By JOHN KOZIOL

Staff Writer

LACONIA — Belknap County officials are pleased to learn that their fellow counties are willing to temporarily put up Belknap County inmates during Bike Week at no charge.

Every year, the Belknap County Department of Corrections facility in Laconia is emptied before Bike Week to make room for the many visitors and locals who break the law and are arrested during the rally.

The Belknap inmates are dispersed to other county jails for the duration of Bike Week, which this year takes place from June 7-15, and then returned to Laconia.

After Bike Week 2002, however, there were rumblings that the host counties were looking to be paid for housing the Belknap inmates, but fortunately, said Belknap County Commissioner Christopher Boothby on Thursday, that is not the case.

"Last year was the first year that some of the sister counties had shared a concern about receiving inmates during Bike Week and this year to my knowledge, we have not heard of that concern," said Boothby.

He explained that historically, there has been a quid-pro-quo arrangement among several counties in the state on the matter of housing each others inmates.

"We work cooperatively among the counties and they may take some of our prisoners during Bike Week, and we may take some of their prisoners at other times," said Boothby.

"We certainly appreciate and recognize the significant contribution our fellow counties are making by accepting our prisoners during Bike Week," he added. "Without their cooperation we would not have space to place individuals during Bike Week, so it’s a critical component to the safety of our community during a very busy time of the year."

Lt. R.A. Grenier, who is deputy superintendent of the Belknap County Department of Corrections, said the county currently has 61 inmates, both male and female.

He said the first group of inmates will be moved out on June 10 while the rest will leave on June 12 for jails in Cheshire, Rockingham and Grafton counties and all of the inmates come back to the Belknap County jail on June 16.

Just as the jail is ramping up for Bike Week, so is the Laconia District Court, which will be holding a special Saturday session on June 14.

Judges and clerks "are typically there for many hours of Saturday of Bike Week and they will be fully available," said Edwin W. Kelly, who is administrative justice of the state’s district and municipal courts.