City issues appeal to fill Planning Board vacancies

LACONIA — Faced with challenges of assembling a quorum, the city has issued an urgent plea in an effort to fill vacancies on the Planning Board.

At present three seats — one-third of the board’s full complement of nine members — are vacant. In addition, the board is one member short of its quota of three alternate members.

On Wednesday, City Planning and Zoning Director Dean Trefethen took the step of publishing an open letter in The Daily Sun explaining the board’s plight and asking residents to consider serving on the board.

“In a time where everyone is busy and the expectation is someone else will step up, I respectfully ask you to be a contributing citizen and help the city move forward,” Trefethen wrote.

One of the vacancies for a regular seat is allocated to a city resident at-large, whereas another is to be filled by a city administrative employee, and the third is an ex officio position which is to be filled by someone designated by the city manager.

Trefethen said in a telephone interview he issued the public letter in the hope of coming up with a pool of candidates for the openings.

He said a full roster of members better ensures the board can muster a quorum. The board had to cancel its January meeting at the last minute because it could not get the minimum of five members necessary to conduct business. As a result, all the development proposals on the agenda, including the restoration of the Lakeport Opera House, had to be deferred to the February meeting, scheduled for next Tuesday.

Trefethen said it is especially crucial to have a full board at a time when there has been “a definite uptick in discussions in my office about possible development in the city.”

The Planning Board meets on the first Tuesday of the month. The meetings last two to four hours, depending on the agenda, Trefethen said.

Alternate members are asked to attend every meeting in order to stay abreast of the different projects which come before the board. If a regular board member is absent, or has to step down because of a conflict of interest, the alternates then fill those seats.

Trefethen said the two most important attributes for a board member are common sense and willingness to put in the necessary time.

Those interested in being considered for the board are asked to contact the Planning Office by calling 603-527-1264 or emailing planning@laconianh.gov.