May 22, 2025
Quarterly Newsletters · 10 pages · 2,057 words · all documents · the town's PDF →
Town of Durham, Maine May 22, 2025
Durham News Fifth Edition Quarterly Newsletter
From the Town Clerk’s Desk Upcoming
Meetings
Upcoming Election
Agriculture Committee Meeting
RSU5 Budget Referendum June 10, 2025 June 4, 2025
Eureka Community Center
6 pm
The RSU5 Budget Referendum is Tuesday, June 10, 2025
at the Durham Amvets Post 13. Polls are open from 8am to Planning Board Meetings
8pm. June 4th, July 2 & August 6th
Fire Station
• Sample Ballot 6:30 pm
• Absentee Application Select Board Meetings
May 27, June 10th & 24th, July 8 & 22
• Adopted Budget Brochure Fire Station
6:30 pmSolid Waste Committee Meeting June 9th, July 14th & August 11th Real Estate Tax Lien’s Eureka Community Center
6:30 pm 30-Day Notices Real Estate Tax Lien’s 30- Day Notices will be sent out
at the end of May.
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Town of Durham, Maine May 22, 2025
Annual Town Meeting
• Saturday, April 5, 2025
• All Articles & Ordinances Passed
• 124 in Attendance
Durham Fire & Rescue's Color Guard once again had the honor of posting the colors at the annual town
meeting.
Select Board Chair, Joe Roy awarded Isabella George with this year's Town of Durham
$1000 Scholarship.
2026 ATV Stickers Are Now Available
ATV Registration Join Our Weekly News Blast
ATV Registration Fees
• $71 resident
• $101 non-resident 7-Day
• $116 non-resident full season
You can register your ATV at the Town Office or online.
2026 ATV Stickers Expire June 30, 2026
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Town of Durham, Maine May 22, 2025
Opportunities to Serve The following Boards and/or Committees are seeking new members:
• Board of Appeals
• Historic Preservation Committee
• Planning Board
• Solid Waste Committee
If interested, please ll out an appointment application today! Appointment Application
War Memorial Bandstand (Gazebo) Survey Results
Do you support the Select Board exploring refurbishing or replacing the War Memorial Bandstand (Gazebo) with the cost not to exceed $30,000 and to be expended out of the Municipal Buildings Reserve Account?
Yes: 118 votes (67%) Total Votes Cast: 177 No: 59 votes (33%)
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Town of Durham, Maine May 22, 2025
Community Events www.durhambaseball.com/ra e
FLAG RETIREMENT
DURHAM AMVETS Post 13 will be holding a Flag Retirement Ceremony on Saturday, June 14, 2025 at 11am. Public is encouraged to attend.
Drop o your unserviceable ags at the Town O ce or at the Durham Amvets.
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Town of Durham, Maine May 22, 2025
Code Enforcement Office Maine Updates Building Codes 1st Quarter Report - 2025 for Residential CEO Report - January 2025 and Commercial Construction Total Permits issued: 20
Effective Beginning April 7, Total estimated cost of building (Building Permits Only): $435,000 2025 - The Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code Total of All Permits Fees Collected: $4,652.90
(MUBEC) has adopted the following codes and standards: CEO Report - February 2025
• 2021 International Residential Code Total Permits issued: 22 (IRC)
• 2021 International Total estimated cost of building (Building Permits Only): $2,500,000 Building Code (IBC) Total of All Permits Fees Collected: $7,854.92
• 2021 International
Existing Building Code (IEBC) CEO Report - March 2025
• 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) Total Permits issued: 13
• 2021 International Total estimated cost of building (Building Permits Only): $2,213,500
Mechanical Code
(IMC) Total of All Permits Fees Collected: $7,279.14
How to Avoid Total of New Homes Started in 2025
Solar Panel
Scams - Ask This • Single-Family Homes: 12
Old House • Two-Family Homes: 0
Click Here to link to the
YouTube Video • Accessory Dwelling Units: 0
Totals as of March 31, 20255
Town of Durham, Maine May 22, 2025
Town Planner Report Planning Board Meeting
• The Planning Board met on April 2nd and approved a maintenance agreement for a back lot access known as Blue Jay Way off Pinkham Brook Road. The property owner has a lot with two separate dwellings and is creating a new access to be able to split the parcel and create legal frontage and meet other Ordinance requirements.
