October 11th Select Board Newsletter

October 11, 2019

Dear Stratham Residents,

Please read below for news and notes from the Town of Stratham.  In this edition:  Gateway Vision Event Recap; PFAS Update; senior discussion write-up available; a reminder about Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day; Census jobs day Oct. 20th at the Library; new members of the Fire Department sought; a thank you to Dr. London and new Health Officer, and more.

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

GATEWAY VISION – STRATHAM’S OPPORTUNITY EVENT HELD (PRESENTATION POSTED)

The Select Board wants to thank the over 80 people who attended Wednesday evening’s Gateway Vision event.  The information session was designed define and discuss the opportunity in Stratham's Gateway zone; explain its significance to taxpayers and the future of the Town; and describe a key financial tool to assist in bringing it to fruition, a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district.  A question and answer period followed a presentation from the Board and staff; many great questions were raised that will be used by the Board and staff to inform future dialogue that the Board will encourage on an ongoing basis in order to prepare for key decision points.

At its core, the Gateway District’s purpose is to provide many benefits to the Town.  The redevelopment of the Gateway into denser development with more uses will not only increase the tax base, but also provide a number of other benefits: ensure residents have more housing choices, promote upgrades to existing or introduce new amenities, allow for more civic uses and gathering places, and introduce modern development that better cares for the environment.  It is worth noting, a more valuable commercial Gateway district will also help ensure the future costs of the great services and programs are shared more widely and beyond our residential tax base.

Please click through a copy of the presentation at the Town’s new Gateway Implementation page.  The video of the evening presentation will be posted shortly. 

PFAS UPDATE AND RESOURCES FROM SEPTEMBER 10TH PUBLIC MEETING

Recently, Town staff consulted with NH DES in the status of the focused site investigation.  The state provided guidance that included the need for additional ground water testing on the western edge of the Town Center.  This work is being coordinated and will take place prior to the finalization of the Focused-Site Investigation.

On September 10, 2019, over 50 residents and property owners attended the Town’s PFAS in Town Center Informational night at the Municipal Center.  The meeting’s presentation is posted on the Town’s PFAS Resource Page as well as video of the even (https://youtu.be/0KVfKUcLbRE).  Click here to view the PowerPoint presentation.  

SENIOR BRAINSTORMING EVENT SUMMARY POSTED

On September 25th, Parks and Recreation in partnership with the Wiggin Memorial Library and Stratham Fire hosted a Senior Brainstorming session that was attended by more than 40 residents and advocates. The discussion was focused on issues relevant to seniors living in Stratham. This was a strategic meeting aimed at identifying the needs and priorities of this population. The discussion was productive and helped to steer the Towns efforts towards meeting the needs of this community.  Broad areas of interest that rose to the top (in order of importance) were space(s), coordination/coordinator, programming, social/community, information sharing, and transportation, and communication.  If you were unable to attend the meeting on September 25th, but would like the share your ideas or concerns, please send an email to Seth Hickey at shickey@strathamnh.gov.

Here is a link to the items discussed.

Here is a link to current Senior offerings in Stratham.  

Next week- Please join the Stratham Seniors at their monthly luncheon on Tuesday, October 15th at noon at the Stratham Fire Station. All are welcome to attend. Looking forward to seeing you then!

HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION DAY

The 2019 Household Hazardous Waste Collection day will be Saturday, October 19th from 8 am to 1.  Please bring your household hazardous waste to the Exeter Public Works Garage, Newfields Rd (Rt 85), Exeter.  Please note:  Newfields Rd (Rt 85) is ONE WAY, inbound from 101 (exit 10).  For more information, please go to: https://www.strathamnh.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif5051/f/uploads/hhw_flyer2019final.pdf.

HAZARD MITIGATION PLANNING

Federal law mandates all municipalities are required to complete a local Hazard Mitigation Plan in order to qualify for Federal Emergency Management Administration funding should a natural disaster occur.  Last year, the Town qualiied for such funding following a major snow event.  The Town's current plan is expiring soon and a a staff team has begun meeting in order to prepare an updated plan.  The Town will be lead in this effort by Emergency Management Director David Barr as well as a mitigation plannign consultant funded 100% by a grant from the State of NH.  A meeting schedule will be posted and members of the general public will be invited to prarticipate.  All interested parties should contact David Barr, the Stratham Emergency Management Director, at 772-7391 if they wish to be included in the process.

CENSUS JOBS 2020

Want great pay, flexible hours, weekly pay and paid training?  Be a census taker!  The census helps our community by determining our state’s representation in Congress, as well as how certain funds are spent for schools, roads, and more.  The Library is hosting a Census Day on Tuesday, October 22nd.  Come learn more about it and apply.  Help our community by ensuring everyone is counted!  For more information and to apply online go to:  https://2020census.gov/en/jobs.html

FINANCE ADMINISTRATOR WELCOME

The Town is very pleased to welcome Dawna Duhamel as the Town’s first Finance Administrator, whose first day will be Wednesday October 16th.  Dawna served previously as a Finance Director (Hampton, NH) and School Business Administrator (Bedford, NH).  In addition to extensive experience in directing and managing finance functions in municipal and school settings, Dawna has also serviced as a municipal auditor in New Hampshire and worked for the State in an auditing capacity.  This new hire is part of a reorganization of the Town’s finance function.   The Town currently has an open position for Accounting and Benefits Coordinator. For information about this position please visit: https://www.strathamnh.gov/town-administration/pages/open-positions.

TOWN EMPLOYMENT: PART-TIME FIREFIGHTER/EMT

The Town of Stratham is seeking applicants for the part-time position of Firefighter/EMT.  Part-time Firefighter/EMTs work 3- 10 hour shifts Mon-Fri between the hours of 07:00-17:00.  The position responsibilities include but are not limited to; firefighting operations, emergency medical care, fire prevention, fire and life safety inspection of businesses, inspection and maintenance of department equipment and other related duties as they apply.  Applicants should be team-oriented professionals. Please visit the Town of Stratham website for more details.

We are always welcoming and looking for new members who would like to become a firefighter and / or EMT.  If you are interested please come down to the Fire Station on the first or third Tuesday at 7:30pm.

A THANK YOU TO DR. LONDON – HEALTH OFFICER

State law establishes the position of Health Officer in each NH Municipality.  The Health officer (RSA 128:5) performs a number of functions, among them enforcing applicable New Hampshire laws and local ordinances and regulations and serving as a liaison between state officials and local elected officials on issues concerning local environmental and public health.   For the last six years, Dr. David London has diligently served the Town, its residents and business in this role.  Dr. London’s term expires in 2019 and he has decided to step down to allow someone new to serve. The Town would like to thank Dr. London for his dedication and expertise, we have been fortunate to have someone of his caliber looking out for the residents of Stratham.

Shanti Wolph, our Building Inspector /Code Enforcement Official has been nominated by the Select Board to become Stratham’s next Health Officer; Matt Larrabee, our Fire Chief has been nominated to fill the role of Deputy Health Officer. We thank them for their willingness to serve Stratham in these additional roles, please join us in thanking them and Dr. London.