Friday Updates - June 12, 2026

Friday, June 12, 2026

This little guy looks like he just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar - or possibly someone's bird feeder! Courtesy, Diane Tregea

There will be no Friday Updates next week due to the Juneteenth Holiday. All Town Offices will be closed on Friday, June 19.

Administrator Selig had an opinion piece published in today's Seacoastonline.com. To download it to read, click HERE. If you have a subscription to Seacoastonline.com, you can read it HERE.

"Summer thunder" rolls into NH this weekend - Laconia Motorcycle Week kicks off on Saturday, June 13 through June 21, in venues across the Lakes Region and NH. Be careful if you’re out and about as there will be more than the usual number of motorcyclists on the state’s highways and byways!  

Congratulations to this year's Oyster River High School graduating class, the Class of 2026!

For the entire month of July, hourly parking on the business side of Main Street (M&T Bank to the Juicery), Madbury Road between Main Street and Pettee Brook Lane, Jenkins Court, and the Bobcat Corner Lot will all be free! Parking Enforcement will still be present but will only enforce unsafe parking, handicap parking violations, and fire lane violations. 

Please help support downtown businesses with your patronage. Questions – please reach out to the Durham Police Parking Division – parking@ci.durham.nh.us

ITEMS ON THE JUNE 15, 2026 COUNCIL AGENDA:

• Adoption of a Resolution supporting Juneteenth
• Approval of Abatement decisions of the Assessor
• Approval of closing downtown roads for Durham Day on August 6
• Setting a public hearing date for a Resolution authorizing the acceptance and expenditure of the Lead Service Line Inventory (LSLI) Grant
• Approval of a submission of an application for a Wastewater State Aid Grant (SAG) 
• Appointment of Elizabeth LaRocca to the Historic District/Heritage Commission
• Appointment of Chris Sterndale to the Zoning Board
• Appointment of Daniel Bean to the Zoning Board
• Presentation by County Commissioner Chair George Maglaras and County Administrator Raymond Bower 
• Presentation by Conservation Commission Chair, Dwight Trueblood

The construction bid submitted by SumCo Eco Contracting (in April 2025) included the lowest total cost to complete the project ($3,142,193) out of the four qualified contractors that submitted bids, and was therefore selected by the Town Council to complete the project in accordance with Durham’s Purchasing Policy. Other contractors that submitted bids for the project include TFord at $3,388,500, Sargent at $3,526,550, and S&R at $4,597,240. 

A question has been asked regarding the difference between the project costs presented within the Feasibility Study and the present-day cost of the project. Costs included within a feasibility study for various options were planning level costs, which was clearly articulated throughout the evaluation process. The selected option, dam removal, was further refined during final design. In addition, cost increases can be directly attributed to the following, which would have impacted any option selected:

• Abnormally high inflation since 2020.
• Increases in unit construction costs due to high fuel prices and increased trucking costs.

The Town was verbally notified by NOAA that the remaining $1.3 million dollars of grant funds designated for the project will not be released. Notwithstanding this regrettable news, the Town has still been successful in obtaining grant funding to support the project. Of the total estimated project costs related to construction and removal of the dam of approximately $3,692,193 (including the SumCo bid, VHB construction phase engineering services and Section 106 Mitigation Efforts), the Town has received construction funding from NOAA, NFWF, and NHDES grants totaling approximately $2,174,701, or 58.9% of total construction costs. This is in line with the estimated external grant funding % offset considered at the time of the referendum vote on the project. 

The construction contract for this project was approved at the Town Council in October 2025. The contract was approved subject to either receiving the remaining funding allotment from NOAA, or the approval of a FY26 Capital Improvement Program Item in the amount of $900,000, which was included/approved by the Council as part of the approved FY 2026 budget. The current available funds are sufficient to complete the project, and not receiving the $1.3M as described above will have no impact on the scope or quality of the project, meaning the Town is not cutting out parts of the project or reducing mitigation efforts. There is not a project shortfall. Between advantageous bid numbers (described above) and the additional $900,000 allocated by the Town Council for FY 2026, sufficient funds are available for the full project and future tax impacts were integrated into the Town's current budget and future fiscal forecast as part of the FY 2026 budget approval process last fall.

THE TOWN-WIDE REFERENDUM ON THE DAM - The Town Warrant (Referendum question) from March 8, 2022, can be found HERE. Article 2 included the question: "Shall the Town reverse the action of the Town Council taken on November 1, 2021 to remove the Mill Pond Dam?'

