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December 11th Select Board Newsletter

Posted on: December 14, 2020 - 9:57am

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Dear Stratham Residents,

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

  • Lights 4 Lives Holiday Parade
  • Reminder - Stratham Police Toy Drive
  • Curbside Collection Program Resources
  • Maintenance Work Scheduled at Smyk Park
  • PFAS in Town Center Update
  • Attention Property Owners Along Route 33 - Legacy District Zoning Workshop 
  • DHHS Information regarding Covid 19 - Vaccine Plans and Holiday Celebrations

Please remind your neighbors about this resource for keeping on top of information from the Town.  To sign-up for these updates and other notifications, please visit: https://www.strathamnh.gov/subscribe.

The Select Board
Michael Houghton, Chairman            Joe Lovejoy, Vice Chair            Allison Knab

L4L
Lights 4 Lives Holiday Parade
On December 19th, be on the lookout as the Stratham Volunteer Fire Department parades through town.  Check here for parade routes.

Stratham Police Toy Drive
For details and drop-off locations for the Stratham Police Toy Drive, please visit the Department's webpage.

Curbside Collection Program Resources
The December 7th special edition newsletter included information about the 2021 automated curbside collection system.  Please take some time to read the introductory information and frequently asked questions that appear on the website www.Casella.com/StrathamNH.  You will also find a brochure for the 2021 program that includes recycling information as well as information about the new four day collection schedule. See the listing of streets by day in the brochure to find out your collection day beginning February 2, 2020.  We have added cart dimension information to the site as well.  The Town staff and Casella have been recieving and following-up with residents about questions; we wil continue to suport residents as they learn more about the program and the Town will share answers to common questions in subsequent updates.

Maintenance Work Scheduled at Smyk Park
This winter the Department of Public Works will be moving forward with some maintenance activities on the grounds of Smyk Park in conformance with the terms of the gift of the land.  This work is intended to make the grounds more safe for passive recreation use of the property and will include stabilization of rock walls, removal of four dead trees, and other work to smooth the former foundation hole and promote safe use. Replaecment trees per the terms of the gift of land will be planted in the spring. 

PFAS in Town Center
The Town is preparing a remedial action plan that will set the course for pursuing mitigation at individual affected properties in Town Center .  This step is facilitated by the recent completion of a confirmatory round of water quality samples at the affected properties, which will inform the extent and type of mitigation strategies appropriate based on conamination levels and other factors.  Following submission of the plan, approval by DES, the Town will work to implement the plan.  Please stay tuned for more information.

Attention Property Owners Along Route 33 - Planning Board Workshop Regarding New Legacy District set for December 16th

The Planning Board is preparing zoning amendments that will encourage adaptive re-use and preservation strategies for historic properties along the Route 33/Portsmouth Avenue corridor between Town Center and the Greenland town line.  This work is based on the work of the Rt. 33 Legacy Highway Ad-Hoc Committee and is intended to enable interested qualified property owners’ additional uses of their property to support those investments that would restore and enrich the historic fabric of the corridor.  The key was to permit uses that were complimentary to both the history of the properties as well as those that would not infringe upon neighboring properties.  Such expanded uses are proposed to be permitted only after review by the Planning Board and outreach to abutters.  It is important to note that this is not a proposal for a Historic District - it is voluntary and intended to create opportunities for adaptive reuse of existing structures and investment in our local resources that we all see, but often overlook for the treasures they are. The workshop will begin at 7:00 p.m. in Room A (Large Meeting Room) at 10 Bunker Hill Avenue Stratham, NH.

For a description of the permitted uses in the zone and a proposed map of the zone.  Please see pages 20 to 23 (Uses), and 24 (Map) from the Committee's Final Report. 

To read more about the Committee’s work, please visit the Ad Hoc committee’s web page.  https://www.strathamnh.gov/planning-board/pages/rt-33-legacy-highway-ad-hoc-committee.

How to  Pay Taxes during the Pandemic
We ask that residents consider the various options for paying tax bills that don't require a visit to the Town Offices.  Reminders of these options are provided below in the interest of keeping you and our staff as safe as possible during the pandemic.

  • You can pay by mail and a receipt will be mailed back to you - send payment (with tear-off  portion) to 10 Bunker Hill Avenue Stratham, NH 03885
  • You can drop off your tax payment (with tear-off portion) in the drop box.  You will be sent a receipt.
  • You can pay online with Automated Clearing House (ACH) or your credit card.   ACH will charge a $1.50 for each property and a $.95 processing fee.  Credit cards will be charged $1.50 for each property and a 2.79% processing fee based on the amount of your tax bill.

DHHS Guidance Regarding Covid 19 - Vaccination Plans and Holiday Celebrations
DHHS has updated its “Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) Frequently Asked Questions Document” on December 4th. Among other guidance, these updates include information about vaccine plans and holiday celebrations.  Please see this Special Notices page for community exposures to COVID-19.