Durham Roundup: Fire Hose Vote | The Quinnipiac Post

DURHAM, CT — Voters at Durham's Annual Town Meeting on Monday, Oct. 5, approved moving up to $12,720 out of a reserve account to buy new fire hose after the fire chief told them several hoses had failed inspection, the minutes show. The meeting also elected members of the library board and the regional school district's finance committee and set Monday, May 10, 2027, as the date of the Annual Budget Meeting.

By Friday, Oct. 9, the town had posted minutes for the town meeting and the Historic District Commission. For the Board of Selectmen and the other boards below, no minutes had been posted, so their agendas show what was scheduled rather than what was decided.

Annual Town Meeting

The meeting opened at 7 p.m. in the Community Center gym at 144 Pickett Lane, with Norm Hicks as moderator, and adjourned at 7:25 p.m.

The fire hose money moves from the Fire Department Equipment Reserve into the department's capital equipment account, as the Board of Finance recommended at its Tuesday, Sept. 8, meeting, provided purchasing rules are followed. The fire chief told voters that four companies were asked for quotes and only one answered, and that the money was being requested ahead of more bids. No one voted against it.

Maya Liss, Anne Doyle and Sarah Robertson were elected to the Board of Library Directors without opposition. Romano Amleto was elected as one of the town's two representatives on the fire company's Board of Trustees; no one was nominated for the second seat. Three people were nominated for two seats on the Regional School District #13 Finance Committee, and a paper ballot elected Teresa Opalacz and Will Castro. No one was nominated for the three open seats on the Compensation Review/Personnel Policy Board.

Historic District Commission

The commission met by videoconference Monday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m. and unanimously approved application No. 479 from the United Churches of Durham at 228 Main Street to redo its side porch entrance, including steps, decking and railings, to match an accessible ramp added recently. The approval asks that the columns be repaired where possible and closely copied where they cannot be, the minutes say. Members were also reminded that the town's draft Plan of Conservation and Development has a chapter on the commission.

Board of Selectmen

The selectmen were scheduled to meet Monday, Oct. 5, at 6 p.m. A corrected agenda posted that morning moved the meeting from the third floor of Town Hall to the Community Center, 144 Pickett Lane, with a Zoom option.

The agenda opened with a proclamation and the filling of vacancies: a seat on the Building Code of Appeals, one on the Economic Development Commission, a regular and an alternate seat on the Ethics Commission, and three seats on Sustainable Durham. The board was also to act on a surplus property request from the Community Center, a memorandum of agreement and resolution for the FY 2025 State Homeland Security Grant Program in Region 2, a first amendment to the town's service agreement with Altumint Inc., the draft Plan of Conservation and Development, and tax refunds. The agenda for a special selectmen's meeting on Monday, June 22, described the Altumint deal as a cooperative purchasing agreement for automated traffic enforcement safety devices.

The Planning and Zoning Commission plans a public hearing on adopting the Plan of Conservation and Development on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. at Town Hall and on Zoom, according to a legal notice on the town's website, where the draft is posted.

Other Boards

Sustainable Durham's agenda for Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. at Town Hall listed the Allyn Brook invasive removal and garden project and a report on composting at the Durham Fair.

The Regional School District 13 Board of Education Building Committee was set to meet Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 5 p.m. at Three Oaks Memorial School, in its construction trailer. Its agenda listed value management items, change orders and invoices for the Memorial renovation and expansion, plus updates on the ADA project at Strong School and the Coginchaug Regional High School tennis courts.

The Zoning Board of Appeals scheduled a public hearing Thursday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. at Town Hall on a request from Kees Davis for a 2-foot front-yard setback variance at 16 Austin Rd. to build a front porch and portico.

The Recreation Committee's agenda for Thursday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. at the Community Center called for volunteers for Trunk or Treat and the Holiday House Decorating Contest, an update from Recreation Director Brian Medeiros, and early talk about a holiday market. The Complete Streets Committee, meeting the same night at the Community Center, listed updates on the survey and grant application for the Trolley Trail multiuse path, the draft Plan of Conservation and Development, and how to use its capital funds.

The Economic Development Commission canceled its Tuesday, Oct. 6, meeting, and the Planning and Zoning Commission canceled its Wednesday, Oct. 7, meeting.

Coming Up

Town buildings are closed Monday, Oct. 12, for Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day.

The Board of Finance meets Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m. in the third-floor meeting room at Town Hall and on Zoom. Its agenda includes a possible vote to move its regular meetings of Tuesday, Nov. 10, and Tuesday, Dec. 8, to special meetings on Tuesday, Nov. 17, and Tuesday, Dec. 15, along with the finance director's report. The Compensation Review and Personnel Policy Commission has canceled its meeting the same night.

The Regional School District 13 School Naming Committee meets Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 4 p.m. in the Coginchaug Regional High School library to talk about naming the mascot and the school's common areas.

The Conservation Commission and the Library Board of Trustees meet Tuesday, Oct. 13, and the Fire Company Trustees and the Regional School District 13 Board of Education meet Wednesday, Oct. 14; their agendas had not been posted. The Board of Selectmen and the Inland Wetlands & Water Courses Agency both meet next on Monday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m.

Sources & Documents

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