ATKINSON — The Diaper Spa and area residents are looking to dim the national spotlight shining on the quiet town of 7,000.

Spa owner Colleen Ann Murphy has scrubbed her Diaper Spa’s website to remove much of its original information, and residents dropped a petition against its operations.

But come Wednesday, the limelight will be back on Murphy, when she presents her business application to the Zoning Board of Adjustment at a public hearing.

The ZBA meeting is at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Town Hall, 19 Academy Ave.

According to its website, the Diaper Spa, at 23 Pope Road, caters to adults aged 21 and older, serving “all diaper-wearing individuals who seek acceptance, respite, and care” in a nursery-like atmosphere.

Murphy refused to comment publicly for this story, saying she wants to avoid additional media coverage of her business.

Murphy said in an email Thursday that The Diaper Spa team is trying to limit what she feels has been negative attention toward the business, and she is looking “not to participate in any further media coverage” and “avoid further media exposure at this time.”

“This coverage has been inflammatory and salacious, leading to misunderstandings about our business,” she said in the email.

Atkinson police Chief Tim Crowley said the department has not received any complaints from residents or others in the community in the last two weeks. However, Murphy lodged a complaint to Atkinson police during that time frame, stating she has received some “nasty emails” about her business, Crowley added.

Residents first voiced their concerns to Crowley before the business became nationally known following coverage by The Eagle-Tribune.

Talk on the spa has since settled, as some residents feel, for now, they’ve affected change for the better.

Resident Kayla Gallagher started an online petition on Jan. 28 as a place for concerned residents to attempt to stop the Diaper Spa’s operations.

The petition garnered 506 signatures while it was active, but has since been put on hold as its intent has been achieved, she said.

“We have decided to stop the petition at this time to address our concerns at the community level,” Gallagher said.

The petition highlighted child safety concerns surrounding the Diaper Spa with the first iteration of its website mentioning off-site activities at the local park, in addition to other terminology and wording in descriptions of services offered that raised eyebrows.

The website underwent a makeover after the petition came out and other complaints circulated in the last two weeks. The website was altered and some information removed over the course of several days.

Services such as the “Little Friends Play Date” and “Birthday or Tea Party” are no longer available.

The Eagle-Tribune reported on facts from public documents and the Diaper Spa’s public website listing its services and business overview. Documents included her business application for a special exemption appeal to operate a home business, as specified in town zoning ordinances, which was submitted to Atkinson’s Zoning Board of Adjustment and signed by Murphy.

These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org.