Dear Stratham Residents,

Please read below for news and notes from the Town of Stratham.  In this edition:

• Say it ain't snow!
• Casella Curbside Pick Up Weather Delay
• Officer Storie Saves A Life
• NHDOT Public Engagement Meeting for NH Rt. 33 Corridor Study
• Stratham Fire Department Blood Drive
• Stratham Memorial School Update
  
  

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Stratham Select Board

Mike Houghton, Chair            Allison Knab, Vice Chair            Joe Anderson

SAY IT AIN'T SNOW!

The Town of Stratham is closely monitoring the forecasted snowstorm expected to impact the area beginning later Sunday afternoon.  Current forecasts indicate significant snowfall, hazardous travel conditions, and a long-duration event.

In preparation, the Stratham Department of Public Works (DPW) has pretreated town roadways. Snow removal operations will begin once accumulation starts on Sunday.  Snow is expected to continue through Sunday night and into Monday afternoon.  Cold temperatures throughout the storm will allow for rapid accumulation on road surfaces.

The Town will have five plow trucks operating throughout the storm, each assigned to a specific section of town.  Under typical storm conditions, it can take up to five hours for a driver to complete a full route.  With heavy snowfall rates, cold temperatures, there may be periods when roads have several inches of snow and travel is difficult.

As snowfall becomes lighter on Monday, conditions will gradually improve.  However, due to continued cold temperatures, a thin layer of snow may remain on many roads into Tuesday.  These conditions will be addressed with salt and sand, with further improvement expected by midweek.

How you can help:

• Avoid unnecessary travel Sunday night and Monday.
• Please do not park vehicles on roadways.
• If attending gatherings (including watching the Patriots with friends), ensure vehicles are parked off the road.
• Be patient and supportive—DPW crews will be working extended hours, potentially more than 24 hours straight, to keep roads as safe as possible.
  
  

For more information on winter operations see the Stratham website

CASELLA CURBSIDE PICK UP WEATHER DELAY

Due to the impending snowstorm, Casella will be closed on Monday, January 26. As a result, all trash and recycling collection will be delayed by one day for the remainder of the week.

• If your normal pickup day is Tuesday, collection will occur on Wednesday
• If your normal pickup day is Wednesday, collection will occur on Thursday
• And so on throughout the week

Please remember to place trash and recycling bins at the curb no later than 7:00 a.m. on your scheduled pickup day to ensure collection.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation. Stay safe! 

STRATHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT

On the evening of December 14, 2025 Officer Storie received a call from dispatch for a 6-month-old that had been choking.  Dispatch advised that the child's lips were blue, but that they had updated it to a partial obstruction. 
Upon Officer Storie arriving to the residence, he made contact with the child's father who told him her lips were turning blue again.  Officer Storie, without hesitation, administered back blows to the child in an effort to open the child's airway and prevent asphyxiation.  Officer Storie advised that after the back blows he heard the child burp; he then swept his finger in the child's mouth and removed the food that had been burped/coughed up.  The child's lips regained a natural color, and she quickly became alert again. Officer Storie's efforts saved that child's life and for that he has received the lifesaving award and first aid lapel pin.

We are thankful, Officer Storie was able to help this family.

 

On Tuesday, January 27 at 6:00 pm at the Stratham Municipal Center, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) will hold a Public Engagement Meeting for the ongoing NH Rt 33 Corridor Study.  The public is encouraged to attend and participate.  The purpose of this meeting is to provide background on the current study which extends from the NH 33/US1 intersection in Portsmouth to the NH 33/NH 108 intersection in Stratham.  The meeting will gather public input to share with the study team.  NHDOT has contracted with the consultant firm of Howard Stein Hudson to complete this study.  To further facilitate public input into this study effort an online survey has been created.

STRATHAM FIRE DEPARTMENT BLOOD DRIVE
Donors are urgently needed.  Help save a life!  Please consider donating blood on Friday,  February 27 at the Stratham Fire Station, 4 Winnicutt Road.  Schedule your appointment.  Flier here. 

STRATHAM MEMORIAL SCHOOL BOARD
The Board discussed the FY27 (school year ‘26-’27) budget and heard questions from the Financial Advisory Committee.  Administration briefed the Board on fall benchmark data and student scores are very impressive.

The Board is anticipating tax increases in 2026 due to four main factors combining:  inflation, the bond payment, decrease in funding from the state, and new teacher contracts that were negotiated this fall.  We are anticipating roughly 13% higher rates for the SMS budget over last year, which will be roughly $600 per year for the average home valued at $834,000.  See the attached flier for more information.

For more, please see the full meeting minutes here

For questions, email Board Chair Jennifer Scrafford at jscrafford@sau16.org.  Our next board meeting will be Wednesday January, 28th at 6pm at the SMS library.