Friday Updates - January 14, 2022

Friday, January 14, 2022

Pedestrian bridge at Old Landing with the General Sullivan monument in the distance.

Courtesy Todd Selig

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Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Day is a Federal holiday in the United States marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year. Born in 1929, King's actual birthday is January 15 (which in 1929 fell on a Tuesday).

King was the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which protested racial discrimination in Federal and state law. The campaign for a Federal holiday in King's honor began soon after his assassination in 1968. President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed three years later. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.

TOWN OFFICES CLOSED IN OBSERVANCE OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR./CIVIL RIGHTS DAY

All Town offices will be closed on Monday, January 17, 2022 in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr./Civil Rights Day holiday. All offices will reopen on Tuesday, January 18th.

OYSTER RIVER COOPERATIVE SCHOOL DISTRICT - Important dates to remember for school elections and district budget process.

• January 19th through January 28th until 5:00 PM - Filing Period for School District Openings (No Filing Fee Required) {1 Moderator—1 Year term, 2 At-Large positions—3 Year terms.}
• February 8th - Annual Meeting Session I - Deliberative ~ ORHS Auditorium 7:00 PM , Snow Date: February 9th
• March 8th - Annual Meeting Session II - Voting Day ~ Vote in Town of Residence

            Durham ~ Oyster River High School   7:00 AM - 7:00 PM

            Lee ~  Lee Safety Complex  7:00 AM - 7:00 PM

            Madbury ~ Madbury Town Hall 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM

YEAR END WRAP UP FOR 2021 – An overview of this past year’s opportunities and challenges by Administrator Todd Selig.

Reflecting on this past year under continuing pandemic conditions, I am very proud of the resiliency of our many departments, boards, committees, and commissions – and of our community -- and all that we were collectively able to accomplish.  

Town staff, elected, and appointed officials continue to work diligently to address community needs, control costs, and maintain the municipality’s fiscal position despite competing pressures. From preserving the quality of life within our traditional residential neighborhoods, to closing out the Eversource Seacoast Reliability Project, to moving Durham toward being more sustainable in the face of Climate Change, to grappling with human rights and societal issues, to fine tuning and remaining in conformance with changing rules concerning the method of public meeting access via physically distant Zoom technology, to managing development pressures/processes, to reevaluating and responding to the changing recycling market, to securing a $13,500 LCHIP grant to plan for preserving the Chesley-Bickford farmhouse at Wagon Hill Farm, many dedicated people have collectively worked hard on behalf of the community in 2021. Ever-present, pandemic conditions slow processes, add constantly changing health/safety protocols, sideline staff/volunteers (due to quarantines/illness), and make everything just that much more difficult.  

Our weekly “Friday Updates” continue to keep the Town Council and members of the community informed of news and happenings in Durham. Nearly 3,400 individuals subscribe to this weekly broadcast. Durham also continues to utilize its Twitter and Facebook presence in order to meet the demands of residents’ changing preferences for information distribution. Our goal is to keep residents informed of local affairs so they may become engaged when issues are of interest/importance to them. It’s not a professional publication, however, so subscribers are asked to keep their expectations for coverage reasonable as we work to provide updates as time allows amidst many other competing responsibilities.

Moody’s Investors Services reported on May 4, 2021, that the credit position for Durham is very high quality. Its Aa2 bond rating is a little stronger than the US cities median of Aa3. Notable credit factors include a robust financial position, a very strong wealth and income profile, and an adequate tax base. It also reflects a small debt burden and a somewhat inflated pension liability. The financial position of the Town is robust and is relatively favorable in comparison to the Aa2 rating assigned. The cash balance as a percent of operating revenues (95.3%) is far above the US median, and stayed the same between 2015 and 2019. Moreover, the fund balance as a percent of operating revenues (31.2%) is consistent with other Moody's-rated cities nationwide. The debt and pension liabilities of Durham are moderate overall. The Town's net direct debt to full value (1.6%) is slightly higher than the US median. These indices are all indicative of measured success in realizing the Town’s fiscal goals.  

