Friday, April 30, 2021
www.towntimes.com
Volume 27, Number 18
Community gets behind drug ‘Take Back’ effort
Residents support additional funding for Farmers Market
By Bronwyn Commins Special to Town Times
By Nadya Korytnikova Town Times
There’s a movie, a 2021 action thriller called “Take Back,” that never made its way into theaters due to the pandemic. It’s got martial arts, kidnapping and all kinds of Hollywood-style excitement. But this film has nothing to do with the kind of “take back” that has meaning in the lives of everyday people. So to the movie’s director Christian Sesma, I say, let me tell you about my version of “Take Back,” i.e. National Prescription Drug Take Back Day and the local people who are real stars.
Some Durham residents are asking the town to reconsider the amount of funding for the Durham Farmers’ Market in the 2021-22 budget. In past years, the market received just under $2,000 from the town. For the upcoming fiscal year, Market Master Jon Scagnelli asked the Board of Finance for $13,900. The reason for the increase, he said, is that the outdoor Farmers’ Market and the Winter Market are now open for a total of 47 weeks.
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is a safe, convenient, and responsible way to dispose of unused or expired prescription drugs at locations in communities throughout the country, according to the getsmartaboutdrugs.gov website.
The Board of Finance decided to allocate $5,100 for the Farmers’ Market in the upcoming fiscal year. In response, residents submitted letters to the town asking that the decision to cut Scagnelli’s request be reconsidered.
The October 2020 Take Back Day brought in 985,392 pounds (or 493 tons) of medication. This was the largest amount ever collected in the program’s 10 years, bringing the total amount of prescription drugs collected to nearly 13.7 million pounds. See Take Back, A12
Board of Finance Chairman Bob Donahue is among those supporting more funding for the market. In his letter, he stated that the market helps with economic development by drawing people to town. “We should go forward with the proposition that was originally proposed,” said Donahue. “The market is a consistent and continual draw of community activity and commerce. The price tag in comparison to what is gotten in return is well worth the cost.” In letters, residents praised Scagnelli for the extra hours he puts in to bolster the market, noting that he was able to increase the number of vendors from 20 to 30 since becoming Market Master in 2019. See Market, A21
Creating a nature-friendly yard By Joy VanderLek Special to Town Times
It may come as a surprise, but not all landscapers and garden center employees have the right answers for you and your yard. That’s the message behind designer Kathy Connolly’s presentation “Ten Trends in Landscape and Lawncare.” It’s also behind her push to get homeowners to update their own gardening knowledge toolbox. More than a few times Connolly observed homeowners and gardeners on the receiving end of incorrect information. “I was in a garden center and a gentleman walked up to the checkout counter with his shopping cart full of lawn fertilizer
bags,” she said, adding that the guy’s cart must have held at least $150 worth of fertilizer. “This was in February,” Connolly said. The eager customer asked the cashier if it was time to put it on the lawn, and Connolly was flabbergasted when the worker replied, “Yes. Of course. They put it out on the shelves when it’s time.” That was not the correct answer. Soil temperatures need to be 50-55 degrees before you use fertilizers. Connolly has since observed more instances of poor advice, including a lawncare service that advised a customer to See Lawncare, A20
Durham residents submitted letters supporting additional funding for the Farmers’ Market. Market Master Jon Scagnelli has requested $13,900.