Lakes Region Planning Commission honors regional award winners

FRANKLIN — The Lakes Region Planning Commission hosted its annual meeting and 55th Anniversary Kick-off Celebration on June 29 at the Mojalak Country Club in Franklin. Approximately 115 municipal, regional, and political guests and friends joined the LRPC Commissioners, Executive Board, and staff for this celebration. Guest speaker Marty Parichand, executive director of Mill City Park, highlighted the renovations and achievements resulting in reinvigorating the City of Franklin and the LRPC presented five Awards of Excellence, three Community Service Awards, eight Household Hazardous Waste Awards, as well as a special award to our Household Hazardous Waste Coordinator.

Awards of Excellence were presented to The Andover Community Hub, the Belknap EDC & City of Laconia, Lakes Region Community Developers, Meredith Village Pathways Committee, and the Moultonborough Heritage Commission. This award serves to recognize organizations with exciting and innovative projects that have been successfully conceived, implemented, and completed in a community over the last year.

Community Service Awards were presented to Amelia Capone-Muccio of Wolfeboro, Edward “Rusty” McLear of Meredith, and Kenneth Mertz of New Hampton. The Community Service Award has been given annually since 2015 by the Lakes Region Planning Commission to individuals who have made exceptional and sustained contributions to their community and/or to the economy of the Lakes Region.

Household Hazardous Waste awards were presented to eight communities in recognition of their long-standing hosting of these annual collection events held the last week in July and the first week in August. These communities were the Town of Belmont, the Town of Bristol, the City of Franklin, the Town of Gilford, the City of Laconia, the Town of Meredith, the Town of Moultonborough, and the Town of Ossipee. A special award was presented to LRPC’s Regional Planner, David Jeffers, whose 20 years of coordinating these events has been invaluable to their success.