Council sees economic development a top priority

LACONIA — Economic development ranks as the top goal for the city, according to a recent survey of the City Council and the city manager.

Promoting a vibrant, thriving community was considered critical by Mayor Andrew Hosmer, City Manager Scott Myers, and four of the five city councilors who participated in a recent goal-setting session.

Downtown development, and particularly the Colonial Theatre restoration project, was cited as a major goal by Hosmer, Myers, and City Councilors David Bownes and Bob Hamel. Hosmer and Councilor Bruce Cheney placed a great importance on redevelopment of the old Laconia State School complex.

A special commission is in the process of finding uses for the 235-acre site that would create jobs and generate tax revenue. A bill currently making its way through the Legislature would empower a seven-member board to direct the redevelopment, including the subdivision of the property and the sale of land and buildings to private parties.

The Colonial restoration, currently underway, is expected to be completed by the end of the year. According to the survey report, the goal is to have a company take on the responsibilities of managing the venue by June.

In listing his top goals, Myers called for the city to focus on “being 100 percent business-friendly.”

In that vein, Hosmer called for the establishment of a business roundtable. The group would be comprised of nine local business leaders with the mayor acting as a convener, Hosmer said Monday. He said he hoped that the group would be able to meet informally as early as sometime next month.

Hosmer said he believes such a group would improve communication between the business sector and city officials.

“We need to collaborate as allies, and not just when there are problems,” Hosmer said.

Other priorities surfaced through the goal-setting session were continued upgrades in the city’s infrastructure and efforts to improve quality-of-life issues, such as cleaning up run-down properties and junk left on the streets.

Another issue many want explored further is whether the city should have its own economic development director.

Hosmer said Laconia is one of the few cities in the state which does not have someone working full-time on promoting economic opportunities — both for businesses already in the city as well as those that could be encouraged to locate to the city.

He said such a position – and how it might be funded – is a topic that should be put before the business roundtable.

Infrastructure improvements listed in the survey report deal with whether to renovate or replace the downtown parking garage, a review of downtown parking and whether to impose parking fees, and determining other improvement projects geared to residents and visitors.