The Durham Police Department has long been engaged with a professional accreditation process through CALEA (www.calea.org) because it provides us with assurances that our police department is engaged in providing best practices to our citizens due to inspections by an outside independent entity. CALEA accreditation also provides feedback from outside subject-specific professionals about new and innovative practices that may be applicable to the Durham community. With all of the national discussions surrounding police, we recognize locally that the delivery of services to the community must involve transparency and open opportunities for input and feedback. The comprehensive 2021 CALEA accreditation review and report provided a wide array of topical discussions about the department’s use of force, police discipline, bias, and community engagement. In 1999 the Durham Police Department was first awarded accredited status. At that time it was one of only 13 departments our size throughout the country to have attained the level of accreditation that the department was awarded. Since our initial accreditation the department has been awarded the distinction of “Meritoriously Accredited.” CALEA awarded our department with accreditation status again this year.  

Oyster River School District Superintendent of Schools James Morse and I continue to work to remain in regular communication with one another regarding issues of mutual interest/concern. Construction of the new net zero, LEED Certified Middle School has been a top priority and area of focus for 2021, a project for which we have this year modified traffic patterns around the facility along Dennison Avenue, Coe Drive, and Strafford Avenue. I serve on the weekly construction committee for the new facility. Town Councilor Allan Howland also serves as a member of the ORCSD School Board. In these ways we strive to ensure there remains good communication between Durham and the ORCSD relative to issues of mutual interest.  

This was a very busy year for Durham Parks & Recreation where the department carefully balanced the goal of offering a regular line-up of events and programs while continuously adapting plans and efforts around the ongoing challenges of the pandemic. Despite the challenges we were faced to navigate, the department had a very successful year both financially and with program registrations. Throughout 2021 Durham Parks & Rec. offered an array of 100+ program opportunities and hosted ten special events for the community. Summer camp enrollment grew to record numbers where staff safely and successfully hosted nine unique weeks of summer camp, including: two weeks of STEM based camps, five weeks of REACH Summer camp (in partnership with ORCSD), and two weeks of adventure-based camps. Five camp field trips also took place. The department's outdoor based after school programs (in partnership with Seven River Paddling) proved to be invaluable as registration quickly filled for each of the offered classes and sessions. Participation in our adult programs remained strong with classes meeting both virtually and in-person throughout the year. Looking ahead, the department hopes to reestablish the Adult Arts Trips that toured community members around New England in past years. Another 2021 highlight for the department was the partnership that was established with Gunstock Mtn. Resort, where Durham offered a community ski and snowboard program through Gunstock’s Outreach Program. Over 133 families took advantage of the program and 110 participated in the lesson option on Wednesdays in January. With Wednesdays being a remote learning day for most of the school year in 2020/21, many ORCSD families enjoyed the mid-week change in schedule to be at the mountain.

Durham again received the top-ranking score in NH by the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equity Index relative to addressing LGBTQ concerns – 96 out of 100 points. We sponsored programming celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2019, 2020, and 2021.  

Over the last year, Durham has continued to pursue Long-Term Economic as well as Environmental Sustainability, which are inextricably linked. Without economic sustainability, the Town will not have the financial resources available over the long-term to stabilize the tax rate, pursue desired projects or necessary municipal infrastructure enhancements, preserve open space, etc. Without a healthy natural environment, we will not sustain the Durham in which residents hope and desire to live, work, and play. Both the 2011 and 2017 Master Plan processes indicated residents of the community seek balance. 

Projected sea level rise will contribute in the years ahead to the gradual inundation of coastal areas. We’re already seeing it -- and are responding locally. A brand new living shoreline (Phase I) at the Town’s Wagon Hill Farm was completed in late 2019, so we now have 350 feet of shoreline restored, re-graded, armored with natural hard and soft-scape materials, and planted to restore the salt marsh and tidal buffer that has eroded over time. It’s a project that took 4+ years of design and close collaboration between the Town, state/Federal regulators, the NHDES Coastal Program, the Harbor Master, the Strafford Regional Planning Commission, and UNH environmental researchers utilizing around $500,000 in local and state grant funds. It has now become a regional demonstration project for living shorelines, and an additional $213,765 was targeted for 2021/2022 utilizing monies negotiated with Eversource, along with matching funds from a highly competitive National Fish & Wildlife Foundation grant, to continue to make shoreline stabilization enhancements at the property (Phases II and III) and beyond within the Great Bay region.  

Durham continued working with the Strafford Regional Planning Commission (SRPC) in 2021 utilizing NHDES funding to study the potential impact of sea level rise on fresh water private wells within the community. It’s an interesting initiative focusing on an issue that, until now, has literally been out of site and out of mind. And work on the new Climate Adaptation chapter of the Durham Master Plan is also under way, coordinated by the Administrator’s Office, utilizing grant monies and in partnership with SRPC and UNH Cooperative Extension.  

