Friday Updates - November 18, 2022

Friday, November 18, 2022

A FEW ITEMS FROM THIS WEEK...

ORCSD Emergency Notification System. On November 1st, the Oyster River Cooperative School District performed a district-wide test of its emergency notification system. Parents, guardians, staff, and faculty should have received a phone call, email, and text. If you have not received these notifications and would like to receive them in the future, please contact your child(ren)'s school(s) to have your contact information updated.

Churchill Rink is officially open for the season! Public sessions started this week. Click HERE to see the schedule for the rink.  

This week, Administrator Selig was elected President of the Municipal Management Association of New Hampshire, the membership association comprising NH’s Town/City Managers/Administrators. He’s been a member of the association for almost 30 years. To learn more about MMANH, go to https://www.mmanh.org/ . 

"Did You Know" Correction: It has come to IWMAC’s attention that Mr Fox is not requiring compost to be in compost bags or brown paper bags before putting compost in the compost bins at the transfer station. We apologize for any confusion. Please note: If you do decide to use bags for your compost, please remember to use compostable bags only - plastic bags are not biodegradable.

The 2022 Tax Rate has been set and the breakdown can be viewed HERE. The Town Clerk's Office has mailed out tax bills, which are due on December 19, 2022.

Durham's 2021 Audit Report has been submitted. The Audit was prepared by Melanson. To view the complete report, please click HERE. A presentation by the Town's auditors will be provided to the Town Council on Monday evening, Nov. 21st.

REFUSE AND RECYCLING SCHEDULE FOR THANKSGIVING WEEK

There will be NO refuse and recycling collection on Thursday, November 24th. This pickup will be on Friday, November 25th. Please have all items out by 7:00AM as always. 

There will be NO commercial recycling collection on Friday, November 25th.

TOWN OFFICES CLOSED ON THURSDAY & FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24TH & 25TH, IN OBSERVANCE OF THANKSGIVING DAY HOLIDAY

All Town offices will be closed in observance of Thanksgiving next Thursday & Friday, November 24th & 25th. In addition, Town offices will close at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 23.

NO "FRIDAY UPDATES" PUBLICATION ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25TH

Due to the Thanksgiving Day holiday, there will be no publication of the "Friday Updates" next Friday, November 25th. The next publication will be on Friday, December 2nd.

OYSTER RIVER STUDENTS WALKED TO TOWN HALL TO CAST THEIR BALLOTS! The NH Kid Governor Election

On Thursday, November 10, 2022, Oyster River Middle School’s fifth graders visited the Durham Town Hall to cast their votes for the 2023 New Hampshire’s Kid Governor. Durham Town Clerk Lorrie Pitt and Deputy Town Clerk Rachel Deane created a kid-friendly election, using a voter checklist, voting booths, and the 100-year-old Town of Durham voting box. Just as it is done in a real election, Lorrie and Rachel asked to see each student ID’s, crossed names off the official registered voters’ list, and handed students their ballots. One student was sick and had to stay home from school but the Town Clerk’s Office arranged for an absentee ballot for Kid Governor to be delivered to their home so they could cast their ballot.  Durham was honored as being the only municipality in the state to create and host an election. Votes will be tabulated by Oyster River Middle School and submitted to the New Hampshire Kid Governor organization. The New Hampshire Kid Governor is a national award-wining civics program led by the New Hampshire Institute for Civics Education and the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, created by the Connecticut Democracy Center (CTDC). Please visit http://nh.kidgovernor.org/ for more information.

HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION SAYS GOODBYE TO ONE OF ITS LONGSTANDING MEMBERS

The Historic District Commission expressed its gratitude to Andrea Bodo, the Grande Dame of historic preservation in Durham, one final time at its meeting on November 3. Andrea and her husband Steve Burns have just relocated to Lexington, MA. Andrea’s contributions to preservation in this community are vast. 

She served on the Historic District/Heritage Commission for decades. She submitted applications for grants, recognition on the State Register of Historic Places, and placement on the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance’s Seven to Save list, and generally advocated tirelessly for significant sites in Durham, including, variously, the Mill Pond Dam, Smith Chapel, the Old Courthouse/Brick Town Hall, the old Town Hall (wood frame), Wagon Hill Farm, the Grange, the Red Tower, the General John Sullivan House, the small capes on “Broth Hill,” and innumerable others. She worked on the Historic Preservation master plan, sponsored tours and special events related to historic properties, presented power points, and did whatever she could to speak for the historic structures (“who cannot speak for themselves”). On a much smaller scale, Andrea is Durham’s version of Jane Jacobs of Greenwich Village, Antoinette Downing of Providence, and Barbara Baer Capitman of Miami Beach. (Andrea was featured in a profile in Friday Updates several years ago, shown at this link: https://www.ci.durham.nh.us/fridayupdate/friday-updates-july-31-2020.)

