Councilors to discuss special committees, Weirs bandstand, bike auction Monday night

LACONIA — Councilors at their meeting on Monday will discuss establishing the Human Relations Committee as a permanent council subcommittee, along with a new bandstand for the Weirs boardwalk, and a bike auction. 

Human Relations Committee

The Human Relations Committee is a special committee with appointed members, and has existed for several decades. In recent months, the committee has become the subject of discussion regarding council rules on appointing and reappointing its members. 

According to a staff report, City Manager Kirk Beattie’s recommendation is that councilors refer the matter to the council’s Government Operations and Ordinances Subcommittee for further consideration, and schedule a public hearing on the proposed ordinance amendment to receive input from voters on the question. 

The city council meeting is 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 10, at City Hall downtown.

The Laconia Human Relations Committee is hosting a forum in the auditorium at Laconia High School to discuss homelessness from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12. A panel of community members will discuss homelessness, and there will be an interactive question and answer session afterward. 

Members of the public who cannot attend are invited to send comments and suggestions to the committee at nbrown@laconianh.gov. 

An amended city ordinance would include that the committee shall consist of 13 members, appointed for three-year terms. Its members shall include one appointed by the city manager, two appointed by the mayor, nine appointed by councilors following interviews and recommendations made by the subcommittee on appointments, and one member of the council itself, selected by fellow councilors.

The proposed amendment stipulates members of the committee must be property owners or city residents, or business owners or managers of a company within city limits. The majority of members would have to be residents of the city. 

Boardwalk bandstand

And councilors will consider a request from the Weirs Tax Increment Financing District board to issue a request for proposal to solicit bids from vendors to build a bandstand at the boardwalk. 

The request would include an engineering review of the boardwalk to determine project feasibility; design of a bandstand and supporting structure; and construction of the bandstand and supporting structures. 

If councilors approve the request, the Weirs TIF advisory board will work with the city’s public works, finance, and parks and recreation departments to put out the call for bids, and review qualified proposals received.

Bike auction

In other business, councilors will consider donating discarded bikes to the WOW Trail auction. 

Laconia police have received a number of found and unclaimed bicycles from around the city. Those bikes are typically sent off to White Farm in Concord, and either sold or auctioned off. A limited amount of proceeds returns to the city. 

But that hasn’t happened in several years, according to a staff report. 

A representative of the WOW Trail asked to manage the auction in conjunction with the police department. All proceeds would contribute to the maintenance and upkeep of the WOW Trail. Laconia police officers would assist in coordinating the auction.