Friday Updates - June 17, 2022

Friday, June 17, 2022

Male Bobolink at Wagon Hill Farm. Bobolinks travel about 12,500 miles round-trip every year, in one of the longest migrations of any songbird in the New World. From their northern breeding grounds they fly in groups through Florida and across the Gulf of Mexico toward their wintering grounds in South America.Bobolinks are assessed as threatened in Canada by the Committee of the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada and listed under the Species at Risk Act. Bobolink populations are declining because of the loss of prairies and other grasslands habitats. Courtesy Chris Raspa

TRAFFIC FLOW CHANGE DURING OR MIDDLE SCHOOL ROAD WORK PROJECT

Due to the Oyster River Middle School project road work scheduled for this summer at the Coe Drive/Dennison Road intersection and along Dennison Road, there will be a slight modification in traffic flow for this construction period. With the narrowing of the roadway needed during the construction activities, the right turn at the end of Garrison Avenue now permitted to allow motorists to head south onto Dennison toward Woodman Road will temporarily be suspended for the remainder of June and July. Temporary signs along Garrison Avenue will alert motorists of this change for the summer. This change will go into effect Monday, June 20th.

Your understanding and patience is appreciated while this construction is occurring around the new middle school. 

Comparison of Existing and New Pettee Brook Fee Structures

Existing Pettee Brook Fees:

Hours 1-2 no parking fee

Energy fee: $0.18/kWh

Hour 3 to limit: $1.00/hr.

New Pettee Brook Fees (July 1)

Hours 1-2 no parking fee

Energy fee: $0.25/kWh

Hour 3 on if car is still charging: $2.00

If car has stopped drawing current after hour 2, grace period of 1 hour @ $2.00.

After grace period: $3.00/hr.

CANDIDATE FILINGS FOR NH STATE REPRESENTATIVES REPRESENTING DURHAM

Below is a list of candidates running for NH State Representative for District 10 (Durham only) & District 20 (Durham, Dover Ward 4, Lee, and Madbury) . The filing period closed at 5PM this afternoon.

MONDAY, JUNE 20^TH - ROUTE 108 ROAD CLOSURE IN DOVER FOR NHDOT CULVERT REPLACEMENT WORK. Work Will Require Road Closure For Five Days between Dover/Durham.

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation announces that a culvert replacement and utility line relocation project is scheduled to begin Monday, June 20th, at 9 am on NH Route 108 in Dover. The culvert work is located between the junctions of Freshet Road and Grapevine Road and will require NH Route 108 be closed to through traffic for five days. A detour for through traffic will be in place from the junction of US Route 4 in Durham to the junction of Mast Road in Dover.

Through traffic will be detoured via routes US Route 4, Madbury Road, NH Route 155, Pudding Hill Road/Mast Road. Detour signs will be installed to direct traffic around the closure.

Motorists are encouraged to to obey all traffic control devices and use caution when driving in construction zones.

For more information or questions please contact Brian Schutt, NHDOT District 6 Engineer, at 603-868-1133.

PLEASE NOTE: The road will remain closed until the work is completed.

Durham resident Mike Pazdon sent along this photo of a Barred Owl that was by his driveway.

GERRISH DRIVE SUBDIVISION APPROVAL REMANDED BACK TO PLANNING BOARD BY SUPERIOR COURT BASED ON APPEAL

The Planning Board approved the 15-unit subdivision off Gerrish Drive on November 10, 2021. An abutter on Gerrish Drive appealed the decision to Strafford County Superior Court. The judge remanded the application back to the Planning Board as follows.

The application process for a conservation subdivision is complicated with numerous steps and much information that must be submitted. The review for Gerrish Drive was rigorous but there is one requirement in the Subdivision Regulations that was missed. 

A High Intensity Soils (HISS) map must be verified by the Strafford County Conservation District. 

The HISS map was prepared by a soil scientist as required and submitted. The site was also evaluated carefully by the applicant’s certified wetland scientist. However the map was not verified by the Conservation District, so the judge determined that the application should not have been accepted as complete. 