Over the years, Durham has replaced all of its roadside and decorative street lighting with energy efficient LED fixtures. We’ve installed, under an umbrella power purchase agreement (or PPA), 120 kW of solar capacity at our police station, the public library, and Churchill Rink. This was followed up with a 640 kW solar array at our gravel pit in Lee, NH. Together, these efforts have allowed Durham to offset 100% of the electric demand of all municipal infrastructure with renewable power with the exception of our wastewater treatment plant – where we purchase 100% green wind power through Constellation Energy. As part of the FY 2021 budget development process, the Town Council approved a recommendation of the Energy Committee to move forward in 2021 with the purchase of the solar arrays at the rink, police station, and library. This year’s Energy Committee report outlines numerous significant strides in our local sustainability efforts realized through joining the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy initiative, the work of our UNH Sustainability Fellow (in particular the topic of carbon sequestration within Durham’s town forests and conservation land holdings) overseen by the Administrator’s Office, as well as our joining and becoming a founding member of the Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire to work toward providing wider accessibility of green energy for our community’s electric utility customers.  

A partial result of Durham’s monitoring and active involvement with the Eversource Seacoast Reliability Project, the NH Preservation Alliance recognized the new 115 kilovolt transmission line stretching from Madbury, though Durham and Newington, to Portsmouth, for exceeding state requirements and federally mandated compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act. “The high-quality survey of archaeological and historic resources yielded significant results, and a variety of mitigation measures included the temporary relocation and full rehabilitation of the historic Little Bay Underwater Terminal Cable House in Durham.” 

We have painstakingly worked over many years to create a municipal water system that is inherently resilient in order to reliably provide approximately 1.2 million gals/day of water to both town and campus. Together, Durham/UNH operate four water sources, one of which utilizes an artificial recharge system pumping raw water from the Lamprey River to our Spruce Hole Aquifer in Lee during times of plentiful flow, increasing our reserves for drought conditions. A new $20 million Water Treatment Plant on the UNH campus was also completed in 2019/2020, deploying state of the art technology – replacing an aged/outdated facility, for the benefit of UNH and Durham water users alike. The construction cost of the new plant was 100% borne by the University. While the entire region struggled with drought conditions during summer/fall 2020, the Durham/UNH water supply remained sustainably secure for our water users. This is the result of good planning and active collaboration between Durham and UNH.  

The Town and UNH, through the joint administrative Water, Wastewater, Stormwater, and Roads Committee, continue to address a multitude of Town/Gown items to include efficient operation of our water combined system as described above, focusing attention on water quality deficiencies within the Great Bay Estuary (nitrogen) as identified by the NHDES and the EPA, meeting EPA wastewater and stormwater MS-4 mandates (the Total Nitrogen General Permit was ultimate issued by EPA in December 2020), maintaining a required NHDES backflow prevention program, general water/sewer infrastructure, the Lee water line extension (currently under construction) in coordination with the NHDES to address MBTE contamination at the Lee Traffic Circle, and more. On the front lines of our utility infrastructure both on and off campus, the Town and the University are joined at the hip and work seamlessly together.  

On this note, we have developed cooperative and collaborative efforts with UNH to enhance the mutual intellectual, cultural, environmental, social, and economic benefits associated with hosting New Hampshire’s flagship state university, including redevelopment of 66 Main Street (which Durham purchased from UNH in 2021), the vision of a West Edge Innovation District (which is idle at the moment due to the pandemic), and more. Town and gown continue to communicate and work toward the redevelopment of 66 Main Street with Elliott Sidewalk Communities out of Maryland.  

Through the efforts of Tom Brightman (who seamlessly took the reins in early 2021 from Ellen Snyder), our part-time contract Land Stewardship Coordinator, and the Land Stewardship Subcommittee of the Conservation Commission, we continue to make significant inroads in actively managing the numerous lands and easements under the Town’s stewardship. The Council also established the Durham Town Land Stewardship Patron’s Trust back in 2018 to enable citizens or organizations to donate money to support our local conservation land management efforts, rather than relying solely on tax dollars for this purpose. These monies, as well as the Conservation Fund under the oversight of the Conservation Commission, have provided an ongoing source of modest funding to move targeted stewardship initiatives forward.  

