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October 22nd Select Board Newsletter

Posted on: October 22, 2021 - 3:23pm

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

  • Guidance on Trick or Treat Night
  • Veterans Day Ceremony
  • End 68 Hours of Hunger Food Drive
  • Drug Take Back Day
  • Stratham Projects in the NHDOT Ten Year Plan
  • Draft Source Water Protection Plan
  • Bear Sightings in Stratham

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


trick or treat
TRICK OR TREAT NIGHT
Trick or Treat Night will be Saturday, October 30th from 5:00 - 7:30 pm.  Please keep the following recommendations in mind for a safe and fun Halloween:

  • Travel in family groups.
  • Wait patiently at each door if others are ahead (socially distance).
  • Carry a face mask, just in case (for example, when going to a door for candy vs. taking candy from a table or other container, away from others).
  • For those providing candy, consider putting treats in individual paper bags or spread out on trays (rather than a communal bowl) and placed on a table on the front walk, porch or driveway.
  • Bring a bottle of alcohol-based hand sanitizer with you while trick-or-treating, and use it often.
  • Residents who do not want to participate in traditional door to door trick or treating should turn outdoor lights off as a signal you are not participating. 

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VETERANS DAY CEREMONY
Please join us on Thursday, November 11th at 11:00 am for a ceremony to honor veterans.  It will be held at the Veteran's Memorial Garden at Stratham Hill Park.  Additional information, including a program will be forthcoming.  Once again, this event is spearheaded by community volunteers dedicated to ensuring a solemn and thoughtful observation of Veterans Day in Stratham.  We thank them and all of the Stratham residents who attend.

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Stratham Police Department will be holding two events this Saturday, October 23:

END 68 HOURS OF HUNGER FOOD DRIVE
Let's stuff a cruiser with food to help feed local kids in need!  End 68 Hours of Hunger Food Drive will be taking place at Stratham Shaw's from 10-2.  Follow this link for a list of needed items.  Click here for more information about the End 68 Hours of Hunger program.  

drug take back
NATIONAL DRUG TAKE BACK DAY
It's important to properly dispose of expired/unused medications.  An officer will be stationed at the Police Station on Saturday, October 23, also from 10-2, for people to bring in their unused prescription medication.  We CANNOT accept needles.  Liquids must be in their original bottles, no more than 4 oz per bottle and no aerosols (such as inhalers).  Meds can be brought in, in the original pill bottles.  No need to remove labels or take the pills out of the bottle.

STRATHAM PROJECTS IN THE NHDOT TEN YEAR PLAN
Utilizing the results of the recent survey and in put from the Planning Board, the Select Board has advocated to state and elected officials that the slated improvements to the Bunker Hill Avenue and Portsmouth Avenue intersection should be moved up in the NHDOT Ten Year Plan to 2024. Currently programmed for the year 2027, the Board also advocated for the synchronization of traffic signals along Portsmouth Avenue, a state roadway, to prioritize through traffic. The Board also advocated for a Corridor Study to be completed of NH Route 33 with participation from the communities of Greenland and Portsmouth. The final NHDOT Ten Year Plan public hearing in the Rockingham County Region will be Monday, November 1, 2021 at 7 pm at the Seashell Oceanfront Pavilion at 160 Ocean Boulevard in Hampton.

The Planning and Select Boards appreciate the input of residents who completed the Town’s Transportation Survey, in which approximately 350 people participated. The Bunker Hill Avenue intersection improvements were ranked by survey respondents as the Town’s highest transportation need followed closely by pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure improvements to Portsmouth Avenue. Survey input was utilized by the Select Board in drafting its recommendations to NHDOT and elected officials. The latest draft version of the Ten Year Plan is available for review here. Stratham residents are encouraged to participate in the NHDOT Ten Year Plan hearings or to provide your written comments to NHDOT at bill.watson@dot.nh.gov.

DRAFT SOURCE WATER PROTECTION PLAN AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW 
The Planning Board invites residents to provide their comments on the Draft Stratham Source Water Protection Plan, available for review. Drafted by the Rockingham Planning Commission with the assistance of the Town of Stratham and funding support provided by the NH Department of Environmental Services, the plan includes recommendations and strategies for better preserving source water quality in Stratham.  With nearly all residents dependent on private on-site well and septic facilities, this issue is a particularly important one for Stratham.  The plan includes an inventory of existing water systems, aquifers, and water resources in Stratham as well as an overview of existing challenges and threats to water quality in Stratham.  It also includes a series of recommendations to help mitigate water quality threats moving forward.  These include purchasing land for conservation that is adjacent to or inclusive of critical waterways, the re-examination of Site Plan and Zoning Regulations to both ensure that they do not require more impervious surface cover than is necessary and to consider more stringent water quality measures, and the continued examination of providing connections to public water and sewer infrastructure into Stratham.  If you have questions or comments on the draft plan, please contact the Planning Department at planning@strathamnh.gov. 

BEAR SIGHTINGS IN STRATHAM
We have heard from residents that the recent information we posted concerning bears has been useful, particularly as links to distribute to concerned neighbors.  As a result, we are redistributing these resources including this wildlife FAQ and informational brochure.  We appreciate the feedback on making this resource useful to residents.