Heritage Commission

CITY OF LACONIA HERITAGE COMMISSION 5:00 PM City Hall - Armand A. Bolduc City Council Chamber Accepted February 9, 2022 1/12/2022 - Minutes 1. Call to order Chair Jane Whitehead called the meeting to order at 5:06 pm 2. Salute to the flag 3. Roll call Scott Ringer (zoom), Jane Whitehead, Lois Kessin (zoom), Catherine Tokarz Due to the lack of a quorum in the City Hall, this is not a formal meeting but rather a working session for the commission. 4. Recording secretary Taylor Daigle, Conservation/Planner Technician 5. Staff in attendance Dean Trefethen, Planning Director 6. Acceptance of Minutes from previous meeting 6.I. Acceptance of Minutes for November 10 7. City Council Liaison Report 8. Planning Board update 9. New business 9.I. Election of Officers 9.II. Round table discussion, with invited guests, of respective role and common goals: J. Whitehead introduces the goal of tonight’s working session being for various members of the community and surrounding network share how/why they have interest in preservation and to share what each group works on, etc. Members of the commission and guests from the community introduced themselves and their interests and group’s work/activities. J. Whitehead discusses some of the successes that Laconia’s commission has had (Colonial Theatre, St. Joseph’s church). There is discussion of what the commission’s role may be with the State School property. D. Trefethen explains that while it is state owned, it is not in local jurisdiction. However, when it is sold to a developer it will fall under all local ordinances, including review by the Heritage Commission.  J. Whitehead discusses some of the successes that Laconia’s commission has had (Colonial Theatre, St. Joseph’s church). There is discussion of what the commission’s role may be with the State School property. D. Trefethen explains that while it is state owned, it is not in local jurisdiction. However, when it is sold to a developer it will fall under all local ordinances, including review by the Heritage Commission. David and Ann Wilkins, of Madison, NH, share their local work with historic exhibits. They mention that this has been an excellent way to engage their community and exhibits like dresses and games have been very successful. 9.II.I. Jennifer Goodman from the NH Preservation Alliance Jennifer Goodman, of NH Preservation Alliance, discussed how NHPA works as a resource for commissions and the general heritage/historical state network. She mentions a lot of their work is helping commissions find a way to say “yes” to projects and that Laconia has recently been a hotbed with the Colonial Theatre and State School project. 9.II.II. Pam Clark form the Laconia Historical Society Pam Clark, of Laconia’s Historical Society, discussed their group’s work over the past few years. Covid has impacted a lot of their in-person programming, but they have had great success in initiating an online presence on Facebook. They have a lot of interest in opening a museum for the society in Laconia. D. Trefethen mentions he may be able to help with that. J. Goodman asks if Laconia is a “Certified Local Government” as that can open some doors within the preservation and historical networks. It is not at the moment. 9.II.III. Karl Reitz and Tara Shore from the Laconia Historic Overlay District Commission Tara Shore and Karl Reitz, of Laconia’s Historic Overlay District Commission, share how their commission came about with the St. Joseph’s church situation. T. Shore says they have a solid foundation and a full commission despite it only being just over a year old. She discusses that the public has began sharing input about the district they put in place and that it might become broader at the request of the City Council. The commission’s focus right now is public education and branding. K. Reitz reiterates these ideas and indicates the commission has interest in furthering preservation efforts across the city, possibly in the Weirs and Lakeport areas. 9.II.IV. Vicki Donovan from the Belmont Heritage Commission Vicki Donovan, of the Belmont Heritage Commission, discussed the work the Belmont commission is doing in their community. She emphasizes some of their initiatives with integration historical and preservation concepts into education at the schools, particularly with the Heritage Commission’s coloring book and classroom presentations. 9.III. Historic District Project Presentation 10. Old business 11. Public comment 12. Other business 13. Adjournment The working meeting ended at 6:18 pm