After review/any comments from the Strafford County Conservation District are received, the Planning Board and Conservation Commission will need to review the project again, and their review will be focused on deviations, if any, between the submitted HISS map and the review by the Strafford County Conservation District. 

PLANNING BOARD DENIAL OF APPLICATION FROM COLONIAL DURHAM ASSOCIATES APPEALED TO NH HOUSING APPEALS BOARD

The Planning Board denied the application from Colonial Durham Associates for the redevelopment of Mill Plaza in May. This past Tuesday the Town received a copy of an appeal by the applicant of the board’s decision. The appeal, submitted by Ari Pollack, attorney for the applicant, was submitted to the State of New Hampshire Housing Appeals Board. Applicants may appeal to Superior Court or the Housing Appeals Board at the appellant’s discretion. 

Mr. Pollack alleges these three “claims of error” in the Planning Board’s decision:

• That the supermajority requirement of the conditional use review violates New Hampshire state law;
• That the seating and replacement of alternate Planning Board members violated New Hampshire state law and the board’s Rules of Procedure; and 
• That the voting procedure on the May 11 motion to deny the conditional use permit violated New Hampshire state law and the board’s Rules of Procedure.

The Town will review the appeal and defend the decision of the Planning Board before the State of New Hampshire Housing Appeals Board.

DURHAM FIRE DEPARTMENT HOSTS TRENCH RESCUE CLASS

The Durham Fire Department hosted a State of New Hampshire Fire and EMS Academy Class, Trench Rescue Technician.  The class is designed for fire and rescue personnel who may encounter trench rescues as part of their duties and responsibilities. The Trench Rescue Technician course is an intense, hands-on, 32-hour program featuring a combination of classroom and practical evolutions. This course provided Durham Fire Department members and others who attended the course with the knowledge and practical skills necessary to safely mitigate a trench collapse and/or excavation emergency. This course met the training objectives of NFPA 1006 and/or 1670, Chapter 11, to the Technician Level. Topics covered included rescuer and team safety, preplanning, equipment selection, atmospheric monitoring, personal protective equipment, patient packaging and recovery, OSHA regulations addressing trenches and excavations, assessing soil composition and stability, stabilization and shoring using heavy timber and pneumatic shoring equipment and emergency shoring of straight, “L”, “T”, and deep (12′-16′) trenches. Through the due diligence of Fire Department staff scheduling and completing the proper grant request paperwork, this class is grant-funded for overtime and backfill costs.

MARINA'S MILES 5K RUN/WALK--ROAD CLOSURES - Race set for Saturday, June 18th.

The annual Marina's Miles 5k run/walk is scheduled for Saturday, June 18, 2022 at the Oyster River High School beginning at 9AM. Durham roads will be closed in the Canney Farms neighborhood and around the High School and Middle School from 9am to 10am on Saturday, June 18. There will also be signs posted on the roads affected the week beforehand.

The following roads will be CLOSED for this event:

Coe Drive, Bagdad Road, Canney Road, Ambler Way, Gerrish Drive, Sumac Lane, Daisey Drive, Bucks Hill Road, Dennison Road.

PLANNING BOARD

The Planning Board has three projects on its agenda for this coming Wednesday.  There will be a public hearing for a small addition onto the rear of the Great Bay Animal Hospital on Newmarket Road.  The new space will accommodate two examination rooms, a surgery room, and expansion of the pharmacy.  The 7.3 acre site also includes a kennel and dog day care facility, all owned and operated by veterinarian James McKiernan.

The board continues its review of a proposed four-story mixed-use building at 74 Main Street, at the intersection with Pettee Brook Lane.  The project includes a performance space in the basement, retail on the first floor, one and two bedroom residential units on the second and third floors, and office and event space on the fourth floor.

The board is starting its final deliberations for the proposed parking lot at 19-21 Main Street.  The public hearing is adjourned until July 27 but residents can still submit written comments now.