 Article 2 failed by a 74% vote with 1706 opposed and 596 in favor. Town officials at the time reported 2,365 people voted in the election, more than double the average turnout of a little less than 1,100 for town elections.

MILL POND DAM FAQ AVAILABLE ONLINE - (environmental implications, wildlife/habitat concerns, rationale, dredging, water quality impairments, options & preliminary engineering cost estimates, etc.) - The Town had produced an informative Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) sheet for the community dated 1/26/22 to help answer questions concerning the Mill Pond Dam leading up to the 3/8/22 election, which is still informative today in answering recurring questions about the project. The FAQ sheet can be reviewed HERE.

DCAT Coordinator, Craig Stevens, will fully retire on Thursday, June 25. He retired from full-time work on June 30, 2025, and has been working part-time since then. GIS Coordinator, Steve Lutterman, and Assistant IT Director, Michael Rohr, will be taking over the responsibilities of the DCAT role.

Craig is looking forward to enjoying time with his wife and his two grandsons. We wish him all the best!

DURHAM CANDIDATES FILE FOR THE 2026 NH STATE PRIMARY ELECTION

The filing period for candidates seeking placement on the ballot for the 2026 New Hampshire State Primary Election closed at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 12, 2026. The State Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, with successful candidates advancing to the General Election on November 3, 2026. Durham voters will elect representatives from two New Hampshire House districts, along several other county, state, and federal races, including Governor and U.S. Senator. District 10, which includes Durham, has four (4) House seats to be filled. Durham voters will also elect one (1) Floterial Representative from District 20, which includes Durham, Lee, Madbury, and Dover Ward 4.

In addition, incumbent Strafford County Sheriff and Durham resident Kathryn Mone has filed for re-election.

For the most current candidate filing information, including candidates who filed after this newsletter's publication deadline, and for a complete list of offices appearing on the September ballot, please visit the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s 2026 Election Information page HERE.

This list includes any candidate for NH State Representative who filed in the Durham Town Clerk’s Office by 3:00 p.m. on Friday, June 12, 2026; or filed directly with the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s Office as of Thursday, June 11, 2026. A final list of candidates will be published in the next Friday Updates in two weeks.

Strafford District 10

• Gale Bailey, Durham, DEM
• Wayne M. Burton, Durham, DEM
• Timothy Horrigan, Durham, DEM
• Paul Rasmussen, Durham, DEM
• Siena R. Schaier, Durham, DEM
• Loren Selig, Durham, DEM
• Micah Warnock, Durham, DEM

Strafford District 20

• Allan Howland, DURHAM, DEM

These pups have eyes for only one thing! Courtesy, Erin Daly

IMPORTANT VOTER INFORMATION

The Durham Supervisors of the Checklist will meet Monday, June 22, 2026, from 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm at Durham Town Hall, 8 Newmarket Rd.   Residents will be able to:

• Re-register if they have received a letter saying that they will be removed from the Checklist
• Register as a new voter
• Request a change of name or address

Party changes will no longer be accepted until the NH Primary. At that election anyone who is registered Undeclared must choose which ballot they wish to mark. They will remain in that party until they return to Undeclared, which may be done on the way out of the polling place or any time thereafter at the Town Clerk’s office or at a meeting of the Supervisors of the Checklist.

Applicants for registration should bring paper or digital proofs of identity, age (18 by 9/08/2026), citizenship, and domicile in Durham. Affidavits for citizenship are now available for those who do not have access to paper/digital proofs. Voters who wish to re-register need only a valid ID and proof of domicile. Registration, re-registration, and changes may also be made with the Town Clerk any time that office is open.

Voters may check personal registration information online: https://app.sos.nh.gov/

ROLLING INTO THE FUTURE! AUTOMATED CURBSIDE SOLID WASTE AND RECYCLING – Updated Timeline

The roll out schedule for Durham’s curbside solid waste and recycling collection transition to fully automated collection has been adjusted due to supply chain constraints and shipping delays of the carts.

Current Schedule:

-         Cart Delivery: Week of June 22

-         Fully Automated Collection Begins: Week of July 13

The two-week window between cart delivery and the program start is designed to give residents time to get familiar with their new carts and to allow our collection equipment operators to manually assist with collection during the transition.

Detailed instructions, including cart placement guidelines, a recycling calendar, the recycling collection schedule, and frequently asked questions, will be provided at the time of cart distribution and are available on the Town’s website HERE.

