Lynn and Peter Burr

To the editor:

The road not often taken, chosen by Lynn and I, has been long, hard and costly; long as in over two years, hard as in many stress induced sleepless nights, and costly as in dollars well spent on excellent council and lost productivity in our simple desire to use our property in a peaceful, reasonable way. This use will insure that Cheapo Depot, now 15 years old, sustained by your loyalty, stay viable against the adversarial angst of ever rising operational cost and taxes. We are providing a most useful and desirable service to the Laconia citizenry and those of surrounding communities in renting clean, well maintained and competitively priced small box trucks.

Lynn and I have been better enabled to persevere in our quest for just and equal treatment with your continued, unyielding support. Over 1,600 of you have signed our petition papers (many of you went out of your way to do so) and many more of you have willing given us your ongoing well wishes and yes… prayers. Such a display of approval has strengthened our resolve and bolstered the courage of our convictions that we are in the right. Our thanks to you are inexpressible! We would also like to thank the Medias, both local newspapers and radio stations, for their balanced, well informed commentaries and allowing us to use their platforms to communicate our endeavors and experiences as they developed.

Once again, Lynn and I are trying to avoid court action against the ZBA by resolving this matter through the planning board, referred to them by the City Council Board members. We do believe that a court action is the least desirable manner to resolve differences, but it is almost always the fairest, “leveling the playing field”, way to bring these differences before a judge who has and is allowed no personal agenda. He is only concerned with dispensing to the best of his abilities, fairness and justice.

On Tuesday, June 19, the Planning Board will hold a public meeting. At this meeting, they will allow public input to assist their semi-final recommendation the City Council Board Members regarding our request and those of Tire Warehouse and Dupont Construction Co. to be returned to a commercial zone status as we were pre- May 2000. If for some reason this is deemed not possible, we will rely on the Planning Board’s fairness by presenting the City Council Members creative solution(s) resolving this truck rental dilemma. Sooner or later we all (almost all) need a rental truck.

Once again, Lynn and I ask for your appreciated support by standing up with us and attending this meeting, knowing truly well, that by standing up for our rights, you are standing up for yours. Lynn and I, as do Bob Dupont owner of Dupont Construction, and Allen Bald owner of Tire Warehouse, hope that the Planning Board members, after proper deliberation, will render a workable solution for all parties involved. This would be a most welcomed contrast to the unsubstantiated conjectures and suppositions founding the Laconia ZBA’s dismissal of our reasonable request to operate a truck rental agency in such an abrupt manner and onerous way. If you believe that you have a right to use your private property in the “pursuit of life, liberty and happiness” in a peaceful, reasonable way please join Lynn and I at this meeting held at Laconia City Hall, at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday June 19. According to the meeting itinerary our request is one of the first items to be considered. So it should not take up too much of your evening.

Lynn and Peter Burr

Laconia