Friday Update August 22, 2008

“FRIDAY UPDATES”

August
22, 2008

rainbow
over the Durham
Town Landing

Courtesy Shannon
Marthouse

Today at lunch a great crowd turned
out to enjoy the beautiful weather and free barbecue provided by the Durham
Marketplace which offered sirloin tips, hamburgers, hot dogs, cole slaw, potato
chips, and beverages.

Labor
Day Holiday

The Durham Town Offices will be
closed on Monday, September 1, 2008 in observance of Labor Day. All offices will
reopen for business on Tuesday, September 2, 2008. Although this is a holiday
weekend, there will be no change to the
refuse or curbside collection schedule.  The Durham Transfer Station
and Recycling
Center will also be open on
Saturday from 7:30 AM to 3:15 PM, as regularly
scheduled.

Where Can
ONE FIND Hardware Items In Durham?

At this week's Durham Business
Association (DBA) meeting, I learned something new ... that Town and Campus
located downtown on Main
Street has begun to carry a number of hardware
items.  I walked over to look at the selection following the DBA meeting
and found items such as extension chords, hammers, sand paper, tape, an
entire key making operation, light bulbs, spackle, and limited
paint supplies.  Town and Campus is open to adding items at the
customer's request.  I also learned that Town and Campus offers fax and
photocopying services, as well as an entire selection of Staples paper
products.  The store manager is Richard "Stogie" Many.  And don't
hesitate to call ahead to ensure they have what you need in stock at
868-9661.

UNH TRAIN STATION/DAIRY
BAR REOPENS

The UNH Train Station and Dairy Bar
has reopened with a completely refurbished interior, enclosed train passenger
waiting area, and a revamped food service operation.  While retaining its
historical look and ambiance, the facility actually now feels like a
modern intermodal train/bus facility.  For Durham residents who take advantage of using
the train from this location, it will represent a major improvement in services
offered within the community.  In terms of food, the Dairy Bar is
placing an emphasis on healthy foods and sustainability.  For more
information, go to www.unh.edu/dairy-bar or
call 862-1006. To celebrate the reopening, UNH will hold a ribbon cutting
ceremony on Tuesday, September 20, 2008 at 9:00 AM. To RSVP and obtain
additional information, please visit: https://www.events.unh.edu/register.shtml?event_id=4845.
Parking for this event is free of charge at the Visitor Information
Center located at 295 Mast
Road, a short walk to the UNH-Durham Transit Center.

CHURCH HILL ZONING
EVALUATION – AN UPDATE

Following the recent discussion at
the Town Council level regarding the idea of extending the Central Business
Zoning District into the Church Hill District, the Council killed the proposal
on first reading in favor of evaluating instead whether there might be other
ways to stimulate thoughtful economic development initiatives that would be in
keeping with the interests of the surrounding neighborhoods and the Town as a
whole.  As a follow up to this discussion, the Administrator has enlisted
the help of Patricia Sherman from the NHAIA150/Mill Plaza effort to
work with the Town in finding win/win approaches for this
matter.   Patricia spent some time with Director of Planning
& Economic Development Jim Campbell on Tuesday of this week to
verify information regarding the existing zoning in this
area. Jim shared that the Council had changed the lot size per
dwelling unit from 1200 sf to 900 sf Monday
night.  Patricia is thinking through potential ways to possibly
allow somewhat higher densities and still protect the abutting
residential neighborhoods by varying building heights and other
restrictions.  At this time, no one is pitching any particular
plan.  We will simply be coming up with ideas to discuss more widely at
a later date.  Patricia is now off on vacation for a period of
time but when she returns, Jim, Patricia, and I will
get together to talk through ways we can test
possible ideas/scenarios with the
neighborhood.

