Council to discuss $170K for rewrite to zoning ordinance Sept. 14

LACONIA — A request to spend InvestNH Municipal Per Unit Grant Program funds of $174,000 for development of a comprehensive zoning map redesign, development code, interactive online zoning map, and training for city staff will be heard at the council meeting Monday.

Mayor Mike Bordes will proclaim the week of Sept. 13-19 as Direct Support Professionals Recognition Week in the city. Support professionals are trained “trusted advocates, caregivers, mentors, and partners” who work with individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities, assisting them with living more independently and immersing themselves in their community.

A public hearing will be held regarding accepting $86,500 from the Department of Safety Homeland Security Grant Program for the police department, to go toward the purchase of pole cameras with solar panels.

Council will also hold public hearings to discuss establishing Prescott and Paugus Avenues as emergency lanes indefinitely, or as winter-only emergency lanes, as well as authorizing $10,000 for the Laconia Rotary Club for an irrigation upgrade in Rotary Park, and authorizing $112,000 from the Capital Reserve Fund for School Construction and/or Renovation to replace two outdated boilers at Huot Career and Technical Center, on the campus of Laconia High School.

The council will also hear a request to waive fees for the first ever WinniPAWsaukee Diving Into Fall Festival Oct. 3-4, a dog-friendly, community event fundraising for Old Dogs Go to Helen, a statewide nonprofit helping senior dogs receive the care and comfort they need in their final days. Organizers are asking council to waive the applicable city fees, a special event fee of $850, and a licensing fee of $225. The organizers were not aware of the deadline to submit event information, and say they ensure the deadline will be met next time, as organizers hope to make this an annual event.

With the Laconia Pumpkin Festival coming up on Oct. 23-24, council will consider a temporary traffic order for the event. Beginning at 1 a.m. on Friday Oct. 23, the parking lot between Main and Pleasant streets will be closed for activities, as well as Veterans Square from the intersection of Main and Church streets to the Pleasant intersection. On Saturday, Oct. 24, Pleasant, Beacon West, Canal, Hanover, Main, and Church streets, as well as the Church Street parking lot entrance to Laconia Public Library, will be closed as of 1 a.m.

The council will also hear a request from the Laconia Fire Department to use impact fee funds of $11,000 to replace a “malfunctioning heating and cooling system network controller” at the central station. The department reported the current controller is no longer usable and cannot be repaired. The request would leave the Impact Fee Fund with a balance of $15,690.60.

Council meets at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 14, at City Hall downtown.