The Durham Town Council voted 7-2 on September 13, 2021, to award a Final Design Contract to Vanasse Hagen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB) for removal of the Mill Pond Dam (Alternative #5). Subsequently, the Town Clerk on October 18, 2021, certified a Referendum Petition to put the approval of the VHB final design contract to a vote of the residents at a special election. As such, the matter will be a question on the upcoming election ballot on March 8, 2022. Following much discussion and review, the Council on November 1, 2021, discussed and adopted the following motion: The Durham Town Council approved the Final Design Contract for Alternative # 5 - Dam Removal to Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. for the sum of $284,226 and authorized the Administrator to sign said contract with the monies coming from Account #07-2185-801-36-000 and #07-1784-800-36-000 if the March 8, 2022 Petition to Reconsider this motion fails. (APPROVED 9-0)

As part of the 2021 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Durham approved a project to replace the Town’s public safety core radio communication infrastructure as it has approached and now exceeded its end of life (December 31st, 2020). The 2021 CIP allotted $1,385,000 (Police - $665,000 and Fire - $720,000) in two lines for this project. This project was initially conceived as a direct replacement for the core infrastructure the Town purchased as part of changing dispatching service to the Strafford County Dispatch Center over a decade ago. As such it would have provided a level of coverage commensurate to what the Town enjoys today. After receiving initial pricing in late 2017 the Town learned of a larger project that the County had to improve their radio resources. This presented an opportunity for all parties to improve overall radio service by integrating tightly with Strafford County on communication services. After a long deliberative process, and with a request for proposals (RFP), the County selected Motorola Solutions to provide them a county-wide Land Mobile Radio (LMR) network. During our review, Durham immediately saw deficiencies in the proposed coverage and requested the County revisit the modeling they were using to calculate in-building radio signal coverage to service Durham police and fire units on the ground. Since the county’s larger project needs to provide a basic level among all the clients it services, they determined they would be unable to enhance coverage directly for the Town of Durham. As such, Durham reached out collaboratively with the County, but independently as the Town, to Motorola to find a solution that both dovetailed with the County’s infrastructure plans, but also and more importantly still allows the flexibility for Durham agencies to be dispatched on our own hard-won frequencies. We believe the current iteration of Motorola’s proposal accomplished this while preserving the reduced pricing they were able to offer as part of the larger Strafford County project. As such, the Town Council awarded the contract upon recommendation of the Administrator on December 20, 2021.

In closing, I would like to note that our Town employees within public works, police, fire, planning, zoning, town clerk/tax collector’s Office, IT, DCAT, and more — are outstanding people, working hard with finite resources to meet the needs of a demanding citizenry with high expectations for exceptional service delivery at the local level. Our Town Council is comprised of thoughtful, hard-working, and dedicated individuals with varied backgrounds and perspectives. The Council, along with the benefit of ongoing public feedback and active involvement by dedicated citizens on local boards, committees, and commissions, all contribute to ensuring Durham remains a strong, vibrant, and welcoming community. While this has again been a challenging year in Durham as a result of the pandemic, our town has accomplished a great deal very well under continuingly difficult circumstances.   

PUBLIC WORKS WINTER MAINTENANCE UPDATES - Check out the new snow & ice control interactive dashboard!

Tuesday, December 21st marked the winter solstice in the North Hemisphere. On the winter solstice, the sun is at its most southerly point and lowest angle in the sky of the year. Conversely, the earth made its closest approach to the sun this week on Monday and Tuesday on what is known as the Perihelion. Historically, New England is beginning to enter its most active time of year for winter storms, with the frequency of Northeast snowstorms (Nor’Easters) peaking in February.

The Public Works Department has remained extremely busy over the last several weeks battling six winter storm responses, including today’s brush with an ocean Nor’Easter. The most significant of the storms was a prolonged icing event that occurred on Christmas Day, requiring crews to respond for nearly 30 hours. According to Department veterans, the storm produced some of most treacherous driving conditions they have seen in their careers. Despite many challenges, the pre-planning which took place leading up to this emergency response event resulted in huge dividends and the Durham Public Works team performed exceptionally well in allowing the motoring public to reach their Holiday destinations safely. 

The Durham Public Works team has created an interactive public viewing dashboard which can be viewed HERE outlining its policies for snow and ice control operations. Residents and other interested parties are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the content as it describes the roadway and sidewalk conditions that one might expect to encounter before, during, and after a winter storm event.

STREET SIGN REPLACEMENT PROGRAM TO BE PHASED IN OVER 6 - 7 YEAR TIMEFRAME - Signs include Durham's beautiful Town seal.

