Friday Update July 25, 2008

“FRIDAY
UPDATES”

July
25, 2008

Photo courtesy
Steve Frolking

Submitted by Julian
Smith

About six weeks ago, beavers began
constructing this dam on the site of an earlier dam by using "recycled"
material: sticks and logs stripped of bark and left on the bottom of a pond
abandoned in the 1990's.  Beavers built that earlier dam in a swamp on top
of an earthen ridge marking the remains of a series of pre-Colonial era beaver
dams.  Located on the property of Julian and Monica Smith, this beaver pond
(and a string of man-made ponds and wetlands) can be visited this Saturday and
Sunday between 9AM and 5PM.  Park in the paved lot at 246 Packers Falls
Road and follow the yellow
markers.

The challenging weather over the
past week has kept the Department of Public Works busy.  In anticipation of
the heavy rains, employees were busy inspecting and clearing catch basins last
week and early this week in order to open up as much capacity as possible. 
Crews did an accelerated cleanup of the debris following last weekend’s storm
since more wet weather was expected. During the storms and following, crews were
busy keeping up with the water, continuing to clear newly filled culverts and
basins, and handling branches and trees that may have come down due to the heavy
winds. 

Application
for Elderly Exemptions  

In 2007, the Durham Town Council
approved an ordinance to increase criteria and exemption amounts for the
elderly. Residents meeting the eligibility criteria may apply for an Elderly
Exemption or other exemptions/credits (Veterans Credit, Blind Exemption, Solar,
etc.) by April 15 of each year
prior to the spring tax bill. Applications may be obtained from the Planning,
Zoning, and Assessing Office located on the first floor of the Town Hall,
15 Newmarket
Road.  Questions regarding these exemptions can
be directed to the Planning, Zoning, and Assessing Office by calling
868-8064.

The following are the eligibility
criteria and updated exemption amounts:

Income
Criteria

           
Single net
income:                 
            Not more than
$28,077.00

           
Married, combined income:   
            Less
than       
$37,647.00

Asset
Criteria

           
Net
assets:                             
            Not in excess
of $150,000.00

Age Eligibility
Criteria                         
            Exemption
Amount

           
65 years up to 75 years:        
            $
96,000.00

           
75 years up to 80 years:        
           
$128,000.00

           
80 years or
older:                   
           
$175,000.00

GENERAL
ASSISTANCE

The State of New Hampshire requires that each City and Town in the
State of New
Hampshire provide for any persons who are unable to
provide for themselves. Residents desiring to apply for general assistance,
including fuel and food, may do so through the Town’s Business Office located on
the second floor of the Town Hall. Residents may also obtain an application from
the Town’s website at: http://www.ci.durham.nh.us/DEPARTMENTS/business_office/finance.html.
Questions may be directed to Business Manager Gail Jablonski at
868-8043.

REPAIR
OF PETTEE BROOK
LANE SEWER MANHOLE

As mentioned last week, the Public
Works Department needs to make a major repair to a sewer manhole on
Pettee Brook
Lane between Rosemary Lane and Main Street. 
This emergency repair will correct a sinking and deteriorating sewer
manhole.  Due to the depth of the manhole, 16ft, and the location of it,
the construction site will be quite large and will need to shut down
that portion of Pettee Brook
Lane completely during the repair which could
take up to16 hours to complete.  Earlier this week, the Public Works
Department, Police Department and Fire Department met to discuss the project and
plan out detours and public safety.  The detour plan is to re-route
Pettee Brook
Lane traffic down Rosemary Lane.  As you may be aware,
Rosemary
Lane is one way exiting onto Pettee Brook
Lane.  During this construction, the direction
will be reversed on Rosemary
Lane exiting onto Garrison Avenue instead.  Message
boards and detour signs along with police traffic control details will be in
place to assist pedestrians and motorists during the construction.  Public
Works would like to thanks everyone in advance for their patience and
cooperation during this important infrastructure repair.  This
project is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, August 5th. 

SKATEBOARD
PARK

The Department of Public Works is
continuing with its installation of a simple, small skateboard park at the
Woodridge recreational area. 

HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS
WASTE DAY

This year’s annual Household
Hazardous Waste Day will once again be held at the Department of Public Works
facility located at 100 Stone
Quarry Drive on Saturday, September 13, 2008. As in
the past, all hazardous waste will be collected by
appointment only.  To
register, you must call the Department of Public Works at 868-5578.  Please
remember that the maximum collected per resident is five
gallons. 

