“FRIDAY UPDATES”

September 26, 2008

 

 

Drawdown done on Mill Pond—time to come out!

Courtesy Andrea Bodo

 

This will not be a good weekend for doing outside fall cleanup as our area is expected to receive an extended period of heavy rain, partially due to tropical Storm Kyle, which is expected to move up the coast of Maine on Sunday.

 

Mill Pond DRAWDOWN AND DAM INSPECTION COMPLETEd

The dewatering of the Oyster River Mill Pond this past week went off without a hitch and the inspection of the Dam was successfully completed on Monday.  The Town’s Dam engineer Stephens Associates of Brentwood conducted the inspection and were able to get a good look at the problems on both the backside and the underside of the Dam.  The inspection revealed a good deal of concrete degradation on the underside of the spillway which will require extensive repair.  The engineers will develop recommendations for the repairs and perform a stability analysis of the Dam, as required by the State, and submit a full report to the Department of Public Works in December. The Department of Public Works would like to thank all the residents who assisted in monitoring the event and extend a special “thank you” to Andrea Bodo and Steve Burns, who live next to the Dam, for their understanding during this process.

 

 

 

Black Bear Research Project CONTINUES

Beginning the middle of April, Durham residents were informed of a black bear research project at UNH, funded by the NH Fish and Game Department and USDA-Wildlife Services in Concord, and provided with a link on the Town web site by which reports of bear sightings could be recorded. The focus of this research is to learn more about the behavior and ecology of suburban bears in southeastern New Hampshire. Residents can continue to be of great help as many begin their autumn ritual of hanging bird feeders.  Bears will be attracted to this “easy food”, particularly if they have visited and been rewarded previously. Because of the good acorn crop this year, “hits” are not expected to be as fast and furious, but they will occur.  On September 10^th, a bear was caught on the Durham-Lee line. The 160 pound male, shown above, was estimated to be 2.5 years old.  He was fitted with a radio-collar and blue ear tags and released successfully.  Since then he has been in Pawtuckaway State Park, spent about a week in Raymond, and has now returned to the Garrity Road area very close to the capture site. Some interesting highlights of the research include: 1) At least 4 different bears were caught on camera this summer in Durham; 2) The radio-collared bear traveled to Raymond in 3 days and returned to Lee in 2 days, indicating an elongated home range and ability to travel considerable distance quickly; 3) The radio-collared bear will be located at least twice daily.  These data provide a unique look into its travels, habitat use, and use of human-associated food sources (he has been spotted in backyards already); 4) Wildlife species caught on camera numerous times at bait sites in Durham include wild turkeys, deer, fisher, gray fox, red fox, raccoons, gray, red, and flying squirrels, opossum, and black bears; and 5) All the above species were captured on film within the village limits. The bear survey is still available at (http://www.nre.unh.edu/) and was extremely helpful to researchers in the spring. Residents are encouraged to continue reporting sightings as reports to the survey are of great value and interest.

 

 

Celebration of the Merrick Conservation Easement

On Sunday, October 5, 2008, from 3:00-4:30 PM, the Durham Land Protection Working Group and the Durham Conservation Commission invite members of the public to help them celebrate the acquisition of a conservation easement on the Merrick property, a 25-acre wooded parcel at the intersection of Route 4 and Route 108. The easement protects this highly-visible corner from development, and provides for low-impact recreation on informal trails that travel through the woods on the property.  The afternoon event will include a short dedication ceremony with light refreshments and a walk to highlight the geology and historical stone-quarrying activities. Be sure to bring bug repellent and wear boots, as parts of certain trails may be wet.  Please leave pets at home. Parking is available on the Merrick property at 7 Canney Road. Photo courtesy Beryl Harper

 

PUBLIC MEETING SCHEDULE

The following public meeting is scheduled for the coming week in the Town Council chambers at the Durham Town Office and will begin at 7:00 PM unless otherwise indicated below.

 

Historic District Commission – Thursday, October 2, 2008

 

To view an agenda for this meeting, please click HERE.  All meetings recorded on DCAT are available on DVD at the Durham Public Library for checkout and viewing.

