Friday Updates - November 21, 2025

Friday, November 21, 2025

As we wrap up another week in November, it’s hard not to feel inspired by National Gratitude Month (yes, November!). A reminder to notice small things worth celebrating, whether you’re thankful for a great cup of coffee at your favorite downtown Durham cafe, bumping into an old friend, or just the sight of frost on the grass - a reminder that ski season will soon be here!!! What are you grateful for?

Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday, there will be no Friday Updates next week. Town Offices will be closing at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 26, and will be closed Thursday and Friday, November 27 and 28. The Town Clerk's office will be closed on Wednesday as per their regular schedule. Trash collection will not occur on Thursday but will be delayed one day to Friday.

... and we've received the final 2025 tax rate from the NH Department of Revenue. Read on to learn more.

DOWNTOWN HOLIDAY PARKING CHEER - Enjoy extra free time while you shop local!

Consistent with past years, the Town of Durham will once again relax enforcement in our downtown short-term parking areas for the upcoming holiday season from December 15, 2025 through January 10, 2026 (Bobcat Corner Lot; Main Street in front of the businesses; Jenkins Court; and Madbury Road from Main Street to Pettee Brook Lane).

In these areas, where parking is normally 1 hour free and the 2nd hour is $1.00, time limits will be suspended to support shoppers and downtown businesses during the holidays.

All long-term pay stations will remain operational and enforced (Depot Road Lot, Garrison Avenue, Madbury Road from Pettee Brook Lane to Garrison Avenue, Pettee Brook Lane, the Metered Lot, and Main Street in front of the President’s House and Huddleston Hall).

ADA/handicap spaces, fire lanes and hydrants, loading zones, and 15-minute spaces downtown will continue to be strictly enforced for everyone’s safety and accessibility.

This week, Town Assessor Darcy Freer presented the Town Council with an update on the 2025 property revaluation process. In partnership with Whitney Consulting Group, LLC, the Town of Durham has completed a statistical update of all property assessments, reflecting real estate market activity over the past two years. Utility property assessments were also updated by George Sansoucy, PE, LLC. The primary goal, set forth by state requirements, is to ensure that every property’s assessed value aligns with fair market conditions as of April 1, 2025, so that Durham’s property tax burden remains fair and equitable for all residents.​

The revaluation involved measuring and inspecting properties that actually sold during the revaluation scope of work, reviewing recent sales data, mailing income and expense questionnaires to commercial and industrial owners, and updating assessment tables for land, buildings, and depreciation. 

Preliminary new assessment notices were mailed to property owners earlier this fall, which offered the opportunity to schedule an informal hearing to discuss values. 154 property owners took advantage of the informal hearing process. 

 A few take-aways:

•  The New Hampshire Department of Revenue will set the tax rate later this month, likely in the next week.
• An increase in assessment does not necessarily mean an increase to property tax bills.
• DO NOT apply last year's tax rate to the new assessment.
• When overall property values increase, the tax rate typically decreases.
• Property owners who believe their final value does not reflect fair market value, may file an abatement request with the Town.
• An abatement request involves filing an application after the second tax bill is received (December 2025) and prior to March 1, 2026.
• If it is determined that the application has merit, an abatement recommendation will be presented to the Town Council.
• If a property owner is still dissatisfied after the decision of the Town Council, they may appeal to the NH Board of Tax and Land Appeals or Superior Court, but not both, prior to September 1, 2026.

The following are some slides from Darcy's presentation. To see the full PowerPoint presentation, click HERE.

DURHAM’S WALKABLE DOWNTOWN AND SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE AN AWEFUL LOT TO OFFER - Appealing to more than only college students as in the past.

A recent article in Realtor.com indicates walkable neighborhoods have become one of the most sought-after features in American real estate, with recent surveys showing a strong majority of buyers, especially younger generations, willing to pay extra for homes in areas where daily needs can be reached on foot. 

The push for walkability is driving up prices, often by 10 to 30 percent (!), as these communities offer a mix of convenience, lower transportation costs, and a greater sense of connection. This appeals to people from families with young children to older adults who want to stay active and independent. 