DURHAM/UNH
WATER SYSTEM UPDATE

The Lamprey River
and Oyster
River exceeded
their record peak flows for this particular week as a result of the heavy
rains yesterday and last weekend, which have elevated the immediate concerns
about summer water shortages.  Prior to the 4.3 inches rain that fell
yesterday and Wednesday, and the 3 inches of rain from last weekend, the flows
in the two rivers had been dropping to levels where the Durham/UNH Water
System managers were watching supplies carefully.  About two-thirds of the
systems drinking water comes from either the Lamprey River
or the Oyster
River. Water
quantity becomes limited when the rivers are flowing at minimum levels
during extended dry spells.  A week ago the Oyster River
flows were down to 1.1 cubic feet per second (cfs) and the
Lamprey River flows had dropped to 16 cfs. 
Yesterday, the Oyster
River flow peaked at 277 cfs and this
morning the Lamprey River peaked at 1,230
cfs.   The previously recorded Oyster River's peak flow for this
particular week was set in 1988 with a flow of 67 cfs, and
the historical peak flow for the Lamprey River for this week was set
in 1938 with a flow of 930 cfs.  For comparison, the all time peak flows
for the Lamprey (+9,000 cfs) and Oyster Rivers (+1000 cfs) were recorded during
the 2006 Mother’s Day storm.  This information is recorded at the USGS
stream gages located in Durham on the Lamprey and
Oyster
Rivers and is
available online at http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nh/nwis/rt. 
Even though water is plentiful this week, water conservation is in at the
forefront of the Durham/UNH Water System’s efforts.  Town Engineer Dave
Cedarholm and Water Conservation Specialist Brian Goetz of Weston & Sampson
will be unveiling the Draft Water Conservation Plan at the August 4th Town
Council Meeting.   

OYSTER RIVER WATERSHED CULVERT
STUDY

Durham Public Works is working with
the Strafford Regional Planning Commission, Antioch University, the University of New
Hampshire, and the New Hampshire Estuary Project, represented by
Derek Sowers, who is coordinating the team of workers and volunteers to map the
Oyster
River’s watershed.  A
hydrologic computer model is being developed using the latest and most
innovative techniques in stormwater management and cutting edge
technologies. UNH Civil Engineering Senior Logan Kenney is working with
Town Engineer Dave Cedarholm to collect data on culverts within the Town of
Durham. 
The primary goal of the project is to examine the effects of increased
stormwater runoff volumes on local infrastructure caused by increasing
impermeable surface area from development combined with impacts of climate
change.  Increases in rainfall frequencies compound the problem of
increased impermeable surface area within the regions watersheds and resulting
in increased stormwater discharge.  The ultimate result is that some
culverts and drain systems may be grossly undersized and/or in need of repair or
replacement.  Be on the lookout for Logan Kenney who will be evaluating the
Town’s culverts for the remainder of the summer.

After
the Easement: Conservation Easement Monitoring
Workshop

While securing a conservation
easement may seem like the end of a conservation project, for the land trust
that holds the easement the work is just beginning. Join John Wallace, Strafford
Rivers Conservancy Land Agent, to learn about how conservation easements are
documented and monitored. John will demonstrate this essential conservation work
on the 50 acre Dunham property in Durham and Lee on Tuesday, August 5, from 9:00
– 12:00 pm. This property features substantial farmland and over 1500 feet of
spectacular habitat along the Lamprey River.  The workshop is co-sponsored
by Strafford Rivers Conservancy and the Durham and Lee Conservation Commissions. 
Registration is free for members of the Strafford Rivers Conservancy and $5 for
non-members. For registration and directions please contact the Strafford Rivers
Conservancy at (603) 516-0772, e-mail info@straffordriversconservancy.org or
register online at www.straffordriversconservancy.org.

ENERGY
SAVING TIPS

·        
Thermal insulation and
weathersealing help keep the house cool during the summer, as well as reducing
heat loss during the winter.

·        
You can keep your house cooler if
you open your windows at night, and close them most of the way first thing in
the morning.

PUBLIC
MEETING SCHEDULE

There are no public meetings
scheduled for the week of July 28-August 1, 2008.

FROM
HISTORY IN AN OYSTERSHELL – 1600 – 1976

“1795 – After John Sullivan’s death,
townspeople tried to prevent his burial until his debts had been paid. He had
served the Town as moderator, school committee man, Committee or Correspondence
and agent for the proprietors, also State federal district judge, attorney
general, and governor.”

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

Our weekly
“Friday Updates” provide updates and announcements concerning the community for
interested individuals and we’ve now made it even easier to subscribe. 
Please visit this link
and fill out our new form to sign up.