Council rejects idea of creating parking lot in Sanborn Park

LACONIA — A city-owned 1-acre section of grass in Lakeport will not be turned into a parking lot for planned business development including a refurbished Opera House, the City Council decided in a split vote on Tuesday night.

Councilors Bob Hamel, Mark Haynes and Bruce Cheney voted to preserve the green space in Sanborn Park, while Councilors David Bownes and Andrew Hosmer supported an alternative motion to study all options for bringing more parking to the area.

The vote came after several people who live near the park said open space is at a premium and urged that the grassy area remain.

Steven J. Smith, acting as an agent for developer Scott Everett, said the businessman was willing to help with design and construction costs for the lot providing parking spots could be reserved for Opera House events.

Smith said money for a 90-spot parking lot could also be derived from the Lakeport Tax Increment Financing District through increased property tax revenue expected from development planned for the area.

A City Council committee will examine other parking options that won’t involve paving over the park. One suggestion was to put the green space atop a parking structure, or building underground parking with green space on the surface. Another idea was to build a parking structure in the parking lot of Lake Opechee Inn and Spa.

Even if the City Council wanted to pave over the park, there are significant complications beyond the opposition of some neighbors.

Federal money used to purchase the land that became Sanborn Park came with the requirement that it remain in recreational use unless the city found a suitable substitute property, subject to approval by the secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

“A couple meetings ago I stated that the grass area should remain there,” Councilor Hamel said. “There’s none left around it and for the city to go buy other pieces of property in the area, probably at premium prices, why should we do it?

“The person you’re looking to do all this with, he has the same options. He can go look for buildings that aren’t used and that probably could be torn down very easily and make parking spaces there, not far from where he wants to do his Opera House.”

Smith said all options are being considered.

Councilor Mark Haynes said he is sensitive to neighborhood opposition in the form of a petition and people who have spoken to the City Council.

“What concerns me the most is that it is such a condensed neighborhood and the streets are so narrow,” he said. “I just don’t see a parking lot there. That’s not the solution.”

Mayor Ed Engler said that if the council’s will is to preserve the park, the city might want to consider drawing up a plan for the future of the property, which is surrounded by a tall chain-link fence.

“The honest assessment of the current situation is that we have a very nice most-part-of-an-acre green field that we basically cut the grass on and that’s it, surrounded by a very inhospitable 8-foot-high chain-link fence and a locked gate with a big old padlock on it,” he said. “It’s hardly inviting for any activity whatever.”

George Gallitano, who lives on Willow Street, spoke on behalf of saving the green space.

He asked for a moment of silence for the soldier for whom the park was named, Pvt. John Sanborn, who was killed in action in Korea, Sept. 5, 1950.

“According to a Nov. 19, 2006, article in The Laconia Daily Sun, Pvt. Sanborn grew up on Mechanic Street in the same house where his mom was notified of his death. He was killed in heavy fighting three weeks after arriving in Korea,” Gallitano said.

He said he and his wife, Karen, see a stone bearing Pvt. Sanborn’s name when they walk their dog three times a day in the park.

“We wondered did the high regard once held for Pvt. Sanborn diminish with the passage of time? Are we really thinking about paving Pvt. Sanborn’s park in this community packed with veterans? I don’t think we are really thinking about that. I think it would be a shame if anything like that was to happen.”

While nobody from the public spoke in favor of turning the green space into parking on Tuesday, several business leaders have publicly expressed support for the idea, saying more parking is essential to foster badly needed economic development in Lakeport.

Everett purchased the historic Opera House and plans to turn it into an entertainment venue. He intends to lease the ground floor to The Laconia Daily Sun, which is leaving its currently leased office because the building has been sold.

Everett has also purchased several other properties nearby and intends a mixed-use development, including retail, commercial and residential. He was not immediately available for comment Wednesday.