THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
VOL. 13 NO. 81
LACONIA, N.H.
527-9299
FREE
THURSDAY
Pawn shop owner guilty of receiving stolen tools BY GAIL OBER
THE LACONIA DAILY SUN
LACONIA — After a two-day trial, a city pawn broker was convicted by a Belknap County Superor Court jury on four counts of receiving stolen property for buying tools that he knew were stolen from Lowe’s home improvement store. Frederick W. Brent, 48, of 691 Weirs Blvd., the of the owner of Cash ‘N’ Toys at 1073 Union Avenue, remains free on bail and will be sentenced at a later date. see PAWN page 7
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James Belcher, with help from a team of contractors, has been renovating an historic home on Harvard Street in Laocnia and he says now is a great time for others interested in doing the same. (Laconia Daily Sun photos/Adam Drapcho)
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LACONIA — The house at 33 Harvard Street was built in the late 19th Century to be the stately home of Albert G. Folsom, a pillar of commerce and civic duty in the city. By 1930, though, the property would be lost to foreclosure, spending much of the 20th Century in the less-than-glamorous role of apartment building, falling deeper into a state of disrepair. Earlier this year, though,
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BY ADAM DRAPCHO THE LACONIA DAILY SUN
the building received a new life when purchased by local rental property owner and developer James Belcher. When Belcher took ownership of the large, two-story home, he said, “It was in appalling condition.” The roof was leaking in several places, and many components “turned to dust” with minimal agitation. If not for immediate attention, the structure was in danger of falling beyond repair. “The place was totally neglected
since the Great Depression,” Belcher said. Belcher knows something about second chances. A Quincy, Massachusetts native, he earned a Master’s in education from Harvard University and then got a job with Hewlett-Packard, leading training programs for employees. The career paid enough that his wife Linda could stay home to raise their three children. But, in 1995, at the age of 45, Belcher suffered a see HOUSE page 8
Condo owners challenge proposed site of new Meredith Rite-Aid
MEREDITH — With an alternative design for the store they seek to build on Route 25 in hand, representatives of the Rite-Aid Corporation returned to the Planning Board this week
where they were met by some 20 residents of Meredith Bay Village warning that the project would exacerbate already dangerous traffic conditions on the heavily travelled highway.
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At the same time, Frank Montero of MHF Design Consultants, told the board that Rite-Aid’s lease at the Meredith Shopping Center will expire at the end of the year and the firm
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was considering operating temporarily at 343 Daniel Webster Highway until the new store was completed. “Maybe they should put the see MEREDITH page 12
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