Friday Updates - August 22, 2025

Friday, August 22, 2025

Councilor Dr. Eric J. Lund (July 26, 1967 - August 17, 2025)

It is with deep sadness that the Town of Durham announces that on Sunday, August 17, Town Councilor Dr. Eric J. Lund passed away from a recently diagnosed brain tumor.

Eric worked at the University of New Hampshire as a Research Scientist in the Department of Physics. He had served as a Town Councilor since 2022, and even while undergoing cancer treatments, did not miss any meetings, participating in them via Zoom. Throughout his tenure as Councilor, he served as a Representative to the Historic District/Heritage Commission, Cemetery Committee, Energy Committee and Planning Board. Eric will be greatly missed by all!

A memorial service for Eric will be held Saturday, August 23, at 1:00 p.m. at the Community Church of Durham. All are welcome to attend. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Red Cross in Eric’s memory. For a full obituary, click HERE.

If you would like to share a memory of Eric, you may email Administrative Assistant, Karen Edwards, at kedwards@ci.durham.nh.us, and she will forward all memories to Eric's family.

The 12th Annual Farm Day held on August 16th was a big success with crowds visiting family farms, backyard gardens, community gardens, and UNH research farms to learn how local food and fiber are produced in Durham and Lee.

The Durham Agricultural Commission appreciates the support expressed for the working landscape of farms and gardens in town.

PLANNING TO REGISTER TO VOTE ON AUGUST 25? - The time has changed.

Prospective voters may register to vote at the Town Hall whenever that office is open, or at any of the public Supervisor of the Checklist Sessions. The next Session will be held on Monday August 25 from 5:00 – 6:00 PM at the Town Hall. This is a change from 7:00 PM. Existing voters may also make changes to their name, address, and/or party at the Town Hall or at a Session.

Applicants for registration must bring with them proofs of identity, age (18 by the next election), U.S. citizenship, and domicile (in Durham). Affidavits are no longer accepted. 

The next election in Durham is not until next March. The list of proofs currently accepted, especially for domicile, is rather complicated. A NH Driver’s License or Non-Driver’s License with your local address is the easiest thing to bring for identification, age, and proof of domicile in Durham. However, it does not prove citizenship, even if it is a Real ID, so you must bring another document for that.  If you are unsure of what is necessary and what will be accepted, please call the Clerk’s office at 603-868-5577 or check the Secretary of State’s website https://www.sos.nh.gov/elections/register-vote and click on the link ‘Registering to Vote in New Hampshire.’

Durham's own Xanthi Russell was crowned Miss New Hampshire in May 2025. She will now be competing in the Miss America Pageant in Orlando, Florida, starting on September 3. There will be a watch party at Chunky’s in Manchester for each nights’ phase of competition.

The finals will be held on September 7 at 7:00 p.m. and will be livestreamed free on the Miss America YouTube channel HERE. For more information on the pageant and the schedule, click HERE.

BUDGET AND CIP DEVELOPMENT PROCESS UNDER WAY FOR FY 2026 - Departments Working to Develop Budget Requests

Durham’s departments, as well as the Town’s various boards, committees, and commissions (as well as external organizations to which the Town makes payments for services such dispatch, ambulance, social service agencies, etc.) have begun (or will shortly begin) the process of preparing their proposed budgets and Capital Improvement Program (CIP) requests for FY 2026 (January 1 – December 31) for consideration by Administrator Todd Selig and Business Manager Gail Jablonski as part of the annual budget development process.

Beginning in September, Ms. Jablonski and Mr. Selig will begin to meet with each of the Town’s department heads and members of their departments to better understand budget requests, as well as departmental CIP requests. Members of the Town Council will also be invited to each of these meetings if they have an interest in attending.

