Office hours
Regular Durham Town Office hours are Monday, Tuesday and Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Wednesday closed and Thursday, 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Meetings
The Durham Planning Board will meet Wednesday, March 5, at 7 p.m., at Town Hall.
The Durham Board of Selectmen will meet Tuesday, March 11 and 25, at 6:30 p.m., at the Durham Town Office.
CEO available
The Durham codes enforcement officer will be at the town office on Wednesday, March 5, 12, 19 and 26, from 5-7 p.m.
Ben DeLong is county bee champ
Durham Community School’s top two spellers competed Feb. 12 at the Androscoggin County Spelling Bee, held at St. Dominic Academy in Auburn. Representing Durham were Maggie Riendeau, the winner of the Durham school bee, and Ben DeLong, runner-up in the school bee. Riendeau, a sixth-grader, represented her school well. DeLong, a seventh-grader, swiftly took first place in an exciting race that went several rounds. As the winner of a county bee, he will advance to the Maine State Spelling Bee, Saturday, March 22, at 2 p.m., at the University of Southern Maine.
Fundraiser planning to begin
The Durham Historical Society will meet Tuesday, March 11, at 6:40 p.m., at the Durham Eureka Community Center. Members will start planning a spring fundraiser. Anyone interested is welcome to attend.
Withdrawal groups meeting jointly
The Working Group is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, March 5, at 6:30 p.m. in the Freeport High School Library with the RSU Withdrawal Committee.
This is the first meeting of the two groups and the public is welcome to attend.
RSU 5 budget
work is starting
The Regional School Unit 5 board has held public meetings this week as budget planning begins. Meetings were held March 3 at the Durham Community School and March 4 at the Pownal Elementary School. Another meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 6, at 6 p.m., at the Morse Street School Library in Freeport.
According to information from the board, the budget process will formally begin on Tuesday, March 25 and Wednesday, March 26, with a detailed presentation of the proposed 2014-2015 budget. There will be numerous budget meetings with opportunities for public input during the process, which ends in late May/early June with the annual budget meeting and referendum vote.
Town meeting coming up
Durham town meeting is Friday, April 4, and Saturday, April 5.
Election of municipal officials is April 4 from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. The town meeting is April 5 at 9 a.m. Both are at the Durham Community School. There are no contested races. Barry Baldwin, an incumbent on the Board of Selectmen, seeks a second three-year term on the board. Sarah Hall, voted in to fill a vacancy in 2012, also is running unopposed. Mark Lake is the only candidate to replace the retiring Deb Larrabee. Incumbent Milton Simpson is running unopposed for the Budget Committee, while there is no one on the ballot to replace outgoing Arthur Langley. Brian Pike Jr. is the only candidate to replace John Ricker on the Regional School Unit 5 Board of Directors.
Town reports should be available in late March.
Scout Troop 145 fundraiser
Durham Boy Scout Troop 145 will sell movie coupons to Flagship Cinemas during March.
They will also be at the Durham Get & Go Friday, March 14, from 6-8 p.m., and Saturday March 15, from 9-11 a.m. Those interested can contact a local Scout or Scoutmaster Larry Wagoner at 837-3735. Each coupon book is $25 and includes more than $200 of savings, including two free movie tickets, two free combo No. 5 (two large sodas and bucket of popcorn), 10 buy 1-get-1-free movie tickets, and more.
Durham students on USM dean’s list
Durham residents Amanda LaCasse-LaFlamme, Erica Noe, Aaron Olson and Cassandra Swenson were named to the dean’s list for the fall semester at the University of Southern Maine. In order to be named to the list, students must earn a grade point average of 3.4 or higher and carry a minimum of 12 credit hours.
Kindergarten registration
under way
Durham Community School 2014-2015 kindergarten registration is under way. Children must be 5 years of age on or before Oct. 15, 2014, and be a resident of Durham. To pre-register, see www.dcs.rsu5.org and fill out the form. Later in the spring, parents will receive complete information about screening. For more information, call 353-9333.
Dog licenses overdue
A $25 late fee per dog will now also be charged to register dogs. The regular fees are $6 for altered dogs and $11 for unaltered dogs. Proof of rabies and first time for neutered or spaying will need to be seen by the registering clerk. This is once-a-year registration. For more information, contact Town Clerk Shannon Plourde at 353-2561, ext.11.
AMVETS Post 13 seeks members
Are you a veteran or do you know one? Want to belong to an organization that supports other veterans, families and the local community? You’ve earned to right to join the American Veterans organization. Become a member and tell your story. For membership information about Post 13 in Durham, call Chad Burke, 207-798-0956.
Eureka Center
for rent
The Durham Eureka Community Center is available for rent. The maximum amount of people the hall holds for an event is 50. For rentals, contact Nancy Decker at 751-1323 or the Town Office at 353-2561.
At the community center
The Durham Eureka Community Center, corner of Route 9 and Route 136, hosts cribbage every Tuesday from 9 a.m.-noon at the Eureka Center. For more information call the Town Office at 353-2561.
Couponing for the Community meets every other Tuesday from 6:30-8:30 p.m. There is no cost. Learn the basics including where/how to find and collect coupons; how to organize them in a way that works best for you; and how to begin using them. Pat Provost heads this community project with the hopes that some of the skills acquired will be used to give back to the community by helping families in need.
Registration forms are available at the Durham Town Office or on www.durhammaine.com, which also lists new events and
Ben DeLongSend questions/comments to the editors.
