By JOHN KOZIOL

Staff Writer

LACONIA — City officials have signed off on the request of the Naswa Resort to operate a "beer festival" tent during Bike Week and are considering doing so for a Manchester eatery.

On Tuesday, representatives of the city’s Police, Fire and Code Enforcement departments said they had each given their written authorization for the Naswa to seek a three-day festival license from the New Hampshire State Liquor Commission.

The commission earlier this month had denied the Naswa’s request to extend its current liquor license to include beverage service to a beer tent that would be erected on a parking lot on the east side of Weirs Boulevard because the tent was not contiguous to the main inn on the west side of the road.

In addition to the Naswa, Fire Chief Ken Erickson added that he okayed the request of the Queen City’s Uptown Tavern to run a beer festival tent at the Weirs Beach Drive-In on Endicott Street North.

Earlier this year, the Laconia Motorcycle Technical Review Committee approved single beer tents at both the Naswa and the Weirs Beach Drive-In.

Erickson said Uptown Tavern representatives indicated they wanted to apply to the NHSLC for three, three-day festival licenses for the period of June 6-14.

Bike Week takes place from June 7-15.

Laconia Police Chief Tom Oetinger said he was in discussions with the tavern about the conditions of his assent and Code Enforcement Officer Michelle Bonsteel, who is also the city’s health officer, said she was waiting for the police and fire departments to act before she considered the application.

Under Section 178:32, Beer Festival Licenses, of its rules, the commission requires that the applicant obtain the approval of the local fire chief as to "the safety of the location;" of the local health department "concerning sanitary conditions;" and of the police department "as to the accessibility and public safety of the location and the event" before it will issue a festival license.

For the purpose of "promoting the products of the beverage industry," the NHSLC, according to Section 178, "may issue a supplemental beer festival license to the holder of a beverage manufacturers license, brew pub license, wholesale distributors license, beverage vendor or beverage vendor importers license, on-sale license or off-sale license," as well as to "a responsible person representing a voluntary non-profit group or such group's designee."

Applications for a festival license must be filed 15 working days before the date on which the license is needed, the rule said.

Representatives of the Naswa, the Uptown Tavern and the NHSLC were not available for comment on Tuesday.

Erickson said both the Naswa and Uptown Tavern also had to obtain a permit of assembly from his department, at which time a maximum occupancy for the tents would be set, as well as approval from the city’s Licensing Board.

In its beer tent application to the NHSLC, the Naswa said the tent would serve no more than 254 patrons at one time.

Both the permit of assembly and Licensing Board processes are opportunities for his department and the city "to look at other issues" that may pertain to the operation of the festival tents, such as emergency exit lighting and related safety matters, said Erickson.