City considers providing $100K to Belknap mill

LACONIA — The city is considering a request for $100,000 to help with a major campaign to restore and renovate the Belknap Mill.

Belknap Mill officials asked for the money by letter and in person at the last City Council meeting. Former Laconia mayors Paul Fitzgerald and Rod Dyer, as well as Bank of New Hampshire CEO and President Paul Falvey, spoke in favor of the request.

“I’m not here to ask the City Council for a handout,” Dyer said. “What I’d be asking you to do is invest in the city of Laconia as you invest in other projects that do have a certain result. I believe personally an investment by the City Council would be a signal to the overall community that you understand how important the mill is to this community.”

In the letter, Mill Executive Director Karen Prior and Allison Ambrose, a member of the mill’s Board of Directors, said the mill has raised $900,000 of a $1.5 million goal since embarking on restoration plans in 2015.

“The mill proudly boasts a new roof, two new high-efficiency boilers, a beautiful new sign and a near complete brand new elevator,” they said. “This summer, we are embarking on exterior renovations including replacement and restoration of windows, casing and trim along with site work, repointing and masonry.

“The next strategic phase will include upgrades to the third floor interior, including new flooring, handicapped- accessible restrooms, an updated caterer kitchen, and improvements to sound, lighting and technology.”

If the City Council decides to fulfill the request for $100,000, the money would likely come from the $509,000 it realized from the sale of property in the Lakeport Landing area to Irwin Marine.

A total of $300,000 of that amount is to be set aside in case the school district needs extra money to fund a 5-year agreement under which teachers are receiving significant raises. Another $100,000 is to go into a reserve fund, leaving an additional $100,000 that could be used for the mill.

The mill was built in 1823, one of many along the Winnipesaukee River that used hydro power to produce everything from hosiery to grain.

It is the oldest unaltered brick textile mill in the United States, according to the mill’s website.

The downtown mill now hosts educational programming, offers community meeting space and includes a museum, gift shop and offices. It is also used as a wedding venue.

Plans for the mill were based on one built in 1813 in Waltham, Massachusetts that was the first American mill to integrate the entire textile manufacturing process from raw cotton to finished cloth, under one roof.