 |
|
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
|
Morning sunrise on the Oyster River across from Wagon Hill Farm.
Courtesy Jim Lawson
________________________________________________
|
Due to vacation schedules, the Administrator's Office will be closed between Christmas and New Year's.
There will be NO "Friday Updates" published on Friday, December 31st. The next publication will be on Friday, January 7, 2022.
|
FREE HOLIDAY PARKING IN DOWNTOWN DURHAM
The parking kiosks in the immediate downtown business area will allow free parking to encourage residents and others to shop the downtown during the holidays. The screen on the applicable kiosks will inform parkers of the free parking and will not accept any payment. No receipts on your dashboard will be required during the Holiday Parking period. The grace period that allows for free parking for shoppers will commence Thursday, December 23rd and run through Sunday, January 2nd.
Happy Holidays!
|
FILING PERIOD FOR ELECTIVE OFFICES COMING UP AT THE END OF JANUARY
The Town and ORCSD elections will be held on Tuesday, March 8, 2022 at the Oyster River High School. Polling hours will be from 7AM to 7PM.
The filing period for local elective offices in the Town of Durham is January 19, 2022 through January 28, 2022 at 5PM.
The following positions are open during this election cycle:
Durham Town Council: Three (3) positions with 3-year terms
Library Board of Trustees: Three (3) positions with 3-year terms
Library Board of Trustees: One (1) position with 1-year term
Moderator: One (1) position with 2-year term
Supervisor of the Checklist: One (1) position with 6-year term
Trustee of the Trust Funds: One (1) position with 3-year term
If you would like to learn more about any elective office, responsibilities, time commitments, etc. please give the Administrator's Office a call at (603) 858-5571 or write to jberry@ci.durham.nh.us.
|
DID YOU KNOW?
Each holiday season, millions of pounds of food get thrown away. If the waste is put in the trash rather than composted, it ends up in landfills and produces methane and carbon emissions.
There are ways that we can reduce our food waste. Instead of throwing away leftovers, consider using them to make new dishes. Also, you can donate canned and packaged goods to a local food drive in need.
Sometimes it’s hard to avoid having extra food that won’t get eaten. Choosing to compost it is a great way to keep food waste from being harmful to the environment.
Source: ORHS Sustainability Club
Brought to you by the Integrated Waste Management Committee
|
CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR'S SOLID WASTE AND RECYCLING COLLECTION SCHEDULE UPDATE
All Town offices are closed on Friday, December 24th for the Christmas Holiday. There will be NO COMMERCIAL COLLECTION of recycling on Friday, December 24th.
The Transfer Station will be closed on Saturday, December 25th for Christmas.
All Town offices are closed on Friday, December 31st for New Years, however, there will be NO CHANGES TO COMMERCIAL RECYCLING ON NEW YEARS EVE and commercial recycling will be collected on schedule.
|
CLEANING SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATION OFF VEHICLES
Snow and ice falling from a moving car or truck can create hazardous driving conditions for vehicles travelling around them and possibly result in fines and/or civil liability for failing to take reasonable steps to remove the snow or ice accumulations.
Under New Hampshire State law, a driver can be cited for driving a vehicle in a manner that “endangers” or “is likely to endanger any person or property.” Large amounts of snow accumulating on a vehicle or trailer often melts and refreezes over time causing build-up of ice that can often damage vehicles when falling from a vehicle. Early removal of the snow after a snowstorm is the best way to prevent such ice from accumulating.
It is also very important for drivers of all vehicles to leave sufficient space when following large trucks to give themselves enough time to react and be able to avoid any snow/ice in the event that it does fall from a large truck or trailer.
RSA 265:79-b Negligent Driving - Whoever upon any way drives a vehicle negligently or causes a vehicle to be driven negligently, as defined in RSA 626:2, I(d), or in a manner that endangers or is likely to endanger any person or property shall be guilty of a violation and shall be fined not less than $250 nor more than $500 for a first offense and not less than $500 nor more than $1,000 for a second or subsequent offense.
Source. 2001, 254:2, eff. Jan. 1, 2002. 2005, 267:1, eff. Jan. 1, 2006.
|
FUNDRAISER UNDER WAY TO FUND PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT AT THE NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL – Buy a recital hall seat plaque for $250
The Oyster River Middle School outdoor playground fundraiser has recently started. Outdoor playground equipment is not included in the ORMS construction project budget.
To raise funds for the equipment, the district is selling recital hall seat plaques for $250. They are using a survey monkey form for seat orders, which personalizes your plaque. The deadline to order seats is February 1, 2022, when the school plans to order the equipment.
The district wants to have the playground equipment installed by August of 2022, when the entire school project will be completed.
To order a seat, interested residents/businesses can to the ORMS school website, under school news, click on Playground fundraiser. There sponsors can fill out a form to order and personalize the seat plaque.
If individuals/businesses would like to donate without purchasing a seat, that too would be very welcome and appreciated. Please call the ORMS office at 603-868-2820 with any questions.
Checks should be made payable to Oyster River Middle School.
|
SWAP SHOP NEWS
The Swap Shop closed for the season on December 11th and will reopen in Spring 2022. Despite the closing, numerous avenues remain available for donating items. The Public Works Department and Integrated Waste Management Advisory Committee encourage residents to donate to other organizations such as the ReStore, Salvation Army or Goodwill. The containers at the Transfer Station (Discover Books, Salvation Army, and Ecosmith) will remain open throughout the winter.
|
PUBLIC WORKS WINTER MAINTENANCE PREPARATION AND SEASONAL REMINDER
Wednesday (Dec 1st) marked the first day of meteorological winter and Durham Public Works staff have completed the transition from construction and maintenance operations to winter operations.