Recycling will no longer need to be separated into dual-stream streams once the new carts are delivered, as recycling will all be collected in one container as a single-stream collection, every other week.

Please note that the roll out schedule is subject to change. We appreciate your patience as we work through this transition. For full program details, please visit Durham’s Automated Curbside Solid Waste and Recycling Collection Handbook HERE or contact Durham Public Works with specific questions or needs at (603) 868-5578. 

Bring your picnic supper and a chair or blanket, and join the Durham Historic Association for its annual picnic on Sunday, June 14, at 4 p.m. at Old Landing Park (rain date: June 21). Members of the DHA Executive Board will share “Historical Snippets” about the structures, people, and sites once visible—or still visible—from the park. Parking is located at the end of Old Landing Road off Dover Road/Route 108.

Each year, billions of pounds of plastic utensils end up in landfills, where they’ll take hundreds of years to decompose.  

In addition, plastic utensils cannot be recycled. Typically they are made of mixed plastics and are too small and lightweight for sorting machinery at the recycling center,  causing them to fall through equipment and contaminate the recycling stream.

How can you help? 

• When ordering takeout, be sure to mention that you don’t need any plastic utensils. 
• - Keep sets of reusable utensils in the car for when you are away from home.
• Look for compostable fiber-based utensils and tableware.
• - Opt  for reusable metal utensils.(NOTE: if you need extra for an upcoming get together, check out the Swap Shop or Good Will, for free or low cost options). 

Source: Earth911

Recycle Smart MA

CORRECTION:

Last week, we incorrectly stated that the Swap Shop does not accept loose LEGO pieces that are not part of complete sets. Although most toys and games must have all of their parts and pieces to be accepted at the Swap Shop, LEGOs are an exception. We apologize for any confusion!

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

2026 SIDEWALK PROGRAM UPDATE – Construction Begins Next Week

Durham Public Works' contractor for its Road and Sidewalk Program, Continental Paving, will begin construction on the 2026 Sidewalk Program next week. This project consists of the continued phased reconstruction of sections of deteriorated asphalt and concrete sidewalks with brick edging within the Downtown corridor.

Planned construction improvements in 2026 include the sidewalk segment on the north side of Main Street that extends from Madbury Road to #20 Main Street. This section currently has dislodged bricks and deteriorated concrete panels. This project will remove the existing sidewalk and replace it with new concrete panels, eliminating the failed brick banding. Additionally, the deteriorated bituminous sidewalk on the west side of Pettee Brook Lane from Main Street to Rosemary Lane will be replaced with concrete, and compliant ADA ramps will be installed.

To facilitate this work, the parallel parking stalls on the west side of Pettee Brook Lane from Main Street to Rosemary Lane will be reserved for construction equipment use only.

Weather permitting, Durham Public Works expects that this project will be completed within the next two weeks.

Columbine flower Courtesy, Todd Selig

FROM BIOBLITZ TO TRAIL WORK, STEWARDSHIP EFFORTS ON DURHAM LANDS GAIN MOMENTUM

Land Stewardship Coordinator Veronique Ludington shared a wide-ranging and encouraging update on recent conservation and stewardship efforts. The recent Bioblitz was a success, drawing nearly 60 participants and generating more than 200 species observations using tools like iNaturalist and eBird, along with traditional field notes. The event brought together an engaged mix of residents and volunteers and helped build connections among those interested in Durham’s natural resources. Veronique noted that future efforts may focus on involving more younger participants, potentially through a partnership with 7th grade science classes. Materials developed for the Bioblitz will also be reused for Durham Day and Farm Day later this summer.

Volunteer support continues to be a major strength, with roughly 700 hours contributed so far this season, not including Bioblitz participation. Notable efforts included Service Palooza on May 21, when 77 middle school students helped remove invasive species in the northern portion of Thompson Forest, and a June 6 workday where volunteers replaced a bog bridge and repaired the kiosk roof at Longmarsh Preserve. 

Public programming has also been well received, including a French conversation walk at Doe Farm and a butterfly walk at the Old Reservoir that drew strong participation, including many families. The Discover Durham Trails walk series will pause for the summer and resume in September, with additional programming planned this fall in collaboration with Pollinator Pathways.

Behind the scenes, staff and volunteers are advancing several important initiatives, including mapping trails and amenities across conservation properties, updating kiosk signage and content, and preparing for future grant applications. Field work for updated mapping is expected to wrap up by the end of June, with final maps anticipated later in the fall. Veronique also reported ongoing trail maintenance work due to heavy vegetation growth this season, as well as early planning for an observation platform at Spruce Hole Bog.