EVALUATION OF
PAYMENT
SCHEDULE FOR SCHOOL
DISTRICT

Town Treasurer Dick Lilly is in
the process of revisiting the payment schedule we utilize in meeting the School
District's annual appropriation obligation from the Town of Durham in the amount of
$15,332,197.  While we have historically had a systematic payment schedule
in place, in reviewing the School District's
financial data from last year, it appears that the School had
accrued approximately $98,000 in interest earnings.  This has
prompted the Treasurer and Business Office to reevaluate the payment schedule
utilized.  The goal is to identify a reasonable payment schedule to
meet the School's annual financial obligations as well as the County's and
the Town's. As you  know, the Town is now utilizing semi-annual tax
billing to collect tax dollars for the three entities (Town/School/County)
which poses cash flow challenges for us at certain times of the year
when collected tax dollars are drawn down between billings -- typically in
May/June and again in November/December.  It would be imprudent for
the Town to incur borrowing costs while the School is accruing interest
earnings.  Our goal will therefore be to find a workable solution for
all parties. 

INFORMATION REGARDING
TAX CAP INITIATIVES

With increased discussion across the
state focusing on the topic of establishing tax caps in municipalities,
today's Community Commentary in Foster's is of general interest in
better understanding this issue.  The author is John Andrews, Executive
Director of the Local Government Center/New Hampshire Municipal
Association.  To view the Community Commentary, go to  http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080822/GJOPINION_01/963/-1/FOSOPINION. 

ANNUAL
MUNICIPAL LAW LECTURE SERIES

Beginning in September, the
33^rd Annual Municipal Law Lecture Series, sponsored by the
New Hampshire Local Government Center and the Regional Planning Commission, will be
holding lectures at Portsmouth High
School as well as other communities throughout the
state. These lectures are intended for municipal officials with an interest in,
or responsibility for, any aspect of municipal land use to include members of
planning boards, zoning boards, conservation commissions, and councils/board of
selectmen, as well as planners, building inspectors, and code officers. All
lectures are held on Wednesday evenings from 7:00-9:00 PM. The schedule of
lectures is as follows:  Lecture 1: Land Use Legislation 2008; Lecture 2:
Effective Use of Code Enforcement Tools; and Lecture 3: The Revised
Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act. A registration form has been placed in
the mailboxes for Council, Planning Board, Zoning Board, Historic District
Commission, and Conservation Commission members. Board and committee members
interested in attending any or all of these lectures are encouraged to do so.
Please complete the registration form and return it to Jennie Berry as soon as
possible as space is limited. The Town will cover the cost for all registration
fees.

PUBLIC
INFORMATIONAL MEETING – OYSTER RIVER DAM
INSPECTION

On Tuesday, August 26, 20008
beginning at 6:30 PM, a public informational meeting will be held in the Council
chambers at Town Hall relative to the Oyster River Dam located on Route
108/Newmarket Road. The Department of Public Works plans to temporarily drain
the Mill Pond upstream of the Oyster River Dam near Route 108 during the third
week of September (on or around September 18, 2008) to perform a dewatered
inspection of the dam which is being required by the State of New Hampshire. The
plan includes a slow controlled release of the water, monitoring of upstream
habitat, maintaining adequate downstream flows for the duration of the event,
and refilling the Mill Pond on or before September 26, 2008.  Anyone
interested in learning about the drawdown or volunteering to help conduct
observations during the event is encouraged to attend the August 26^th
meeting. Questions and comments should be directed to Town Engineer
David Cedarholm at (603) 868-5578.

