Hearing on Weirs streets postponed

LACONIA — A public hearing about the status of two unpaved streets in Weirs Beach will not take place during this Monday’s City Council meeting as originally planned, according to the city manager.

The hearing regarding Plantation Road and Colonial Road — both unpaved streets — will be rescheduled to a later date, City Manager Scott Myers said.

Myers said the two streets, which are off Endicott Street East (Route 11B), have never been accepted as city streets, and so, under state law, the city is not allowed to maintain or improve them.

The hearing had been scheduled several months ago in order to get public comments, particularly from residents on the two streets. But since whatever public comment there will be at Monday’s meeting will be by internet or telephone access, the hearing was postponed until a time when the council will be holding an in-person meeting.

Myers said there will be no immediate change in how the streets are maintained.

In the future, he said the city could designate the streets as emergency lanes. That would allow the city to plow and do minimal maintenance so emergency vehicles could use them safely. Another option, Myers explained, would be for residents to agree to some kind of betterment tax which would be used to bring the two streets up to city standards.