Friday Updates - December 17, 2021

Friday, December 17, 2021

Morning sunrise on the Oyster River across from Wagon Hill Farm.

Courtesy Jim Lawson

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FRIDAY UPDATES PUBLICATIONS

Next week, the "Friday Updates" will be published on Wednesday, December 22nd.

There will be NO "Friday Updates" published on Friday, December 31st.

The next publication will be on Friday, January 7, 2022.

FREE HOLIDAY PARKING IN DOWNTOWN DURHAM

The parking kiosks in the immediate downtown business area will allow free parking to encourage residents and others to shop the downtown during the holidays. The screen on the applicable kiosks will inform parkers of the free parking and will not accept any payment. No receipts on your dashboard will be required during the Holiday Parking period. The grace period that allows for free parking for shoppers will commence Thursday, December 23rd and run through Sunday, January 2nd. 

Happy Holidays!

DURHAM RECEIVES $13,500 LCHIP GRANT TO STUDY WAGON HILL FARM FARMHOUSE

The Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) this week announced the awarding of over $4.7 million in matching grants for 40 projects supporting both historic preservation and land conservation. Projects are well distributed among the state’s ten counties -- including the historic Bickford-Chesley House, part of Wagon Hill Farm in Durham. 

The Town of Durham through its Heritage Commission has received a $13,500 grant award to support a planning study of the Bickford-Chesley House which is part of the iconic Wagon Hill Farm in Durham. The 139-acre Wagon Hill Farm is located on U.S. Route 4 in Durham, and is easily recognizable by a farm wagon on the hill silhouetted against the sky.

The planning study will assess the interior and exterior of the building and identify structural issues that will require upgrades required to accommodate the building's adaptive reuse.

On land originally occupied by the Abenaki, Wagon Hill Farm was one of the first farms in the area to be settled by Europeans, and it remained in consistent agricultural use for nearly 300 years. The farmhouse and expansive landscape exemplify the agricultural history of NH – from mixed agriculture on the family farm, to salt marsh farming, orchards and cider production, river transportation and commerce, and later in the 19th and early 20th centuries farming for urban markets, dairy farming, poultry farming, and boarding house tourism.

To read a full article on Seacoasonline by clicking HERE.

CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR'S SOLID WASTE AND RECYCLING COLLECTION SCHEDULE UPDATE

All Town offices are closed on Friday, December 24th for the Christmas Holiday. There will be NO COMMERCIAL COLLECTION of recycling on Friday, December 24th.  

The Transfer Station will be closed on Saturday, December 25th for Christmas.  

All Town offices are closed on Friday, December 31st for New Years, however, there will be NO CHANGES TO COMMERCIAL RECYCLING ON NEW YEARS EVE and commercial recycling will be collected on schedule.

“Sea level rise is detrimental to our salt marsh habitat–one of the most productive ecosystems in the world. But innovative stabilization techniques like this “living shoreline” at Wagon Hill Farm in Durham are helping this natural shoreline habitat survive as the waters rise.” Courtesy Alaina Rogers / 2021 Rising Tides Photo Contest, Community Resilience – Great Bay Winner

SWAP SHOP NEWS

The Swap Shop closed for the season on December 11th and will reopen in Spring 2022. Despite the closing, numerous avenues remain available for donating items. The Public Works Department and Integrated Waste Management Advisory Committee encourage residents to donate to other organizations such as the ReStore, Salvation Army or Goodwill. The containers at the Transfer Station (Discover Books, Salvation Army, and Ecosmith) will remain open throughout the winter.

TAX MAP PROJECT UPDATE

During the last three years, the Town of Durham engaged the services of CAI Technologies to update the property tax maps for assessment purposes, and in preparation for the implementation of geographic information systems (GIS) technology.  The updated tax maps and GIS will not only transform the valuation processes but can be used within municipal offices to improve efficiency, accuracy, and transparency to better serve the public.

Creating the new tax maps began with an aerial “flyover” of Durham on April 29, 2019 which was used to support the development of a planimetric base map.  Orthoimagery was also processed from the aerial photography.  In addition, CAI Technologies researched, and reviewed deeds and survey plans from the Strafford County Registry of Deeds and from the Town’s archives.  Once the compilation phase was completed and preliminary maps were created, notices were mailed to each property owner indicating their new tax map and lot numbers, and any acreage changes (if applicable).

In addition to boundary line dimensions, the new tax maps will identify either the surveyed acreage (if applicable) or the calculated acreage, and in some cases both.  If your property has been surveyed or your deed refers to surveyed acreage, your assessment will be based on that acreage.  If not, then your assessment will be based on the calculated acreage as determined by the mappers.     

The last phase of the project was just completed where CAI Technologies held informal reviews and property owners were able to meet with a representative from CAI Technologies to review their new tax map parcel and to discuss any acreage discrepancies based on information not previously available to the mappers, such as a survey that was completed on the property but not recorded at the Strafford County Registry of Deeds.  The mappers will review and revise the maps based on any new information gathered during the reviews.  If you were unable to attend the informal reviews and have information indicating a different acreage than what was mailed to you, please contact the Durham Assessing Office and we will forward your information to CAI Technologies for review.

It is anticipated that the project will be completed by December 2021 but will not be implemented until 2022 for assessment purposes.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the Durham Assessing Office.

UNH FRATERNITIES HELP WITH CAPSTONE EASEMENT CLEANUP

Over 40 members of the Alpha Sigma Phi and Alpha Tau Omega fraternities helped clean up trash and debris from the Town’s Capstone Conservation easement lands (behind The Cottages residential development) last week.

