Council to vote on Motorcycle Week traffic order

LACONIA — The city council will be voting on the approval of a pair of temporary traffic orders for events coming up, including for Laconia Motorcycle Week and a Belknap Mill Steam Car tour.

Lakeside Avenue will be one-way heading north, from Route 3 to Foster Avenue, from 8 a.m. on Friday, June 12, to 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 21, during Laconia Motorcycle Week. There will be no left turns from Lakeside Avenue onto Tower Street; no right turns from Tower onto Lakeside; and no left turns from Tower onto Endicott Street North.

The order also includes Warner Street being one-way from Route 3 to Tower, and Tower Street being closed to through traffic about 100 feet west of Maple Street. Parking meters on Lakeside are suspended during the event.

Single-lane motorcycle parking on Lakeside is allowed, perpendicular to traffic, starting at Route 3 and ending at Tower Street on the east side, and then beginning at New Hampshire Avenue, and ending at Foster on the west side, in marked spaces. The order includes centerline parking on Lakeside, as well.

One observation tower will be allowed on Lakeside, near the intersection with Tower Street, and parking is not allowed to block crosswalks, intersections, Dumpsters, or toilets. The order also identifies Lakeside Avenue parking spaces reserved for sponsors.

The order also states various no-parking zones, and the wooden bridge between Lakeside and Centenary Avenue will be closed to motor vehicle traffic.

There is no parking on Lakeside between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., no parking on both sides of Watson Road by High Octane Saloon, and no parking on Lakeside from Tower to the first water barrier at New Hampshire, from 6 to 10 a.m.

Additional regulations will be in place for the Tower Street Motorcycle Hill Climb from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Tuesday, June 16.

The proposed traffic order includes the days leading up to Motorcycle Week, from Saturday, June 6, to Thursday, June 11, as the city prepares for thousands of visitors. That week, the order includes vendor-only parking in even-side parking spaces, no vendor parking in odd-side spaces, and no parking from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Lakeside from Route 3 to Tower. These same rules will apply for Monday through Wednesday, June 22-24, as event breakdown takes place.

The city council is expected to vote on the approval of a temporary traffic order for the New Hampshire Steam Car Tour, as Belknap Mill is a stop requesting three parking spaces along Beacon Street East near the Powerhouse Patio. Steam cars are coming in between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Wednesday, June 3.

The council will also vote on restoring 72 Jefferson St. to two distinct tracts, as recommended by the assessing and planning departments.

City Manager Kirk Beattie is also expected to recommend sending a proposed purchase-and-sales agreement for the Colonial Theatre to a public hearing before a final vote by council. The theater is currently owned by 609 Main Street LLC, the entity formed during the theater's revitalization.

Councilor are also expected to approve a Social District Management and Maintenance Plan, with a starting date of Memorial Day.

A public hearing will also be held regarding the Mile Hill Road Bridge rehabilitation project slated for summer of 2027.

Ahead of the meeting, at 6 p.m. on Monday, councilors will hear a budget presentation from the Laconia School District.

Laconia City Council meets at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 11, at City Hall.