1. Assist bicyclists with lateral positioning in a shared lane with on-street parallel parking in order to reduce the chance of a bicyclist's impacting the open door of a parked vehicle,
2. Assist bicyclists with lateral positioning in lanes that are too narrow for a motor vehicle and a bicycle to travel side by side within the same traffic lane,
3. Alert road users of the lateral location bicyclists are likely to occupy within the traveled way,
4. Encourage safe passing of bicyclists by motorists, and
5. Reduce the incidence of wrong-way bicycling.

Guidance:

⁰² The Shared Lane Marking should not be placed on roadways that have a speed limit above 35 mph.

Standard:

⁰³ Shared Lane Markings shall not be used on shoulders or in designated bicycle lanes.

Guidance:

⁰⁴ If used in a shared lane with on-street parallel parking, Shared Lane Markings should be placed so that the centers of the markings are at least 11 feet from the face of the curb, or from the edge of the pavement where there is no curb.

⁰⁵ If used on a street without on-street parking that has an outside travel lane that is less than 14 feet wide, the centers of the Shared Lane Markings should be at least 4 feet from the face of the curb, or from the edge of the pavement where there is no curb.

⁰⁶ If used, the Shared Lane Marking should be placed immediately after an intersection and spaced at intervals not greater than 250 feet thereafter.

Durham has sharrows on many of its arterial and collector roadways, notably in areas where narrow lanes exist and where cyclists are encouraged to ride away from parked cars. 

The Durham Public Works Department’s Traffic Control Division began refreshing the paint on bicycle “sharrows” this week targeting those on Canney and Bagdad Roads. Bicycle “sharrow” painting will continue along Town arterial and major collector roadways for the next several weeks.

PLEASE OBEY THE RULES OF THE ROAD

This past Sunday, Durham Police, Durham Fire, and McGregor Memorial EMS responded to the area of Route 4, at the Route 108 overpass, for a report of a two-car motor vehicle accident with rollover and entrapment. Miraculously, all involved will survive and have since been released from the hospital. The Durham Police would like to take this opportunity to remind drivers that speed, unsafe passing and reckless driving is never acceptable, and in fact is a crime that can often injure or even kill innocent people. Please follow the rules of the road and allow extra time for travel. The driver that caused this accident was arrest on numerous charges.  

ASSESSOR TO INSPECT PROPERTIES REQUIRING BUILDING PERMITS IN THE COMING WEEKS

It’s that time of year again when assessor, Jim Rice, will be inspecting all properties in Durham during March and April that have recently undergone new construction such as building new homes, additions, made renovations or have recently been demolished.   

If you have any questions, please contact the Assessing Department at (603) 868-8064. 

DPW PILOTS "POROUS PAVE" IN PUBLIC SHADE TREE WELLS

Durham Public Works is piloting an innovative technique to protect and improve the health of the Town’s urban forest. Porous Pave has been installed within the two Elm tree wells which front 30 Main Street this week. Porous Pave is a pour-in-place permeable crumb rubber material that is highly porous, flexible, and resilient. Made from recycled tires, Porous Pave delivers 5,800 gallons per hour per square foot of permeability. The Porous Pave is installed flush with the existing sidewalk surface, is textured, and brown in color to mimic the appearance of bark mulch. In addition to its aesthetically pleasing characteristics, the Porous Pave is easy to maintain and will allow the trees to receive the water needed for continued health and growth. Representatives from the New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands were in Durham on Wednesday to observe the installation. 

SCRAP METAL NOW COLLECTED IN CONTAINERS AT THE TRANSFER STATIONS

For years, the Durham Public Works Department has stored the scrap metal it collects at the Raymond A. LaRoche, Sr. Transfer Station loosely on the ground near the exit of the facility. In addition to being unsightly and unsanitary, it is difficult to manage contamination in its current location and is frequently the culprit of flat vehicle/equipment tires. In accordance with Best Management Practices outlined by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, scrap metal disposed of at the Transfer Station is now collected in a 40 yd3 roll-off container. This container will be located between the bulky waste and construction/demolition debris containers. Durham Public Works would like to kindly remind residents that unauthorized removal of materials from the Raymond A. LaRoche, Sr. Transfer Station and Recycling Center is prohibited. 

