Volume 20, Number 39
Serving Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall
www.TownTimes.com
Friday, Januar y 10, 2014
Snow worries mount up in Durham By Mark Dionne Town Times
At the two December Board of Selectmen meetings, Durham officials have expressed frustration over snow removal issues in town. Homeowners and plowing services have in past storms caused problems for traffic and continued snow removal by depositing snow from driveways into the streets. Speed bumps of hardened snow across roads and mounds of snow left on the sides of the streets from driveways create a hazard for traffic. Department of Emergency Management Director Frances Willet, who attended both BOS meetings, said that the improperly deposited snow was also a hazard for emergency vehicles operating after a storm.
According to a town ordinance: “No person shall deposit any snow, ice, leaves or other debris onto any portion of any public town road, street or sidewalk, so as to impede or render unsafe any manner of use or travel upon said public town road, street or sidewalk.” There is a potential $50 fine for each offense. Although the winter of 2013-2014 has been so far less dramatic than recent winters, snowstorms have already brought out the town plows. Town officials at the BOS meetings after the snowfalls suggested they may need to be more aggressive enforcing the ordinance. Another ordinance requires homeowners with adjoining sidewalks to clear the sidewalks of snow within 24 hours of the end of a snowstorm. If a homeowner
fails to clear the snow, the town may do so at the home owner’s expense, with an additional $5 fine. It is also unlawful to park on Durham streets between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. from Nov. 1 to April 1 or anytime during a declared snow emergency. The board also discussed publicizing the town’s policy on replacing mailboxes damaged by snowplowing. According to the town’s policy, distributed by Francis, “The Department of Public Works will not be responsible for mailbox damage from snow being propelled against the mailbox during snowplowing activities.” For mailboxes damaged by direct contact from a snow plow, the Department of Public Works will determine the cause of the damage improper mailbox installation or plow operator error.
This mailbox needs to be shoveled out. |(Mark Dionne\Town Times.)
In the case of operator error, damaged mailboxes will be replaced with a standard mailbox and post. The Public Works’ policy suggests that homeown-
ers install their mailboxes 12 inches away from the road edge and 40 to 44 inches above the road elevation and not let snow pile up around the mailbox.
Mini Mustangs help Willy’s Friends By Mark Dionne
success because a snowstorm forced it to be rescheduled from the previous weekend. The M i n i The change was not a deterMustangs, a local rent however, as donations youth horse club, proved. The group raised almost held its fifth annual food drive and $450 and over 150 pounds of fundraiser, Dec. food at the event. The Mini Mustangs were 21, on the Durham town green. The formed six years ago under event was to ben- the direction of Pat Bandzes efit Help Willy’s and Debbie Sommers, of Friends, a group Middlefield, as a group of that collects do- what Bandzes called “young, nations to support crazy, horse girls.” “We are a 4-H horse club,” a n i m a l shelters and rescue groups. said Bandzes. “Our club Fundraiser or- is primarily educational, ganizers were ini- but we also do community tially concerned service.” The original Mini about the event’s Town Times
Mustangs are now in middle school and high school. “They’re not so mini any more, but that’s still our name,” Bandzes said. The club has since relocated to Chester, but still consists of mostly Durham and Middlefield members. The food drive has been a part of the Mini Mustangs’ community service through the years. According to Bandzes the original event involved a trail ride and a door to door collection with horses, but that was not the most convenient method. Then the event, called “Riding for Rudolph,” became stationary, first on the Middlefield town green and for the last
two years on Durham’s town green. At this year’s food drive, one horse was dressed up as Rudolph and another as Rudolph’s helper and residents could meet, pet and get pictures with the horses while making a donation to Help Willy’s Friends. “They’re a good group of kids,” said Mark Paturzo, founder of Help Willy’s Friends. “They do it for us every year and the locals kind of know after a while and will come down with food and supplies or cash.” “We’ve been helping shelters and rescue groups for See Mustangs / Page 4