#LaconiaCityBoxScore — March 9: New school proposal before zoning board

Public Works Expense

The Public Works Building at 27 Bisson Avenue is slowly settling into a layer of peat, and a permanent solution will be costly. 

A staff report to be considered at Monday’s City Council meeting says it would cost $2.2 million to repair the building, or $3.2 million to build a new one.

The estimates came from a study on what could be done to stabilize and level the floor.

The report recommends a meeting of the council’s Land and Buildings Committee to come up with a plan.

School proposal

A private school could take shape at 791 N. Main St., under an application for a variance to be considered by the Zoning Board of Adjustment on March 18.

Mary Truell, of Meredith, is applying for the variance for what is now a residential two-story building. She said she plans to open another in a chain of schools called Acton Academy.

A website for her project said she and her husband learned about the schools when they were thinking ahead for their son’s education.

Acton Academy schools do not assign homework.

A statement on the website said the school will open for elementary school students with a future aim of expanding to middle school and high school students.

“Acton students learn mastery of the core skills of reading, writing, spelling, and math,” the statement says. “They also experience deep-learning ‘quests’ throughout the school year which build the knowledge, skills, techniques, self-drive, self-reliance, self-confidence and the ‘grit’ to be successful students and citizens in the 21st century.”

Seasonal weight limits

The City of Laconia will be posting a 10-ton weight limit on select roads beginning March 18.

Such limits are typical at a time when ice is melting and the roadbed has not solidified.

Public Works will begin installing the weight limit signs this coming week.

The city Public Works website — www.laconianh.gov/668/Public-Works — will have a map of roads with seasonal weight limits.

Permits may be available for loads over 10 tons, depending on conditions and time of day.

Those wishing a permit or more information can contact Public Works at 603-528-6379.

They said it

“I am by no means trying to minimize $1M in overtime costs. Staff and I are always ready and willing to explore options for reducing costs and welcome all points of view into the conversation.” — City Manager Scott Myers in reaction to a Laconia Daily Sun article about municipal overtime.

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“Maybe if they’d budget more for essential services, they wouldn’t be hit with so much OT and then complain about it.” — Mary Moon