The article indicates that suburban sprawl is losing favor to newer developments with revitalized neighborhoods, which prioritize connections, amenities, and quality of life, with concepts like the 10-minute walk becoming a model for planners and home buyers. 

As communities and developers respond to these trends, those who live in walkable areas are finding higher satisfaction, a stronger social fabric, and often a happier, healthier lifestyle — such as in Durham. To read the full article, click HERE.

AS HOLIDAYS APPROACH, BEWARE OF SCAMS

This week we heard from a Durham resident that she received an email that she thought was from a friend of hers that stated:

"Alright, I’m planning to surprise a few of our top-performing staff with gift cards this week as a small token of appreciation. It’s confidential for now, so please keep it quiet and keep one for yourself as well. Can you pick up the gift cards for me today? I’ll reimburse you as soon as I can."

She realized that this was a scam. The sender's email address was also not her friend's email address.

As we approach the gift-giving season, be aware of these types of scams. It is always good to contact your friends and family by phone if you suspect an email is not legitimate.

Human Rights Campaign Municipal Equality Index (MEI) demonstrates the ways that many cities can, and do, support the LGBTQ+ people who live and work there, even where states and the federal government have failed to do so. As host to the University of New Hampshire, Durham has again been included, this time in the thirteenth edition of the Human Rights Campaign's Municipal Equality Index (MEI). 

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is the largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) Americans. The MEI is the first nationwide evaluation of municipal laws, policies, and services affecting the LGBTQ community. 

Cities are rated based on non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement and leadership on LGBTQ+ equality.

HOW WERE THESE COMMUNITIES CHOSEN?

The towns/cities selected for rating are: the 50 state capitals, the 200 largest cities in the United States, the five largest cities or municipalities in each state, the cities home to the state’s two largest public universities (including undergraduate and graduate enrollment), 75 cities with high proportions of same-sex couples drawn from an analysis of the 2010 Census results by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law which ranked the 25 large cities (population exceeding 250,000), 25 mid-size cities (population between 100,000 and 250,000), and 25 small cities (population below 100,000) and 98 cities selected by HRC and Equality Federation state groups members and supporters in 2016.

In the first eleven years of the survey, Durham received the highest score in NH of those communities surveyed. In 2024 and 2025, Durham and Portsmouth had the top two scores for the state.

2025 NH MEI Scores:

Concord - 69

Derry - 46

Dover - 80

Durham - 93

Keene - 54

Manchester - 81

Nashua - 71

Plymouth - 46

Portsmouth - 95

Rochester – 51

Town staff and the Town's Human Rights Commission will continue to evaluate MEI criteria to consider whether it is possible to increase our score for future years. Durham had sought to be the top scoring community in NH thirteen years ago, and we have to date succeeded every year since that time (with the exception of this year and last where Portsmouth and Durham were the top two communities), endeavoring to incrementally improve our openness and inclusiveness over time as appropriate. 

Learn more by clicking HERE.

The holidays are fast approaching, and many of us are planning to send holiday cards to friends and family.

Please remember that all greeting cards (for any occasion) with metallic inks, foil, wire, or glitter cannot be recycled and must go in the trash. 

If you are looking for a more sustainable option for holiday cards, consider Paper Culture. Paper Culture is a Certified B Corporation, and all cards and envelopes are made with 100% recycled paper. A tree is planted with every order, and Paper Culture offsets its entire carbon footprint. (www.paperculture.com).

To learn more about how Paper Culture compares to other similar companies like Minted, Shutterfly, Tiny Prints and Snapfish when it comes to sustainability, click HERE.

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

Lead can enter drinking water when plumbing materials that contain lead corrode, especially where the water has high acidity or low mineral content that corrodes pipes and fixtures. The most common sources of lead in drinking water are lead pipes, faucets, and fixtures. In homes with lead pipes that connect the home to the water main, also known as lead services lines, these pipes are typically the most significant source of lead in the water. Lead pipes are more likely to be found in older cities and homes built before 1986. Among homes without lead service lines, the most common problem is with brass or chrome-plated brass faucets and plumbing with lead solder.