Additionally, white goods which contain refrigerant (air conditioners, refrigerators, dehumidifiers, freezers, etc.) will now be collected and stored on the left side of the large green structure. 

RESILIENT SHORELINE TOUR

What: Resilient Shoreline Tour

When: 1 - 4:30, Wednesday, June 22

Who: Municipal board members, staff and consultants working in the region are encouraged to participate.

Why: To hear from project leads that have implemented resilience projects and network with municipal boards and staff.

Where: Tour will start and end at Henry Law Park in Dover, NH

How: Carpooling will be encouraged, but not required.

ICONS OF DURHAM POSTER - IMAGE #8

The beautiful poster “Icons of Durham” created by Ellie Lonske is now available.  Just stop into the Town Clerk’s office to place an order.  The poster is available for a donation to the Durham Historical and Cultural Resource Trust of at least $50.  (We reduced the required donation from $100;  those who already paid $100 will be reimbursed for the difference.) 

Here is a rendering of the Durham Community Church.  The structure is one of the town’s best examples of Greek Revival architecture, a style common in 1840s America, inspired by Greece’s own war of independence against the Ottoman Empire in the 1820s.  The walking tour guide produced by Durham Historic Association states, “Built in 1848 by the Congregational Society with funds from the sale of pews, the site on the hill placed the church in the path of a growing village.  This is the fourth meeting house constructed in Durham since 1655, when a crude shelter was located on the south bank of the Oyster River ‘half-way between the falls and the oyster beds.’  Corner posts at the Sullivan Monument[on Newmarket Road] mark the foundations of the 1716 and 1792 meeting houses that overlooked a waterfront settlement clustered at the falls.  With the arrival of New Hampshire College in 1893, the church was enlarged and community rooms added.  Alterations to the interior and additions since then have kept pace with changing needs, without compromise to the integrity of the original design.”  There is a wonderful painting of the Oyster River below the falls by the eminent local artist John Hatch in one of the community rooms. 

SOLID WASTE AND RECYCLING CURBSIDE COLLECTION ROUTE CHANGES EFFECTIVE MONDAY, JUNE 27TH 

The Durham Public Works Department would like to make residents along the following roadways aware of a schedule change to their curbside solid waste and recycling collection day:

1. Newmarket Road (Durham Point Road to Dover Road)
2. Dover Road (Newmarket Road to Route 4 overpass)
3. Schoolhouse Lane
4. Bayview Road
5. Old Landing Road
6. Young Drive
7. Old Piscataqua Road

To improve the efficiency of Monday’s and Wednesday’s curbside solid waste and recycling collection routes, effective Monday, June 27th, 2022, the scheduled collection will change from Wednesdays to Mondays. 

As they have been in the past, solid waste and recyclables must be placed curbside by 7:00am on your collection day. The collection equipment passes through each neighborhood once and will not return for solid waste and recycling that is placed curbside late.

For commercial properties within these bounds that do not participate in our program, please ignore this notice.

We understand that this change may be inconvenient and disrupt normal routines. However, your understanding and cooperation is appreciated. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Durham Public Works Department at (603) 868-5578.

DPW INSTALLS NEW TRANSFER STATION FACILITY SIGN

Durham Public Works Department’s Facilities and Grounds Division installed a new facility sign at the entrance of the Raymond A. LaRoche, Sr. Transfer Station and Recycling Center. The sign includes language required by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services including permit number, hours of operation, and acceptable materials. The funds to procure the sign were generously donated by the Northeast Resource Recovery Association.

WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT OPERATIONAL CHANGES IMPLEMENTED WITH UNH MOVING INTO SUMMER SESSION

With UNH now on summer break, the wastewater treatment facility has taken offline, half its treatment process tanks. This includes a primary solids clarifier, one biological aeration train, one secondary solids clarifier, and one chlorine contact tank. With the decrease in student populations, the wastewater flows are cut by half and loadings by two-thirds. This decrease in flows and offline status allows the Wastewater Division team to perform required preventative and scheduled maintenance of this critical equipment.