One of the Town’s Council’s approved goals for FY 2025-2026 states: "The Council, Administrator, local Boards, and Departments will work collaboratively to broaden and diversify Durham’s tax base as the primary strategy for maintaining a stable municipal tax rate, adjusted over time for inflation using the Boston-Cambridge-Newton CPI-U and trends in construction and labor markets. This includes promoting taxable business development in the commercial core, guided by smart growth principles and at key locations such as Technology Drive and Stone Quarry Drive. It also involves partnering with UNH on economic development projects like The Edge at West End and potentially 66 Main Street. At the same time, we will continue to manage spending and reserve levels prudently, increase non-tax revenues and external grant funding where possible, and make the strategic personnel and capital investments necessary to support the ongoing delivery of high-quality services for residents and businesses.”

Per Town Charter, the Administrator is charged with the development of the annual budget and CIP program. The proposed annual budget must be submitted to the Town Council by the last business day in October. The Town Council by Charter then has until the last business day in December to adopt a budget or the budget submitted by the Administrator becomes the budget of the Town by default.

The requested CIP projects will be presented initially to the Planning Board on Sept. 24 for the board’s feedback and then integrated into the formal budget proposal for FY 2026 by Administrator Selig for the end of October as described above.

Below is the schedule for the departmental meetings with Ms. Jablonski and Mr. Selig to discuss next year’s budget and CIP.

Sept. 4 – 10:30 a.m., Land Stewardship Budget

Sept. 9 – 9 a.m., IT/DCAT Budget & CIP

Sept. 9 – 2 p.m., Recreation/Churchill Rink Budget & CIP

Sept. 15 - 9 a.m., Fire Dept. Budget & CIP

Sept. 15 – 1 p.m. Police and Parking Budget & CIP

Sept. 16 - 9 a.m. McGregor Ambulance

Sept. 16 – 3 p.m., GIS Budget & CIP

Sept. 18 – 1 p.m., Public Works CIP

Sept. 19 – 9 a.m., Assessing Budget

Sept. 22 – 9 a.m., Public Works Budget

Sept. 22 – 9 a.m., Water & Wastewater Budget

Sept. 23 – 3 p.m., Library Budget

Sept. 25 – 11 a.m., Code/Zoning Budget

Sept. 25 – 1:30 p.m. Planning Budget

Sept. 25 – 3 p.m., Town Clerk/Tax Collector Budget

Sept. 26 – 9:30 a.m., Other depts.

The lack of rain this summer has made the Oyster River quite low. Courtesy, Carol Birch

PLANNING BOARD TO HOLD PUBLIC HEARING ON RIVERWOODS PROPOSED EXPANSION

At its August 27 meeting the Planning Board will hold a public hearing on an application from Riverwoods for Phase II of its site to be located on the northerly side of Stone Quarry Drive. 

The project includes two senior housing buildings with a total of 55 units, clubhouse and a maintenance building.   The building design is matching the existing architecture. You can see the documents related to the project HERE. 

The Planning Board will also receive a presentation from Dwight Trueblood and Neil Slepian, chair and vice chair of the Conservation Commission, about a proposed new Wetland and Shoreland Overlay District. A special committee and the commission had been working on this completely new document for two years, doing extensive research on current environmental standards for wetlands, rivers, streams, estuaries, vernal pools, and wetlands, and associated buffers. After the presentation the board will decide how to proceed, possibly placing the draft for public hearing or working on changes to the draft before placing it for a public hearing. You can see the related documents HERE.  

Town Land Stewardship Coordinator Veronique Ludington started working with Great Bay Services volunteers while in a previous position at the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. When she moved on to work for the Town of Durham, the “garden crew” quickly reached out to find out what opportunities there would be to continue working together. Renting two garden plots at the Meadows community garden was the perfect answer. 

Veronique has been meeting with the volunteers almost weekly since early spring to tend to the garden (a lot of hard work) and learn about seeds, plants, insects and nature in general at the same time. They have also started donating the homegrown veggies to a local food pantry. 

This has been such a rewarding experience for both parties! There is already talk about opportunities for next year with involvement in stewarding the Town’s Conservation Areas.