• Under the current Ordinance, the Road Commissioner and Code Officer approve the layout of the access, and Planning Board review is limited to the maintenance agreement.
• The Planning Board also granted amended conditional approval for the Replenova Farm Market on Royalsborough Road to allow outdoor seating for the takeout food service.
• During the review, the Board determined that the applicants conduct of community charity events also requires conditional use approval as an expansion of the 2020 Farm Market approval.
• The Planning Board approved a lot line adjustment in the Bowie Hill Subdivision to correct a rear lot line setback violation. The subdivision developer requested transfer of excess open space to increase the lot size by 10,000 square feet.
Land Use Ordinance Amendments
• At the April 5, 2025 Town Meeting, voters approved the following sets of amendments to the Durham Land Use Ordinance: ๏ Part 1 – Resource Protection: Removed approximately 1500 acres of Resource Protection designation based on updated Beginning with Habitat data and placed a development buffer around existing buildings in the RP District. ๏ Part 2 - Enacted contract zoning for large Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and solar energy projects and performance standards for BESS. ๏ Part 3 - Overhaul of the historic preservation regulations to streamline the review process and align standards with federal requirements and recommendations of the Comprehensive Plan.
• The Town Planner has updated the Land Use Ordinance and Zoning Map to incorporate these changes. The Town Website parcel viewer shows the revised Resource Protection District and elimination of the Southwest Bend Historic District.
Codification of the Land Use Ordinance
• General Code completed its editorial and legal review of the Land Use Ordinance.
• Town Staff will receive training on the online portal for responding to editorial questions identified by the consultant.
• The Planner is working with the Code Officer, Road Commissioner, Fire Chief and Town Attorney to answer technical questions posed by the consultant.
• The Planner will identify minor and major policy issues related to codification for consideration by the elected and appointed officials.
• The Planner will prepare a report for consideration by the Select Board at the May 27, 2025 meeting.
• A response to the editorial and legal review is due by July 25, 2025.
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Town of Durham, Maine May 22, 2025
Durham Fire & Rescue News
Pictured le to right: Diana Dimock, Kevin Merri , Zeke Harris, Noah Larabbee and Ron Parker.
Last month, Durham Fire Rescue members & their families gathered once more and reminisced on the events throughout the past year at our annual banquet. As is tradition, stories were told, gifts were given, and awards were bestowed. We would like to take a minute to recognize those members who their peers felt represented the best of us in 2024:
• 2024 Fire Support Member of the Year - FSU Member Kevin Merrill
• 2024 O cer of the Year - LT Zeke Harris
• 2024 Fire ghter of the Year - FF Noah Larrabee
• 2024 Rookie of the Year - Martin Kruse (not pictured)
• 2024 EMS Provider of the Year - FF/Paramedic Chris Higgins (not pictured) We also recognized Captain Diana Dimock for 25 years of service and Chaplain/EMT Ron Parker for his service to DFR. Congratulations to the award recipients and thank you to all our members for their continued service to their town!
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Town of Durham, Maine May 22, 2025
Staff Highlight information, I created an asset management plan which I shared with the Select Board. This plan depicted 42 miles of paved roads, 14 miles of which needed to be rebuilt. With this information the Board voted to recommend to the taxpayers at the annual Town Meeting that we bond the roads in the rebuild category and budget for a 10-year paving
maintenance plan moving forward.
• In the past 10 years I have rebuilt over 17.34 miles and maintenance paved 30.25 miles of Durham’s roadways.
• I have developed an extremely ef cient
and effective winter operations program that has given the Town of Durham some of the best kept roads in the
region during winter weather events.