Over this past week Durham Public Works has begun the replacement of older non-compliant street signs with new MUTCD compliant, retro-reflective street signs. New signs have been erected on roadways which have undergone improvements as part of the 2020 and 2021 Road Program. 

The Town has approximately 180 total street signs. Signs will be replaced on roadways undergoing treatment as part of each year’s annual Road Program. Durham Public Works will also replace signs and posts in high traffic/high visibility areas such as the downtown, Main Street, Madbury Road, Mill Road, roads intersecting with Route 108 and other residential roads intersecting with arterial and major collector roads. Complete town-wide replacement is projected to be completed over a 6–7-year timeframe, subject to funding availability.

ATTENTION ALL DURHAM DOG OWNERS! It’s time to renew your dog’s license for 2022. 

Dog licenses may be obtained online at Online Dog License Renewal, by mail, or in person at the Durham Town Clerk-Tax Collector’s office 8 Newmarket Road, Durham, NH 03824. The fees to license your dog are $7.50 for an altered dog, $10.00 for an unaltered dog, and $2.00 if the dog owner is a senior citizen.

Once again, the Town of Durham will host the Top Dog raffle. This raffle was created to motivate and remind dog owners to license their pets every year by April 30, as state law requires. Residents automatically register for the Top Dog raffle when they obtain a dog license before April 30. The winner of the Top Dog raffle will receive a gift basket donated by the clerk’s office and their dog’s biography will be featured in the Durham Friday Update. 

Bo MacGregor was the lucky winner in 2021. Your dog could be the next Top Dog! Please contact the Town Clerk's office for more details on raffle rules and regulations. 

On January 13, 2022, shortly before 1AM, members of the Durham Fire Department, Durham Police Department, and McGregor EMS responded to a vehicle fire on Old Landing Road. Upon arrival, the vehicle was completely engulfed in flames. The Durham Fire Department worked quickly to extinguish the fire to minimize property damage to surrounding buildings and vehicles. We appreciate the hard work of the Durham Fire Department. Courtesy Durham PD

LAMPREY RIVER ADVISORY COMMITTEE WINTER 2022 NEWSLETTER

The Lamprey River Advisory Committee's fall Newsletter is now available and can be viewed HERE.

SUPERVISORS OF THE CHECKLIST - Checklist session scheduled for Jan. 18th

The Supervisors of the Checklist for the Town of Durham will hold a session for the purpose of accepting applications for new voter registration, as well as requests for corrections to the checklist and/or change of political party affiliation:

Date: Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Time: 7:00 – 7:30 PM

Location: Durham Town Hall, 8 Newmarket Rd, Durham, NH

Applicants for registration should bring with them proofs of identity, age, citizenship, and domicile. Driver’s license and passport are helpful. Affidavits may be signed under oath if proofs are lacking.



Residents who are not registered to vote may do so at this session or at the Town Clerk’s office any time they are open. These registrations are actually applications for registration and must be accepted by a majority of the Supervisors at one of our sessions/meetings. Anyone who has filled out a registration form in this way between October 13, 2021, and January 18, 2022, will be officially put onto the Checklist at this session. The supervisors will be holding another session on Saturday January 29 (time TBD), which is 10 days before the School Deliberative Session. If you wish to vote at the Deliberative Session, you must be registered by January 29.

HDC/HC RECOGNIZE THE LAMB'S, OWNERS OF THE THOMPSON INN AND CYDER HOUSE!

At its meeting last week, The Historic District/Heritage Commission recognized Lori and Steve Lamb, owners of the Thompson Inn & Cyder House on Bennett Road, for their outstanding rehabilitation and redevelopment of the property. With its broad view of the Lamprey River, the site is a wonderful venue for weddings. In a testament to the appeal of the location and people’s determination to celebrate their lives in the face of the pandemic, the Thompson Inn hosted 40 weddings last year! Lori said they have been open to having other events but people book so far in advance for weddings that the schedule gets filled up.

The original buildings may date as far back to 1779. The fanciful wraparound veranda was added during the Victorian era. The cyder mill was a center for producing cider and apple vinegar by the late 19th century. In 1971, the property was given to the UNH Thompson School of Agricultural Sciences which operated an agricultural program there until the early 1980s. The buildings then deteriorated and the site was sold to the Lambs in 2006. They have restored the old inn, renovated the Cyder House, built a new post and beam barn, and enhanced the site with stone walls, brick pathways, extensive plantings, and other improvements. The property has been deemed eligible for the New Hampshire State Register.