Great Bay Services “Enriching Lives since 1954”, empowers adults with intellectual, developmental disabilities, and autism to fulfill their lives’ potential as valued members of the community. Find out more about this great nonprofit organization HERE. 

Marty Gorham, Dwight Trueblood, Ben Phelps and volunteer Elliott NG at the Conservation Commission table on Farm Day. There was a great turnout and a lot of good conversations about Durham Conservation Lands and trails, invasive plant species and volunteering to support land stewardship maintaining and improving our Town’s trails. Courtesy, Veronique Ludington, Land Stewardship Coordinator

(The writer of "Did You Know?" articles is on vacation this week, so we are re-publishing a previous post.)

We know about the importance of reusing, repurposing and recycling. But inevitably we end up with items that we just aren’t sure what to do with.

By clicking HERE, you will find a link to a very helpful guide with a list of items that may be more challenging to dispose of in a responsible way.  

Source: Bluedotliving.com

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: www.Recyclesmartma.org

Want to learn more about the Swap Shop? Click HERE.

On Tuesday, August 26, 2025, there is a scheduled police training that will be held indoors at the New England Center located at 15 Strafford Avenue. There will be highly visible police training signs posted in the area.

OYSTER RIVER SCHOOL NEWS

Loss of Community Members

The Oyster River Cooperative School District community is heartbroken by the tragic loss of four community members. Superintendent Shaps extends his deepest sympathies to all those impacted during this incredibly difficult time.

We have partnered with local school districts and organizations to provide mental health support for our students and their families, and our staff. All details are shared with Oyster River parents and guardians as soon as they become available.

First Day of School

August 27 is the first day of school for Oyster River students in grades K-12. Our Preschool Education Program (PEP) starts on August 28.

No School August 29 and September 1

All Oyster River schools will be closed Friday, August 29, and Monday, September 1, in observance of Labor Day. The SAU office will be closed on Monday, September 1.

Nutrition Assistance Programs

ORCSD's Free & Reduced Lunch program information may be found HERE. To continue receiving free or reduced meals for the 2025-2026 school year, your application must be received by October 11, 2025. Additional assistance is also offered by End 68 Hours of Hunger and Community Action Partnership of Strafford County.

2025-2026 School Calendar

ORCSD's printable 2025-2026 school calendar is available HERE. Please note this document is subject to change. We recommend that you check for online updates on the district calendar page regularly.

ORCSD School Board Updates

ORCSD school board meetings recordings are available on the ORCSD YouTube channel HERE, and the agendas and minutes are available HERE. School board meetings are live streamed on the ORCSD Streaming channel HERE.

A pickerel frog seen off of Dame Road. Courtesy, Veronique Ludington, Land Stewardship Coordinator

UNIVERSITY DAY IS SEPTEMBER 4 - Durham residents are invited.

University Day (UDay) is a tradition at UNH that brings together students, staff, faculty and Durham community members to celebrate and learn about the more than 300 student groups, campus departments, local businesses and more.

Join UNH for performances from the University's aerial team and marching band, plus enjoy food from our BBQ and an ice cold treat from Kona Ice. It's one of the best ways to get involved as a student on campus!

September 4, 2025 from 3:30-6:30pm on the Great Lawn on Main Street (rain date is September 11, 2025, same time and location).

UNH REMEMBERS - SEPTEMBER 11 EXHIBIT

From August 18 through September 30 in the Dimond Library, Main Floor (north elevator alcove) there will be an exhibit dedicated to the events of September 11, 2001.

Featured items are from the UNH Library’s collections reflecting the history and impact of 9/11, including photographs and newspapers from the library’s Special Collections & Archives. Visitors can contribute food & toiletries to a donation box for Cats’ Cupboard, as well as pledge an act of kindness in honor of 9/11 Day at the interactive Kindness Wall.

The exhibit also features the 9/11 Quilt of Remembrance, created by UNH students, staff, and faculty. Though too delicate for physical display, it is presented through a multimedia slideshow, allowing visitors to read messages inscribed on the quilt.