• On behalf of the Town of Durham, I have applied for and was granted $340,000 in Maine DOT and Maine DEP Calvin Beaumier grants to replace several stream crossings with modern and Road Commissioner environmental advanced structures.
• I have developed a culture within the
When did you start working for the Town of department that has allowed me to
Durham? build and retain an exemplary Public
• This is my tenth year at the Town of Durham. Works Team. While all surrounding
I started working for the Town in May of towns were operating with major
2015. I have lled in as interim Code staf ng shortages, we were fully staffed
Enforcement Of cer a couple of times over at almost all times.
the years in addition to being Road
Commissioner. At my previous job I was the What do you like to do when you are
Public Works Director and the Code not working?
Enforcement Of cer.
• I am passionately involved in my son’s
What accomplishments are you most proud
high school sport activities.
of?
• When I started working for Durham, the
roads were in extremely poor condition. The
Town had not developed an asset
Did you know . . .
management plan for their road inventory
and as a result, spending money in a very Calvin has been a licensed Maine
inef cient way. I measured and catalogued Real Estate Agent since 1997.
every road in Durham and separated them
by level of service needed. With this8
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Town of Durham, Maine May 22, 2025
Spring Bulky Waste Day Town of Durham, Maine
Durham Public Works 1099 Royalsborough Road
May 10, 2025 8:00 am to 1:00 pm
Examples of Bulky Waste Items (No Charge except Tires - See Below)
Appliances Sink in Vanity, Sinks & Toilets
Bicycles Small Children’s Pools
Carpets (Rolled) Storm Doors & Wooden Doors
Dishes/Pots & Pans Swing Sets
T
Exercise Bikes & Weight Benches Toys hank you to all who braved the
Furniture Wood Stoves
Large Metal Items/Scrap Metal Water Heaters weather on Saturday, May 10th
Large Plastic Items for Bulky Waste Day. And a
Mattresses and Box Springs
Outdoor Furniture special thank you to our Public Works
Passenger Car Tires With or Without Rims ($8.00/each)
Picnic Tables
Crew for their hard work keeping the
Refrigerators, Air Conditioners & Dehumidifiers
lines(must be
moving red-tagged
in theto show Freon has been removed)
Bulky Waste Items NOT ACCEPTABLE pouring rain.
NO Batteries
Any power equipment needs to be drained
NO Building or Demolition Debris of all liquids: no oil and no gas allowed.
NO Commercial, Dump Truck or Loader Tires
NO Garbage or Household Trash All Refrigerators, Air Conditioners &
NO Gas Tanks or Containers Dehumidifiers must be drained of all
NO Hazardous or Liquid Waste freon. The Town has acquired a company
NO Household Cleaners/Insecticides to remove the freon. The cost is $10 per
unit, please bring cash or check payable to
NO Household Recyclables
the Town of Durham.
NO Lightbulbs
NO Paints Please call Calvin Beaumier with any
NO Propane Tanks questions at (207)844-1774
NO Shingles
Proof of Residency is Required
NO Yard or Tree Waste9
Town of Durham, Maine May 22, 2025
Ferries of the Past Did you know . . . Some Ferries that once operated in Durham include:
• Dain’s Ferry, which was a mile or more above Tracey’s Island, was kept by John Dain from 1799 - 1818.
• The Southwest Bend Ferry ran for many years. It was the only connection of “The Bend” with the towns on the opposite side of the river. Samuel McGray operated this ferry.
• Garcelon Ferry, later named Dingley’s Ferry.
• Beal’s Ferry was in operation until 1818 when the bridges were built at Southwest Bend and Little River. The ferry was located opposite Lot 61, just below Tracey’s Island.
• Jone’s Ferry, later called Estes’ Ferry, ran in the southern part of Durham.
• Pictured Below: Unknown Durham Ferry, date unknown
Information and photo credit provided by the Durham Historical Society.
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Source: fifth-edition-quarterly-newsletter.pdf on durhammaine.gov. Text extracted with pdftotext; no wording has been corrected.