Lexington has a bit of history also. Andrea told the HDC that there are five historic districts there. While she was quite coy when members asked if she would join the commission, we suspect they will be hearing from her soon. We wish Andrea and Steve the best of luck in this new adventure.  

FORMER TOWN COUNCILOR INDUCTED INTO THE UNH ROTC HALL OF FAME

The University of New Hampshire held its 24th annual Veterans Day and ROTC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Scholarship Awards event Friday, Nov. 4, inducting three new members into the ROTC Hall of Fame and awarding scholarships to a pair of cadets.

Durham resident and former Town Councilor, retired Lt. Col. Andrew J. Corrow ’92 joined more than 70 fellow ROTC Hall of Fame inductees who have been recognized since the initial ceremony was held in 1997.

The UNH ROTC Hall of Fame recognizes those who have participated in the Air Force or Army ROTC programs at UNH. Inductees are selected for outstanding service to the country, the state of New Hampshire, their community and/or the University of New Hampshire. Not all of the inductees are career military officers. Many were career educators, business owners and public servants.

DURHAM HOSTS FFI DELEGATION FROM ROMANIA LEARNING ABOUT EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS 

This week, at the invitation of Friends Forever International (FFI), Durham hosted a team of 6 adults from Romania focused on Community Preparedness for Disasters. FFI believed this team could benefit from meeting with Durham and understanding how decisions are made on a local level to prepare for unforeseen circumstances. The purpose of this program is for those in the field of community preparedness for disasters to benefit from exposure to U.S. experts. This helps delegates in understanding ways of improvement within their own fields but also ways to overlap with one another. 

FFI, based in Durham, helps individuals become the best versions of themselves so they can help their community become the best version of itself.  It’s goal is that every person who desires, regardless of ethnicity, religion, and socio-economic status will have the opportunity to build their leadership skills beyond what they imagined possible before participating in the program. These leaders will transform the way that they see the world and realize that they can change the world for the better.

PLANNING BOARD PUBLIC HEARING ON HOUSING AMENDMENTS

The Planning Board is holding a public hearing on extensive proposed amendments to the Zoning Ordinance related to housing on Wednesday, November 30. The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. The Durham Housing Task Force developed this draft over the past several years to encourage more residential opportunities in the town. Many professionals have spoken about the current shortage of housing stock in New Hampshire and across the country with the inadequate housing supply and soaring real estate prices.   

You can see the proposed amendments HERE. The Housing Task Force started as a subcommittee of the Durham Economic Development Committee but is now a separate Town committee since the EDC was disbanded. The mission of the task force is “to identify, analyze, and advocate for a balanced and diverse supply of housing that meets the economic, social, and physical needs of the Durham community and its residents.” The Task Force website can be found HERE.

Questions, among many others, to be considered by the Planning Board include to what extent there is already workforce housing available in Durham (and to the extent there is, how much more is desirable/targeted?), whether such units would remain affordable after being constructed in a highly desirable community like Durham that also supports the state's flagship public university (including the reality of pressures created via the intense undergraduate off campus student housing market), the position Durham plays within the region in collectively providing sufficient workforce housing across Strafford and Rockingham Counties (i.e., Durham provides off campus student housing thereby freeing up housing units -- that would otherwise be occupied by UNH students -- in surrounding communities for workforce housing), and whether zoning and other changes recommended to incentivize/facilitate additional workforce housing construction would have unintended consequences on the quality of life and quintessential New England character of the Durham community. For example, would rural gateways or existing farmlands be impacted? At the same time, what is the consequence of taking no action and remaining with the status quo? 

A very thoughtful and important educational process and discussion/dialogue awaits.

UPDATE ON CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY PLANNED AT UNH

Town Planner, Michael Behrendt, recently met with Ken Weston, Executive Director of Campus Stewardship and University Architect. The following are some of the updates planned on campus that Executive Director Weston mentioned.

Hetzel Hall. The historic building across from Mill Plaza is currently vacant. Plans call for it to be renovated for a residence hall.

