Council to review veterans parking, appointments, Elm Street School drainage project at Monday meeting

LACONIA — One city councilor is pushing for reserved parking spaces for veterans, and council will discuss the concept when they meet at 7 p.m. on Monday.

Councilor Mike Conant (Ward 6) requests the council honor veterans by allocating parking spaces at City Hall, the library, and election polls. The parking spots would be next to a handicapped space.

The council will determine if the cost of signs is a worthy investment, or not.

Other items on Monday’s agenda include 15 appointments to boards and commissions, accepting a grant for the police department and sheriff’s office, and an update on the sewer line replacement at Belknap House, as well as using impact fees to repair drainage at Elm Street School.

The Appointments Subcommittee has reviewed 15 applications, for new appointments or reappointments, and provided recommendations to council. The council will hear these, and vote.

The candidates include Matthew Soza and Patrick Wood, 3 years each on the Laconia Human Relations Committee; Dave Ouelette, 3 years on the Planning Board; Mark Ashley, Marie Bright, Kevin Hayhurst, and William Lewis, alternates to the Planning Board; Carol Devito and Robert Turpin, 3-year alternates on the Planning Board; Bruce Kneuer and Beth Newton, alternates to Library Board of Trustees; Charlie St. Clair, 3-year reappointment to the Planning Board and 3-year reappointment to the Historic District Commission; Jim Rogato, 3-year reappointment to the Licensing Board; and Elizabeth Ballantyne, 5-year reappointment to the Laconia Putnam Fund.

City Manager Kirk Beattie will look for approval to accept a 2025 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance for $11,756. The grant will be used by the Laconia Police Department and the Belknap County Sheriff’s Office.

In Laconia, $7,000 will be used to buy a utility trailer for the department’s utility vehicles, as well as purchase eight tie-down straps.

The Belknap County Sheriff’s Office will receive $4,756 toward the purchase of various equipment, including ID badges.

Council will hear about progress on the sewer line replacement project at Belknap House, at 200 Court St., which suffered sewer line damage in December 2025. The line was replaced in May, funded by emergency Community Development Block Grant funds.

The project is now complete, and a public hearing will take place on Monday, July 13.

Lastly, the council will discuss the use of impact fees to the tune of $65,000, to repair drainage issues at Elm Street School, following a public hearing on the matter. Water pooling in the bus loop impedes use, straining traffic along Elm Street, as it is increasingly used by parents for pick-up. The proposed work will reconfigure drainage angles and use swales to alleviate the current issue.

A report by Diane Clary, business administrator for the Laconia School District, shows after using $65,000 in impact fees, the remaining account balance is $185,337.93.

Council meets at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 22, at City Hall downtown. For more information, visit laconianh.gov.