Planning Board applicants tell council why they want to serve

LACONIA — The City Council is scheduled to fill at its next meeting two vacancies on the Planning Board after interviewing five residents who recently applied to serve.

Larry Zupkosky, David Carleton, Alan Oszy, Stacy Soucy and Jewel Fox appeared before the council on Feb. 10 to explain their interest in the post.

Soucy said he would like to volunteer more and do more for the city.

Fox said she had read both the Master Plan for the city published in 2007 and the latest plan which was promulgated two years ago. The latest version states the city should do more to foster population growth.

Oszy said city planning needs to not just be about buildings, but also the city’s infrastructure.

Carleton told the council his background construction and building trades would be an asset to the board.

Zupkosky said he is always interested “in how the city’s doing,” and said the city should pay more attention to retirees who are residents.

The board will be filling a vacancy for a regular seat on the board, and one position for an alternate member. The appointments are scheduled to be made at the Feb. 24 council meeting.

Meanwhile, City Manager Scott Myers told the council he recently named two people to ex-officio seats on the board.

Richard MacNeill was named to fill the seat allocated to the city manager or his designee. MacNeill has an engineering background and has worked for public utilities. Fire Chief Kirk Beattie was named to fill the seat allotted to a member of the city administration.