TRANSITION
OF DISPATCHING SERVICES TO STRAFFORD COUNTY – AN
UPDATE

As many citizens are aware, the
public safety organizations that serve the community were dispatched via the UNH
communication center.  In June of this year the Town transferred its public
safety communications to Strafford County in order to reduce costs. 
This move will result in savings exceeding $250,000 annually for the Town of
Durham. 
However, a shift of this technical magnitude required addressing a significant
number of obstacles including an analysis of the topographical nature of
Durham and how the terrain would/will impact the
communication ability of police, fire, and rescue units to communicate with each
other and to the new base station at Strafford County.  When our public safety
entities were dispatched through UNH, one of the antennas that enabled the
communication was located on top of a nearby dormitory.  Upon transferring
to Strafford
County, UNH was unwilling
to have a communication antenna with a differing frequency, co-located with
their equipment.  This denial required that a number of antennas be
installed on the Beech Hill cellular tower, and most recently this week at key
locations throughout Durham to address poor
reception/dead areas, including the roof of the Oyster River Middle
School and the Foss Farm water tank. We are also
evaluating the possibility of installing a repeater on the existing cellular
antenna mono-pole at the Transfer Station. The antenna at the Foss Farm tank has
been installed to ensure that no matter where calls for service originate,
public safety personnel can respond adequately and then communicate and
coordinate their efforts without delay.  With the installation of the Foss
Farm tank repeater (a whip antenna at the very top of the tank), we received a
telephone call from a neighbor concerning the antenna’s aesthetic impact. Once
the reception issues have been addressed to the satisfaction of our public
safety personnel we will revisit the style and location of this placement. Due
to public safety imperatives, however, we chose to move quickly with the
installation. In the meantime, everyone’s patience is appreciated as the Town
moves forward to complete the transfer of its public safety communication
capabilities. If you have any suggestions or comments, please feel free to
contact Chief Dave Kurz at the Police Department, 868-2324 or Chief Pete O’Leary
at the Fire Department, 868-5531.

Beginning
of 2008/09 UNH Academic Year

As UNH students return for the fall
semester, the Durham Police Department is implementing a strategy that will
ensure it can respond to emergencies, provide a safe environment , and prevent
widespread misbehavior, particularly in the late evening/early morning
hours.  In essence the police department is challenged with creating a safe
environment where the UNH students and friends who visit them have some
flexibility to gain life experiences while ensuring that the peace and
tranquility demanded by Durham’s permanent residents remains the
primary goal.  In past years the strategy for the 19-member department
involved placing a number of additional officers on patrol to create this
environment.  This summer, with the resignation of two officers and three
other officers excused due to illness and injuries, the department is attempting
to fill the void of 25% of the agency being unavailable for work.  While
the police are actively recruiting to fill the two vacant patrol officer
positions, the selection process is long and arduous ensuring that the right
persons are selected to serve the Durham community.  In the interim, Chief
Kurz has moved key personnel to fill the voids by shuffling detectives and
administrative personnel to patrol duties. As an example, for the short-term,
Sergeant Ed Levesque the School Resource Officer will be reassigned to supervise
a midnight patrol shift.  Durham residents should be assured that
emergency personnel will always be ready to respond to any emergency even during
this period of depreciated staffing.

FROM
THE DURHAM
SUPERVISORS OF THE CHECKLIST

August is here already.  In a
few short weeks, many who graduated from high school in June will be heading off
for college.  Now is a good time to talk with them about voting.  Not
who they will vote for this fall, but where they will vote.  College
students have the right to vote in the town where they are attending college or
in the town they call “home,” where their parents still reside.  Some
states and some individual towns make this process easier than others.  It
might be a good idea to find out about the process of registering and voting in
the state/town where your son or daughter will be this fall.  UNH gives out
information on how to vote at freshman orientation. Other schools probably do,
too. Your student should at least be aware that New Hampshire is one of only a very few states
that allows registration at the polls.  If he or she decides it would be
easier to register in Durham and then vote absentee, encourage
him/her to register before heading off.  Registering in person at the Town
Hall during normal business hours is much easier than registering by mail. 
A driver’s license or piece of mail with the home address and a birth
certificate or a passport makes the process even
easier.

PUBLIC
MEETING SCHEDULE

The following public meetings are
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.

