Officers from Durham and UNH PD attend the 21st Anniversary in Remembrance of September 11th Ceremony organized by members of the Durham Fire Department. 

Pictured left to right: Officer Jared Hayes, Sgt. Jeffery Butts, Officer Donald Kimtis, Officer Clifford Young, and Sgt. Brett Pestana

PORTSMOUTH OIL SPILL RESPONSE WORK GROUP

Portsmouth Oil Spill Response Work Group will be holding its annual full scale exercise on September 21st.   This year the scenario is an tractor trailer carrying oil going over the south side of the Scammell Bridge.  The vehicle will enter the water and leak oil over time.  The exercise will begin 2 hours after the initial incident.

In addition to the command post at Pease, the exercise includes multiple field deployments.  During the exercise, NHDES, MEDEP, Portsmouth Police, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and the Coast Guard will be preforming the following activities:  

• Deploying Boom Strategies A-19-1 and A-20-1 (GRS sheets attached)
• Deploying a skimmer and tow boat in the area between Newick’s and Goat Island
• Preforming Rapid shoreline assessment from the water and land
• Portsmouth Police Dept. will be flying their drone and transmitting to the command post.

PRESERVING YOUR HISTORIC HOUSE - Durham Heritage Commission organizes workshop.

The Durham Heritage Commission is hosting a special evening, “The Dos and Don’ts of Preserving Historic Houses” on Thursday, September 22, 2022, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the Three Chimneys Inn. You are invited to this event if you have an old house or are simply interested in historic preservation. Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP by this Monday, September 19.

ASPHALT PAVEMENT PATCHING

Durham Public Works Highway Division crews continue to target areas in need of pavement repair before asphalt plants close in November. The patch above was completed following the repair of a collapsed electrical handhole structure at the Raymond A. LaRoche, Sr. Transfer Station and Recycling Center. Sections of Worthen Road, Orchard Drive, and Emerson Road also received attention. Highway Division crews plan to target sections of Wiswall Road and Bagdad Road over the next few weeks.

ADMIN. SELIG ATTENDING ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CITY/COUNTY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION (ICMA) ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN COLUMBUS/FRANKLIN COUNTY, OHIO

Administrator Selig is attending the ICMA Annual Conference in Columbus, OH through Sep. 21st. After an opening keynote from American broadcast journalist and producer, Soledad O’Brien, other speakers will include US Air Force retired Colonel, DeDe Halfhill, who will draw on her 25 years of command experience and advisory to the military’s highest-ranking officials. She will speak on leading strong teams for a strong community.

Chevron’s former Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Lee Jourdan, Lee will share his expertise on the causes that limit diversity in organizations today and will reveal concrete solutions that move businesses forward.

Ugandan refugee turned successful entrepreneur, CEO, and renowned human rights activist, Derreck Kayongo, will share his visionary ideas for harnessing the power of observation and creative problem solving.

Mental health rockstar and CEO of Cope Notes, Johnny Crowder will be a speaker. Unconventional and authentic, his TEDx talks “Why I don’t want to die anymore” and “How to Grow as a Person (And Why It Sucks)” have more than one million views.

Founder and author of Sustainovation, Nick Kittle, who led 17 divisions and developed 65 first-of-its-kind pilot projects while working in local government will also speak.  

The conference is a good opportunity to see other communities, innovations adopted there, and to meet other local government managers to share ideas and bring back new approaches to challenging problems.

SCRAP METAL RECYCLING - A Reminder From Durham Public Works

The Durham Public Works Department would like to remind residents that items disposed of in the scrap metal pile at the Raymond A. LaRoche, Sr. Transfer Station and Recycling Center must be free of all fluids, i.e. petroleum products used in internal combustion engines. The Transfer Station accepts used oil year-round and gasoline/diesel/kerosene may be disposed of at the Durham Public Works Facility on Household Hazardous Waste Day in October. Additionally, televisions and other electronics are not accepted. Transfer Station staff recently removed four, mercury-containing cathode ray tubes from the scrap metal container.

STATE INSPECTIONS ON DPW FLEET VEHICLES

Durham Public Works’ (DPW) Fleet Services Division is responsible for performing annual State Inspections on 32 fleet vehicles operated by DPW’s Highway, Buildings + Grounds, Water, Wastewater, Engineering, and Administration Departments as well as the Parks + Recreation Department, Town Administration, and Building, Zoning, and Code Enforcement Departments. Fleet Services Supervisor Mike McCrillis (pictured above) and part-time mechanic Alan Clement remain hard at work performing these inspections and correcting deficiencies which are due by the end of September.