Durham Land Stewardship Subcommittee is thankful for the help of volunteers and the support of the Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership through their stewardship grants program.

Materials and permit were funded by a Stewardship grant from the Partnership, and labor on different projects (bog bridges replacement and repairs) at the Longmarsh Preserve was achieved with the invaluable work of volunteers, including this new bog bridge on the Yellow Trail on the old Langmaid Farm.

Fertilizer should feed your lawn—not our water bodies. Smart fertilizer use at home helps protect the lakes, rivers, and streams we all share!

Here are some lawn care tips provided by the NH Stormwater Coalition to prevent excess nutrients from escaping your property to the environment.

• Apply only what’s needed, follow label directions, and never fertilize before heavy rain.
• Keep grass clippings and yard waste out of streets, storm drains, and ditches.
• Leave clippings on your lawn to naturally fertilize, compost them, or collect and dispose of them according to local guidelines.
• After mowing or spreading materials, sweep any excess off the pavement to prevent it from washing into storm drains.

Stormwater pollution prevention is the responsibility of every dog-walker, lawn caretaker, and septic system owner. The Town of Durham is required by our small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) General Permit to provide outreach every year to mitigate runoff impacts to the MS4. Please visit the Durham Public Works Stormwater webpage for more information on how you can help prevent stormwater runoff pollution.

The website page with our new flyers is linked HERE.

Oyster River Parents and Preschoolers is proud to partner with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to bring free, high-quality books directly to children in our community at no cost to families. Each month, a new, carefully selected book arrives in your child’s name, helping spark a lifelong love of reading from birth through age five for families in Durham, Lee, and Madbury. They can look forward to new and exciting reading adventures from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library until they turn five years old as long as you remain a resident of Durham, Lee, or Madbury.

Dream More, Learn More, Care More, Be More ™

Who Is Eligible?

Preschool children (birth until their fifth birthday) of Durham, Lee, and Madbury, NH.

What Are My Responsibilities?

1.      Be a resident of Durham, Lee, or Madbury.

2.      Register Online HERE (registration must be approved).

3.     Notify Oyster River Parents & Preschoolers any time your address changes. Books are mailed to the address listed in the official registration. If the child’s address changes, you must update your address in the online parent portal in order to continue receiving books.

4.     Read with your child.

When Will I Receive Books?

Books will begin arriving at your home eight to ten weeks after your registration has been received and will continue until your child turns five or you move out of Durham, Lee, or Madbury.

How Can I Help?

Do you know a preschool child in Durham, Lee, or Madbury who is not receiving Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library? Encourage their parents to enroll!

This program is made possible through the generosity of our community—just $31 provides a full year of books for one child. If you know of a business, organization, or individual who would like to donate funds to support this gift to children, donations can be sent to:

Oyster River Parents & Preschoolers

2 Dover Rd. Durham, NH 03824

ORPPnh.DPIL@gmail.com

Alternatively, donations may be made directly through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library:

Click HERE to donate online

Be sure to check the box to direct your donation to a specific Imagination Library affiliate and choose NH – Oyster River School District.

Learn more about Dolly Parton's Imagination Library HERE.

A poppy Courtesy, Todd Selig

OYSTER RIVER SCHOOL NEWS

Reminder: Last Day of School is June 16

The last day of school for ORCSD students is Tuesday, June 16, with early dismissal.

Summer Nutrition Assistance Programs

Oyster River families in need of nutritional assistance during the summer months can contact End 68 Hours of Hunger HERE and Community Action Partnership of Strafford County HERE.

ORHS Graduation Ceremony Video

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! A recording of Oyster River High School's (ORHS) graduation ceremony is available on the ORCSD Video YouTube channel HERE.

Summer Hours Between June 22 and August 21

The SAU office summer hours are Monday to Thursday, 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. The SAU and schools will be closed on June 19, in observance of Juneteenth, and on July 3, in observance of Independence Day.

The schools' summer hours are:

• Mast Way School: Tuesday to Thursday, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
• Moharimet School: Tuesday to Thursday, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
• Oyster River Middle School: Monday to Thursday, 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. 
• Oyster River High School: Monday to Thursday, 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

2026-2027 Calendars

ORCSD's printable 2026-2027 school calendar is available HERE. This document is subject to change. It is recommend that you check for online updates on the district calendar page regularly.

The School Board's 2026-2027 meeting schedule is available on the district's Meeting Schedule page HERE.