New downtown park debuts just in time for Pumpkin Festival visitors

LACONIA — Near the junction of Pleasant Street and Main Street, where water once puddled and froze, it now bubbles from a circular fountain of polished granite that serves as the centerpiece of an oasis in the passageway leading from Vintage Row in the McIntryre Block to the heart of downtown.

"It's beautiful," said Jeanne Compton of New England Porch Rockers, whose shop overlooks the space. "And no more puddles."

City Manager Scott Myers said that in seeking to overcome the significant drainage problems in the area, the city took the opportunity to enhance the streetscape by providing an eye-catching space for plantings, respites and even performances. The beds, planted with chrysanthemums to bring color to autumn that will be replaced by perennials in the spring, are irrigated. Paved area between the plantings will accommodate tables, chairs and benches. Another space offers a venue to street musicians and performers.There is electricity at the site for lighting and sound along with a fixture to display a Christmas tree. The theme along the passage has been carried through to Main Street, where less obtrusive plantings have taken the place of the trees shrouding the storefronts.

Myers said that the final cost of the project has yet to be tallied, but anticipated the drainage and landscaping would total approximately $90,000.