Durham Energy
Committee – Monday, August 25, 2008 (4:30
PM)

Oyster
River Dam Public
Informational Meeting – Tuesday, August 26, 2008 (6:30 PM)

Planning Board – Wednesday, August
27, 2008 

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

THEY’RE
BACK

The State of New Hampshire saw a
growth in activity in both West Nile Virus (WNV) and Eastern Equine Encephalitis
(EEE) during the 2005/06 mosquito seasons.  Despite an aggressive
state-wide education campaign, seven New Hampshire residents developed serious
illness following infection with EEE, two of whom died. Once present in an
environment, both viruses will likely continue to surface to some extent every
year.  In response to this situation, during the 2008 mosquito season, the
Town Administrator is moving forward with a strategy focusing upon education and
outreach to the public regarding the need for prevention and explaining how
members of the community can protect themselves from diseases such as EEE and
WNV.  To view the Administrator's plan in detail, please click HERE. 
Some helpful suggestions also follow in terms of reducing the risk of exposure
to mosquitoes around one's home.

What can residents do around their
homes to help reduce exposure to mosquitoes?

• Make sure that doors
  and windows have tight-fitting screens.  Repair or replace all screens in
  your home that have tears or holes.
  
• Remove all discarded
  tires from your property.  The used tire has become the most important
  domestic mosquito-breeding habitat in the United
  States.
  
• Do not allow
  water-holding containers.  Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers,
  ceramic pots, or similar water-holding containers.  Do not overlook
  containers that have become overgrown by aquatic vegetation. 
  
  
• Drill holes in the
  bottom of recycling containers that are left out of doors.  Drainage
  holes that are located on the sides collect enough water for mosquitoes to
  breed in.
  
• Make sure roof
  gutters drain properly.  Clean clogged gutters in the spring and fall.
  
  
• Tightly screen “rain
  barrels” to ensure mosquitoes cannot deposit eggs in or on water.
  
  
• Clean and chlorinate
  swimming pools and outdoor hot tubs.  If not in use, keep empty and
  covered.
  
• Drain water from pool
  covers.
  
• Aerate ornamental
  pools or stock them with fish.  Water gardens are fashionable but become
  major mosquito breeding grounds if they are allowed to stagnate.
  
  
• Turn over
  wheelbarrows and change water in birdbaths at least twice weekly.  Both
  provide breeding habitat for domestic mosquitoes. Eliminate any standing water
  that collects on your property.  Use landscaping as needed. 
  Mosquitoes will develop in any puddle that lasts more than 4 days. 
  Mosquito larvae look like tiny shrimp and are not recognized for what they
  really are by most people.
  
• Remind or help
  neighbors to eliminate breeding sites on their properties.
  
  
• Ensure that tarps
  covering fire wood piles, boats, ATVs, snowmobiles, etc. are not holding pools
  of water.

What can residents do to reduce
their risk of becoming infected with WNV or EEE? When mosquitoes are active,
take the following precautions:

• Wear protective
  clothing such as long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and socks if outside during
  evening, nighttime, and dawn hours, the time when mosquitoes are most active,
  and at other times when mosquitoes are biting.
  
• If outside during
  evening, nighttime, and dawn hours, or whenever mosquitoes are biting,
  consider the use of an effective insect repellant.
  
• Vitamin B, ultrasonic
  devices, incense, and bug zappers have
  not been shown to be effective in preventing mosquito bites.
  
  
• Use repellants
  according to manufacturer’s directions.

Ø   
Repellents containing DEET have been
proven effective.  No more than 30% DEET should be used on adults or
children.

Ø   
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated
recommendations for use of DEET products on children, citing:  “Insect
repellents containing DEET with a concentration of 10% appear to be as safe as
products with a concentration of 30% when used according to the directions on
the product labels.”  AAP recommends that repellants with DEET should not
be used on infants less than 2 months old.

Ø   
Repellents containing Picaridin
(KBR3023) or oil of lemon eucalyptus (a plant based repellent) provide
protection similar to repellents with low concentrations of DEET.  Oil of
lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children under the age of three years. Do
not allow young children to apply repellent
themselves.

Ø   
Do not apply repellent directly to
children.  Apply repellent to your own hands and then put it on the child’s
exposed skin.

Ø   
Avoid putting repellent on the hands
of children or near their eyes or mouth.