The Department recently held its annual winter operations coordination meeting for the Durham Public Works snow fighting team which included a calibration of deicing material spreaders, reviewing policies and performing a dry run of routes with assigned equipment. De-icing and abrasive material inventories have been replenished and the entire fleet of snow fighting equipment is assembled and ready for response.
The Durham Public Works team has created an Interactive Public Viewer using the ESRI ArcGIS online GIS platform which can be viewed HERE describes 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 along with other important winter maintenance information.
Residents and business owners are reminded to bring in any obstruction in the public roadway, cul-de-sac or on a public sidewalk including portable basketball hoops, planters, and signage which may cause an impediment to snow removal operations.
Residents are also reminded that a supply of a sand/salt mix is available at Durham Public Works located at 100 Stone Quarry Drive before the main entrance gate. This supply is made available for pickup by residents only for use on their property for snow and ice control.
|
PLEASE SUPPORT THE DURHAM HISTORIC ASSOCIATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT!
For the month of December 2021, the Durham Historic Association will receive a $1 donation from each purchase of a $2.50 reusable Community Bag at the Hannaford store located at 7 Mill Road, Durham NH.
The Durham Historic Association's mission is:
- To preserve the memory of events connected with the history of the Town of Durham, or of individuals who may have resided there;
- To serve as guardian of the town's history;
- To preserve the artifacts of the town's history;
- To inform and educate the citizens of Durham and others of the history of the town and how contemporary Durham arises out of its past.
|
WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT PROCESS CHANGES
The Town of Durham has a unique characteristic relative to the decrease in student populations and the impact on water and wastewater treatment processes. While most water and wastewater treatment plants operate in a steady state with predicable increases and decreases, during winter and summer breaks and vacations, the wastewater flows and water demand may decrease by as much as 50% in Durham. This impacts the chemistry and operations at both treatment facilities. In response the wastewater treatment plant began diverting 50% of the primary influent flow which contains the necessary organics required to maintain the microbe populations to the aeration tanks along with other system modifications. This will ensure proper treatment is achieved and the plant remains well within compliance levels.
|
|
|
|
|
|
TRAFFIC SIGNAL UPGRADES
Durham Public Works facilitated upgrades to the traffic signals at the College Road and Main Street intersection this week. East Coast Signal Company upgraded three of the antiquated, incandescent bulb signal heads with LED fixtures. Additionally, signal cabling was upgraded throughout the entire intersection. The Public Works Department continues to explore options to improve the efficiency of traffic flow in this area, including traffic actuated signals and video and radar-based vehicle detection.
|
TOWN OF DURHAM FACEBOOK AND TWITTER ACCOUNTS
Did you know that the Town has a Facebook & Twitter account and frequently posts Durham & UNH news, happenings, and articles of interest in our area and the seacoast?
Like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.
|
Durham Parks and Recreation, its Director and Committee, strive to offer a wide range of quality programs, parks, and facilities that encourage all community members to participate in healthy, fun, and enriching activities. Together, they celebrate the essential role public recreation plays in fostering a cohesive and vibrant community.
|
'Tis the Season!
Happy Holidays from DPL! The library will be closed on Dec. 24th, 25th and 27th. But coming up, join us for Book Signings, Art Classes, Meditation & more this January! Visit the Granite State Gallery with Jane O'Neail or sign up to attend our in-person Meditative Yoga! Author Howard Mansfield will visit DPL on February 8th for a reading from his recently published, Chasing Eden. Copies will be available to purchase at the event. To register for any library events, visit our Upcoming Events page any time!
Join Youth Services for upstairs Storytime in the Oyster River Room next Tuesday and Thursday and for Baby sit next Wednesday! The weekly them is Holidays! and registration can be found HERE. And don't forget to sign up for your Vacation Week Craft-to-go! New Year's Wand kits will be ready to grab and go!
The DPL staff would like to wish all of our patrons a happy and healthy holiday season!
Questions? Check out our website at http://www.durhampubliclibrary.org/! And as always, the library staff is available by phone during business hours at 603-868-6699 or by email at mailto:durhampl@gmail.com.
|
|
|
|
|
|
*Academic year commences the third week of August through graduation at UNH in May.
|
HISTORY IN AN OYSTERSHELL - A Brief History of Durham, NH 1600 - 1976 (A little volume that was the Heritage Project of the Durham Historic Association Bicentennial celebration)
Preface - "Since before God made the first little green apples, oysters have probably been growin in the Oyster River; and some of the largest and juiciest to be found anywhere in the world are still growing here today. The following vignettes from rollicking history of Durham town on the Oyster River are therefore presented between the shells of an oyster."
________________________
1792 - Off the Dame Road is a boulder, computed to weigh 60 to 70 tons. It was once so perfectly poised on another rock as to be easily moved by one finger. Some years ago curious visitors pried it off its balance. This is a matter of record in Jeremy Becknap's History of New Hampshire.
1792 - The Third Meeting House, financed by sale of pews, was built on site of 2nd House. It was 50' x 40' x 20' high, with balconies on 2 sides, steeple for bell and spire for weathervane. Torn down in 1849, the lumber was used to build boarding houses at Great Falls.
|
Have a very nice weekend.
Todd
Todd I. Selig, Administrator
Town of Durham, NH
a: 8 Newmarket Rd., Durham, NH 03824 USA
t: 603.868.5571 | w: www.ci.durham.nh.us
He/him/his pronouns
Everyone can tackle climate change. How can you reduce your carbon footprint?
---
|
|
|
|
|
|