The Durham/UNH Water System takes great care in providing clean and safe water to its customers and is doing its part to continue to ensure compliance, while delivering the highest quality drinking water. In 2021, the EPA updated its regulations on permissible concentrations of lead in drinking water in an effort to decrease public health impacts from lead. Referred to as the Lead and Copper Rule Revision (LCRR), this policy requires water system operators to collect data on lead service lines, as well as create a plan to remove and replace these lines if they exist.

As part of compliance with the LCRR, the water system submitted its service line inventory on October 16, 2024, and is required to provide annual inventory updates each Fall. The inventory was most recently updated on November 4^th, and the next compliance requirement is to send notification letters to water customers with service line materials indicated as either unknown, lead or galvanized requiring replacement (GRR). Property owners will be receiving this notification letter from the Town in the next few weeks. The water service material can be unknown because many of the construction records and specifications from water main projects completed 40+ years ago do not show adequate detail on material type. There is no reason to be alarmed - the UNH/Durham Water System participates in Compliance Lead and Copper testing as required by NHDES and there is no history of lead detection in the water system.

If you receive a letter from the water system indicating that your water service material type is unknown and you would like to have your water tested, further instructions will be provided in the letter. As part of the LCRR, NHDES is offering to fund the cost to complete lead water testing.

If you do not receive a letter, the water system has determined that your service line material is either copper or plastic.

In addition, Durham Public Works asks that you please assist them and help Durham by completing the Water Service Line Inventory Survey if you have not already participated. To complete the survey, click HERE.

Dan Bean took this photo of a black squirrel in his yard on Valentine Hill Road on Thursday morning.

According to a 2024 NH State Parks article by Kyle Durant, black squirrels are a melanistic sub-group of the eastern gray squirrel, not their own species. The black coloration is the result of a variation in the pigment gene. They inhabit the same natural areas as their gray counterpart but are much rarer to see. Only one in about 10,000 squirrels is black.

Kudos to Dan for catching a photo of this one! (Mr. Selig thinks Dan should purchase a lottery ticket this week as well!). :0)

A big shout-out to 30 young women from the UNH Women Lacrosse Team and their assistant coaches and 70 middle schoolers, “Ocean 7,” and their teachers from Oyster River Middle School who came for a few hours to pull invasive buckthorn plants at Thompson Forest, a conservation property owned by the Town off Wednesday Hill Road.

The beautiful 1.3 mile loop trail will take you through an aspen regeneration forest, a wildflower meadow and oak-pine forest to the Lamprey River. Nice work, Team!

On Friday, Durham Police held a food drive to support Oyster River End 68 Hours of Hunger. Officers and K-9 Jett donated their time to volunteer at this event. The town and university community delivered, and the volunteers and officers were overwhelmed with support and food!

Officers reported that the parking truck and two patrol cars were filled with donated non-perishable food items. They delivered the food that night to the pantry, over-filling the shelves, floor, and any open space. It was incredible to see how much was donated! 

Thank you to everyone who supported this event!

If you missed the food drive, you can always support by visiting the Oyster River chapter of End 68 Hours of Hunger HERE.

On November 26th, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, there is a scheduled police training on UNH property, which will be held at two separate homes on Mast Road. The training is for local and state police canine odor detection & tracking, which will take place throughout the home and property. There will be highly visible police training signs posted in both areas.

Seacoast Area Firefighters, including members of the Durham Professional Firefighters Association (DPFFA), are busy preparing for the collection of toys and donations to be distributed to families in need.  

To submit a request for assistance, click HERE for the online application or contact the fire station at (603) 862-1426 and one of our elves will get back to you!  Application due date will be Friday, December 19, 2025. Toy pickup will be December 17-23, 2025, at the Durham Fire Station, 51 College Rd Durham NH 03824.

We are thankful to partner with Hannaford, M&T Bank, Service Credit Union, Durham Public Library, Durham Police Department, and Durham Town Hall for hosting drop-off locations. Toys can also be dropped off at the Durham Fire Station.  Final toy collection will be the weekend of December 20-21, 2025.  

Please click HERE for further information on the Seacoast Area Firefighters Toy Bank. Donations from the local drive will be distributed to under-resourced families in the Oyster River School District with any remaining donations being sent to other communities that need assistance. 