Over 50 bags of trash were collected, along with other debris such as an old ping-pong table! We greatly appreciate the volunteer hours put in by the fraternity brothers in helping us keep our natural lands and waters free of garbage.

Thanks also to Malin Clyde from Nature Groupie, who provided extra work gloves for the event; and to the staff at The Cottages for supporting the cleanup!

"SHOP WITH A COP" PROGRAM

On Thursday, December 2nd, members of the Durham Police Department participated in the “Shop With a Cop” program sponsored by the Somersworth Police Department. This years event hosted 24 children. Officers were partnered up with a child at shift briefing just before the start of a cruiser parade that escorted them to Aroma Joes in Somersworth where they stopped for hot chocolate. The cruiser parade continued to Walmart where officers assisted their new partners with buying Christmas presents for their immediate family members. When shopping was complete, the officers drove their new partners to the Flanagan Center for gift wrapping and a pizza party. A great time was had by all and the entire event truly encompassed what creating new partnerships is all about. Officers participating this year included Deputy Chief David Holmstock, Officer McKayla Fowler and Officer Chloe Jepson. 

OYSTER RIVER SCHOOL BOARD NEWS FOR DECEMBER 15, 2021

Nearly 900 COVID-19 vaccinations were administered at ORHS on Saturday, December 11 in an event administered by McGregor Memorial EMS with support from Strafford County Public Health Network and many volunteers. This includes doses for Oyster River and Barrington students aged 5-11, as well as first, second, and booster doses for ages 12+. Thank you to all who made this event a success. Those who received second doses on December 11 are considered fully vaccinated as of December 25.

School Nurses continue to be extra-busy taking care of our students and staff, answering questions about symptoms and exposure, and providing both rapid and PCR COVID-19 tests to students and staff. The district indicates that if parents/guardians are unsure about sending their student to school due to symptoms of illness or possible COVID-19 exposure, please call the school and discuss options with the school nursing team.

Students will begin classes in the new Oyster River Middle School building in 75 days. Principal Jay Richard is planning open houses for community and alumni for both the new middle school and the current middle school. The existing ORMS building will be removed in spring of 2022 for construction of the athletic field.

Catherine Plourde, Director of Student Services, has been named one of two New Hampshire Special Education Administrators of the Year. Congratulations, Catherine!  And Thank You to the special education staff that nominated her.

Assistant Superintendent Suzanne Filippone presented academic progress data spanning Fall 2018 to Fall 2021 and described how teachers and administrators use these tools to help identify individual and groups of students in need of additional academic support at all levels. While these data cannot measure the entire student experience, they indicate that on average, reading and math scores in Fall of 2021 was equivalent to or better than they were in 2018 and 2019 pre-pandemic.

The next regular Oyster River School Board meeting will be January 5, 2022 in the ORHS library. A presentation and public hearing on the proposed 2022-2023 budget will be on January 11, 2022 at 7:00 in the Oyster River High School auditorium.

Oyster River Schools are closed from December 23, 2021 through January 2, 2022. School resumes on Monday, January 3, 2022. 

EMERSON ROAD WATER LINE REPAIR

Durham Public Works crews recently responded to a water main break in the vicinity of 23 Emerson Road. Crews located a radial crack in an 8” cast iron pipe. Due to significant pipe deflection, a typical repair clamp was not suitable. A short section of pipe was cut out and replaced. The Durham Public Works team performed exceptionally well, locating, isolating, and repairing the break in six hours. This is the fifth water main break along this section of roadway in as many years. The water main along Emerson Road from Madbury Road to upper Littlehale Road is scheduled for replacement in 2022/23, with roadway and sidewalk improvements scheduled for 2023.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE DURHAM HISTORIC ASSOCIATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT! 

For the month of December 2021, 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. 

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.

TRANSFER STATION WALL REPAIR UNDERTAKEN BY DPW THIS PAST WEEK

Durham Public Works Highway Division team members began the repair of two sections of the “saw tooth” wall at the transfer station’s residential drop off area. Over time the wall had shifted and has the potential to impact wall stability. These planned repairs will ensure an emergency situation does not develop which could cause an interruption of access to the residential drop-off. 

WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT PROCESS WATER LINE REPAIRED

Durham Public Works Wastewater Division staff identified a 2” PVC plant process water line which failed and was leaking water within the treatment process headworks building. Treatment plant staff isolated the break, repaired the pipe, and the system was placed back into operation with no damage to any equipment.

WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT PROCESS CHANGES

The Town of Durham has a unique characteristic relative to the decrease in student populations and the impact on water and wastewater treatment processes. While most water and wastewater treatment plants operate in a steady state with predicable increases and decreases, during winter and summer breaks and vacations, the wastewater flows and water demand may decrease by as much as 50% in Durham. This impacts the chemistry and operations at both treatment facilities. In response the wastewater treatment plant began diverting 50% of the primary influent flow which contains the necessary organics required to maintain the microbe populations to the aeration tanks along with other system modifications. This will ensure proper treatment is achieved and the plant remains well within compliance levels. 

BIKESHARE AND BIKE RENTAL PROGRAMS ADVANCE AT UNH

Conversation continued through the academic year regarding the introduction of public bike share and bike rental services on campus. A working group of University constituents with invited Town participation advanced a proposal for solicitation of proposals from bike service vendors. 

As of this date in December 2021, UNH staff are working on an RFP to be issued by USNH in early 2022. If successful proposals are received, we are hopeful to have bike share and or bike rental opportunities available to the community by fall 2022.