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Originally Posted by Laconia Citizen
The city agreed to give Stonefence Acquisitions, which is controlled by the Mailloux family, several parcels of land on Centenary Drive, where the company wants to build a marina, in exchange for easements around the water tower, whose operation will eventually be assumed by the Laconia Water Department.
Stonefence, as is customary with other developments in the city, designed and built the water system at its own expense but also worked out a formula with the municipality where it would receive "payback" money for off-site extension.
The amount was to be $181,800, Water Department Superintendent Mike Matthewman told the planning board, but now stands at $520,000.
Meanwhile, the planning board has approved several projects whose development was conditioned upon the water extension, among them the Beaver Pond subdivision on Roller Coaster Road.
Earlier this year, Southworth became a partner with the Maillouxes in Akwa Vista but Matthewman said the easement negotiations are continuing to take place with the latter's lawyer.
Attorney Regina Nadeau, who represents the Beaver Pond developer, suggested that the planning board should table the Akwa Vista re-subdivision if the easement issue is not resolved soon.
She said her client has "no intention to stand in the way of the developer" but was anxious to begin his own project.
Peter Alpert, who is executive vice-president of Southworth Development, pointed out that "a lot of these issues" predate his company's involvement with Akwa Vista, adding that progress has been made and "we think we'll reach a solution."
Planning board member Gerry Mailloux said the water department was wasting ratepayer money by having to dump water monthly — about 500,000 gallons, valued at between $2,000 and $3,000, according to Matthewman — because the water in the Akwa Vista tank was getting "stale" since only a handful of homes have been built there.
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