Ø   
Do not spray directly on the face,
spray into the hands first and then apply to the
face.

Ø   
Do not apply to cuts, wounds, or
irritated skin.

Ø   
Do not use under
clothing.

Ø   
Do not spray repellent containing
products in enclosed areas.

Ø   
Avoid prolonged or excessive use of
repellents.  Use sparingly to cover exposed skin and
clothing.

Ø   
Wash all treated skin and clothing
after returning indoors.

Ø   
Store repellents out of reach of
children.

Ø   
Research has shown that repellents
based on natural oils or herbs are less effective than products based on
Picaridin or DEET.

DURHAM
DAY 2008

Durham Day 2008 has been set for
Sunday, September 14, 2008 from 12:30-4:30 PM at Wagon Hill Farm.
Residents interested in assisting with this annual event should contact Durham
Day Coordinator, Nicole Moore, at 868-6775 or e-mail durhamday3@yahoo.com.

VOLUNTEERS
NEEDED TO HELP DURHAM: IT’S WHERE U LIVE WELCOME THE UNH CLASS
OF 2012 TO CAMPUS
No heavy lifting involved! Smile and
hand out maps and apples to incoming first-years and their families on Move-in
Day.  Meet at the Durham Marketplace on Saturday, August 30, 2008
at 8:00 AM. All volunteers will receive a complimentary Durham T-shirt, muffin,
and coffee.  For more information, visit www.diwul.org.

MCGREGOR
MEMORIAL EMS WORKS WITH WENTWORTH
DOUGLAS HOSPITAL ON NEW
STROKE INITIATIVE

McGregor EMS participated in a
recent stroke program with Wentworth Douglas Hospital (WDH).  WDH
has partnered with Massachusetts
General Hospital and is
working in conjunction with area EMS agencies
to ensure that stroke victims have the greatest chance of survival and recovery.
McGregor Memorial EMS is rapidly implementing the latest science and practices
on its ambulances.  You should immediately call 911 if you see or
experience any of the signs of a stroke (facial droop, slurred speech, arm
numbness or drift). For more information, visit: http://www.strokeassociation.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1020
or contact Nathan Duclos at 862-3674 or nduclos@mcgregorems.org.

BIKE
HELMET SAFETY

McGregor Memorial EMS is leading a
coalition of Oyster River community members in an effort to
promote the wearing of helmets by children and adults during activities such as
biking, rollerblading, skateboarding, or using a scooter. McGregor EMS is
offering parents the opportunity to buy top quality bicycle helmets at
substantial savings.  Working with Safe Kids NH, McGregor is offering
helmets at a cost of $7.50 through
bulk purchasing. In addition, through a partnership with the Brain Injury Association of
NH, McGregor has been able to coordinate the regular free distribution of
helmets to community residents who can not afford them. Please contact Nathan Duclos via email at nduclos@mcgregorems.org or call
862-3674 to find out how to order a low cost helmet or obtain a helmet for free.
 Children will need to come to the station after contacting
us to be properly fitted.  For more information, visit www.mcgregorems.org. 

EVENTS
AT THE MILL
POND CENTER FOR THE
ARTS

Date               
   
Time                       
Event                                                              
Cost

Tickets are
available by calling the Mill Pond at 603-868-8999, or by visiting the Durham
Marketplace (Customer Service Desk),  RiverRun Book Store in
Portsmouth, NH, and The Big Bean Cafe at 118 Main
Street in Newmarket, NH.  (Hours for the Big Bean are Mon-Fri
6 am - 2pm, Sat & Sun 7am - 2pm
(603-659-8600).

FROM
HISTORY IN AN OYSTERSHELL – 1600 – 1976

“1806-1890- Benjamin Thompson was
the son of Benjamin and Mary Pickering, never married, taught school, farmed the
ancestral acres, invested his money wisely, and willed his entire fortune of
about $400,000 to the State of New Hampshire for a school of
agriculture.”

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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