For further questions contact:

Rob Rosselli, Firefighter/AEMT

Phone: 603 862 1426

Email: robert.rosselli@unh.edu

Please join the Durham Fire Department in welcoming Michelle Patrick to the position of Probationary Administrative Assistant at the Durham Fire Department.

Michelle has prior administrative experience working with the US Department of State as well as a tax/accounting firm, and as a coordinator for End 68 Hours of Hunger and the US Army Reserves. 

Michelle holds an associate’s degree in office administration from International Business College and a bachelor’s degree in audiology and speech science from Purdue University. 

Welcome aboard, Michelle!     

OYSTER RIVER SCHOOL NEWS

Planned November School Closures

• November 26-28: All Oyster River schools will be closed for Thanksgiving Break. The SAU office will be closed on November 27-28.

Mast Way and Moharimet Elementary Project (NEW!)

On November 20, the ORCSD School Board received a presentation from NOVO Studio and Eckman. The presentation, which includes detailed plans and information on spaces that could be expanded and renovated, is available on our Elementary Project webpage HERE. 

The district's guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for this project, which cannot be exceeded, is $9,827,000. The district is gathering the data required to determine tax rate impacts for each town. The district expects to have this information available in the coming weeks. 

School News

Special Visitor Teaches Second Graders About Prosthetic Limbs

On November 18, Mast Way School's second-grade students had an exciting and educational visit from Avery Carroll, a prosthetist/orthotist who builds prosthetic limbs for people of all ages. Ms. Carroll shared fascinating details about her work and held a demonstration. For more information, click HERE.

ORCSD Schools' Health Offices Share Resources for Families

Oyster River families in need of assistance can contact their school nurse or counselor for confidential support. The resources listed by each school can help families locate food pantries, community programs, and essential services, just click on the school link below.

• Mast Way School
• Moharimet School
• Oyster River Middle School
• Oyster River High School

Coming Events

The following events are free and open to the public.

• ORHS Fall Play Noises Off. Tickets sold at the door (cash only). Student $7.00, Staff $5.00, General public $12.00. Auditorium at Oyster River High School (55 Coe Dr, Durham, NH 03824). November 20, 7:00-9:00 p.m., November 21, 7:00-9:00 p.m., November 22, 12:00-2:00 p.m., November 22, 7:00-9:00 p.m.  
• December 4, 6:30-7:30 p.m.: Mast Way 4th Grade Chorus Concert - Morse Recital Hall at Oyster River Middle School (1 Coe Dr, Durham, NH 03824).
• December 5, 3:15-6:15 p.m.: ORMS 3rd Annual Dodgeball Tournament - Students vs. staff. Gymnasium at Oyster River Middle School (1 Coe Dr, Durham, NH 03824). 
• December 8, 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.: ORHS Blood Drive - Multipurpose Room at Oyster River High School (55 Coe Dr, Durham, NH 03824).
• December 9, 6:00-7:30 p.m.: ORMS/ORHS Orchestra Concert - Grades 6-12. Morse Recital Hall at Oyster River Middle School (1 Coe Dr, Durham, NH 03824). Snow date: December 12.
• December 10, 6:30-7:30 p.m.: Mast Way 3rd Grade Concert - Morse Recital Hall at Oyster River Middle School (1 Coe Dr, Durham, NH 03824).
• December 11, 6:30-7:30 p.m.: Moharimet 4th Grade Winter Concert - Morse Recital Hall at Oyster River Middle School (1 Coe Dr, Durham, NH 03824).
• December 13, 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.: ORMS Robotics Competition - Oyster River Middle School (1 Coe Dr, Durham, NH 03824). Snow date: December 14.
• December 16, 6:00-8:30 p.m.: ORMS/ORHS Band Concert - Grades 6-12. Morse Recital Hall at Oyster River Middle School (1 Coe Dr, Durham, NH 03824). Snow date: December 19.
• December 18, 6:00-7:30 p.m.: ORMS/ORHS Chorus Concert - Grades 6-12. Morse Recital Hall at Oyster River Middle School (1 Coe Dr, Durham, NH 03824). Snow date: December 19.