 

 

WOODRIDGE FIELD SKATEBOARD PARK OPENS

The small skateboard park at Woodridge field opened yesterday.  We hope skateboarders safely enjoy the new addition to Woodridge. 

 

TOWN OFFICES CLOSED - COLUMBUS DAY HOLIDAY

All Town offices will be closed for the Columbus Day holiday on Monday, October 13, 2008,and will reopen for business on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 8:00 AM. Please note, however, that there will be NO CHANGE to the refuse and recycling collection. 

 

CHURCHILL RINK AT JACKSON’S LANDING OPENS ON OCTOBER 20, 2008

The Churchill Rink at Jackson's Landing is expected to open on October 20, 2008 for the winter season. The public skating hours will be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 2:00-3:20 PM; Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00-10:20 AM & 2:30-4:20 PM; Saturdays from 2:30-4:20 PM, and Sundays 2:00-3:50 PM.  Ice time is still available for groups to rent at $185/hour.  Interested parties may call the Department of Public Works at 868-5578 to obtain more information. 

 

Durham Trick-or-Treating

Trick-or-Treating in Durham will be on Thursday evening, October 30, 2008, between the hours of 5:00 and 7:30 PM.

 

ENERGY SAVING TIPS

ü      Combining multiple errands into one trip is one of the best ways to significantly reduce energy and carbon emissions, and save money!

ü      Selecting energy-efficient office equipment—personal computers (PCs), monitors, copiers, printers, and fax machines—and turning off machines when they are not in use can result in enormous energy savings.

 

MCGREGOR EMS HOSTS 2^ND ANNUAL COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE

Wednesday, September 24th marked the second annual McGregor Memorial EMS open house.  The volunteer EMT's of McGregor opened their doors to the community and invited them in to learn more about their professional emergency medical service.  With more than 25 McGregor EMT's in attendance community members were treated to tours of the station and ambulances, were able to practice CPR on training mannequins, learned how to become involved as a community EMT, and gained a better understanding of the service McGregor has provided to the Town of Durham for over 40 years.  McGregor is proud to be an integral part of the Durham community and enjoys being able to serve its residents.  McGregor's doors are always open and they welcome anyone to stop in for a visit.

 

Police Sergeant Andy Buinicky Retires

Sergeant Andy Buinicky is retiring this week after 20 years of service to Durham.  Andy had already worked 10 years for the University of New Hampshire Police when he came to Durham in August of 1988.  Since then, Andy faithfully provided law enforcement duties in a professional manner to all the citizens of Durham.  As a Sergeant overseeing a patrol shift, Andy continually ensured that those working his shift were professional and compassionate, and he instilled a strong work ethic at all times.  His peers have long recognized that his skills, knowledge, experience, and training combined to make him “a cop’s cop”.  Chief Kurz has named Kathryn (Lilly) Mone as an acting supervisor to fill Andy’s work shift while a promotional process is developed. 

 

Weekly Police Arrest Report

Week - 42                                           28 UNH (67%)             14 Other (33%)

*2008/09 Academic Year -157            118 UNH (75%)           39 Other (25%)

Calendar Year –672                            395 UNH (59%)           277 Other (39%)

 

*Commenced September 1, 2008 

 

Historical Data for the same week

Year	2005	2006	2007	2008
Week	65	39	38	42
Academic Year	350	222	157	157
Calendar Year	909	725	728	672

 

FROM HISTORY IN AN OYSTERSHELL – 1600 – 1976

“1820– Two shipbuilding ways were located just below the Falls. They were said to be the only town-owned ways in N.E. Their use was auctioned off at Town Meeting to the highest bidder. With good management, 2 ships could be built on each way. The hulls were fitted down river.”

 

Have a nice weekend.

 

Todd

 

Todd I. Selig, Administrator
Town of Durham
15 Newmarket Road
Durham, New Hampshire 03824
Tel (603) 868-5571
Fax (603) 868-5572
tselig@ci.durham.nh.us
www.ci.durham.nh.us

 

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