Local control of Winni River Basin Program up for discussion at Monday’s council meeting

LACONIA — The Winnipesaukee River Basin Program, of which the city is a member, will soon have its own director, along with a study commission, after recent legislation was passed.

Gov. Kelly Ayotte recently signed SB 592 in law, which provides for the hiring of a director for the regional partnership. Council will meet to discuss this, and more, at 7 p.m. Monday, July 27, at City Hall.

Members of the WRBP regional wastewater system include Belmont, Center Harbor, Franklin, Gilford, Laconia, Meredith, Moultonborough, Northfield, Sanbornton, and Tilton. The system was created in 1972, concurrent with the Clean Water Act.

Per a note in the city manager’s report, “The Advisory Board anticipates the 1st meeting of the Study Commission will be held mid- to late-August. Their work must be completed by Nov 1, 2026. The Advisory Board selected Mark Borrin, Chair Bay District, to the Commission. The Mayor’s nominee, to be selected, can be from any of the member communities.”

The Bay District is comprised of Center Harbor and Moultonborough.

The commission will study how to create a local wastewater authority, long a topic of discussion by the group.

“The Advisory Board is in the final stages of hiring the law firm that assisted the Board in its previous efforts to create a separate municipal wastewater authority,” the report reads. “A July 22nd meeting with the DES Commissioner and his staff confirmed their support for transitioning to a separate municipal wastewater authority and helped them understand the Advisory Board’s expectations on the necessary interim improvements to the Program’s management.”

A 2025 letter of concern signed by representatives of member communities and addressed to New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Commissioner Robert Scott expressed concerns with the state’s ability to execute a capital improvements program that is “financially sustainable for the member communities.”

Primary concerns included how funding is spent; a lack of expertise on the program’s leadership team to properly manage and execute projects; an inability of the management team to articulate a long-term, cost-effective capital improvements program; and inability of management to develop cost-effective strategies for asset renewal and long-term rate impacts to taxpayers.

Member communities also received significant increases to their bills in 2025. About $70 million has been spent to construct the system, and annual operation and maintenance costs total around $4.7 million. Each community pays proportionally into the replacement fund, currently set at 5% of the total cost to completely replace the system over 10 years.

In other council business, City Manager Kirk Beattie will also provide a projects update, largely focusing on recent public works efforts around the city.

The public works department will be completing resurfacing work on River and Jewett streets in conjunction with water work being done on River Street. Later this fall, Tower Street, from Warner to Endicott, will be resurfaced.

There are 10 additional road projects being considered to “see what best fits in the budget,” according to Beattie’s report. “Ten roads are being estimated by DPW to help further determine what road projects will be targeted in the second half of 2026.”

To date, paving has been completed at Morningside, Windmill, Larkwood and Clearwater.

Regarding bridge work, the bridge at Centenary Avenue is still awaiting a third-party design review by Patriot Rail. And there are no new updates with the Mill River Pedestrian Bridge, although a future public information session will be held to consider proposed alternatives.

“This project was first budgeted for in March of 2023. While a generous amount of inflation was accounted for, it was not enough. DPW is working with HEB engineers to request further funding from HUD so that the desired scope of work can be executed,” states the project update report.

The city received three bids on July 10, for the Weirs Blvd and Route 3 bridge project, and the city is on the hook for $346,529. The bid will be awarded by July 31, by the New Hampshire Department of Transportation. Construction will begin immediately after Labor Day.

“The contractor (Weaver Brothers) will mobilize on site during the first week of September,” according to the report. “Weirs Blvd will be closed during the fall duration of the project starting on Tuesday September 8th.”

Since the WOW Trail expansion is nearing completion at the end of the summer, a meeting will be held between public works, parks & rec, Paugus Properties and the WOW Trail organization to discuss furnishing and landscaping the area.

White Oaks Road and its sewer work will be completed by Labor Day, where a sewer force main bypass is being installed at the Langley Brook sewer pump station.

Finally, Beattie will provide an update on the sale of the former Laconia State School. No notes were shared regarding this item.

Additionally, the council will make a motion on whether or not to accept a donation of $10,000 in unanticipated revenue funds from the Rotary Club of Laconia, for an irrigation update needed at Rotary Park.

The Laconia Fire Department Mobile Integrated Health unit will seek the council’s permission to continue pursuing grant funding of $500,000 through the Foundation for Healthy Communities “Go North” program to expand the program. There is no financial match required by the city.

A motion will be considered to allow The New England Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society to host a “mini boat show” — roughly 40-45 boats — and reserve 1,000 feet of dock space from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 12.

“NECACBS is exploring the possibility of rotating their antique and classic boat show, which has been traditionally been held in Wolfeboro, to various locations around Lake Winnipesaukee,” the manager’s report reads. “The event on September 12th in the Weirs will act as an informal ‘mini boat show’ and member rendezvous, and a trial for a potential future location in Laconia.”

Appointments are also on the agenda, and Dave Oulette will be considered as the planning board’s representative to the Conservation Commission. At the planning board meeting July 7, Ouellette was named, but the appointment requires council approval.

On July 20, the Appointments Committee met to review recent applications, and moves forward the following recommendations: David Wunsch, 3-year appointment on the Water Commission; Mitch Hamel, 3-year reappointment to the Parks & Recreation Commission; Jane Whitehead, 3-year reappointment to the Heritage Commission; Archie Keltz, 1-year appointment to the Laconia Human Relations Committee; Stacy Soucy, 2-year appointment to the Colonial Theatre Advisory Board; and Taylor Hough, 2-year appointment to the Colonial Theatre Advisory Board.

To view the agenda, visit laconianh.gov.

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Katlyn Proctor can be reached at katlyn@laconiadailysun.com or by calling 603-524-0150.