Huddleston Hall. Huddleston Hall, the historic building located next to Quad Way, will be renovated and an addition built on the westerly side to address deferred maintenance and future academic needs.

Thermal energy storage tank. The university is looking at building a storage tank to facilitate air conditioning that runs through pipes in the core campus. A location near Philbrick Hall is possible since the existing chiller plant is situated next to the building. The project will save energy and cost by generating chilled water at off-peak hours and storing it for use when electricity demand is high.

Emerald Ash Borer. Sadly, this invasive pest is destroying ash trees throughout the Northeast. UNH is developing an ash tree management plan to address safety concerns for trees that become unhealthy and to protect prominent trees when possible with a treatment injected into the bark. 

FREE 1-HOUR PARKING REMINDER IN IDENTIFIED AREAS WITHIN DOWNTOWN DURHAM (with ticket)

A friendly reminder that the following parking areas have the first hour free parking in downtown Durham with a meter receipt displayed. * 

• Main Street (in front of the stores and restaurants)
• The downtown parking lot located at the Southwest corner of the Madbury Road and Pettee Brook Lane Intersection (University Market Lot)
• Madbury Road (Westerly side, between Main Street and Pettee Brook Lane)
• Jenkins Court 

*Durham residents/taxpayers displaying a valid Durham Resident/Taxpayer sticker on their front windshield receive a second hour free.

HAPPENINGS AT THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS



Durham Public Works Completes Lead/Copper Sampling Program - Durham Public Works’ Water Division completed its annual lead/copper sampling program this week. Public water systems are required to test for lead and copper under the Federal Lead and Copper rule as a way of monitoring whether corrosion control activities are required by the system. Water testing is the only way to determine if lead (and copper) is present in drinking water because lead is tasteless, colorless, and odorless. The UNH/Durham Water System released its 2022 Consumer Confidence Report, also known as an annual drinking water quality report in July and can be found here.

HVAC Preventative Maintenance - The Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems are critical infrastructure components of a facility. They provide a comfortable indoor environment for visitors and employees by controlling the temperature, humidity, and air quality. Preventative maintenance of an HVAC system will help ensure that it runs as efficiently as possible, avoiding costly breakdowns and premature failure of wear components. Other benefits include increased air quality and overall comfort. The HVAC systems within the newer Town facilities, namely the Town Hall, Police Station, and Library are advanced systems that require specialized training and licensing to service and repair. As these systems continue to age, a yearly preventative maintenance plan is essential for their continued uninterrupted operation. A contract was awarded to ENE Systems of New Hampshire to perform this work semi-annually. The Fall preventative maintenance of the heating systems at the Library, Town Hall, Police Department, Parks + Recreation Facility and Public Works were completed this week.

Public Works Winter Maintenance Preparation - Durham Public Works staff continue to transition from construction and maintenance operations to winter operations as meteorological winter approaches (December 1^st). The Department will be holding a winter operations meeting for its snow fighting team next week, which will include a calibration of the deicing material spreaders, a review of policies and performing a dry run of routes with assigned equipment. The DPW 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.

DURHAM PUBLIC WORKS SEEKS PART-TIME TRANSFER STATION ATTENDANT

The Town of Durham in New Hampshire’s seacoast region is one of the most beautiful and desired locations in the State and is home to the University of New Hampshire. The Durham Public Works Department, a recognized leader in the Public Works field, is fully integrated and progressive using modern equipment and facilities to achieve its goals. The Department is seeking a highly qualified team member to join an exceptional team of Public Works professionals to serve in the role of Transfer Station Attendant.

The successful candidate will assist in the operation of the Raymond A. LaRoche, Sr. Transfer Station and Recycling Center during public open hours on Saturdays. The Transfer Station Attendant will frequently interact with residents to ensure that materials are placed in the proper receptacles and answers questions regarding solid waste and recycling. Additionally, the Attendant will perform general facility maintenance and cleaning as well as operates a skid steer and backhoe to transport/consolidate materials.

The salary for this part-time position is $17/hr. The successful candidate will possess an NHDES Solid Waste Operator License or the ability to obtain within (6) months of hire. Applications are available at the Department of Public Works Main office or online at www.ci.durham.nh.us/jobs.

Please send resume and completed application to Town of Durham, Department of Public Works, Attn: Shannon Shaw, Assistant to the Public Works Director, 100 Stone Quarry Drive, Durham, NH 03824 or by email to sshaw@ci.durham.nh.us by 4:30 PM on December 6th, 2022.