Weirs Beach Waterslide to be Torn Down
 

From the Laconia Sun today:

Weirs Beach Water Slide to be torn down soon

<DL style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 24px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; MARGIN: 0px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 11px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px" class=article-info><DD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; MARGIN: 0px 16px 0px 0px; OUTLINE-STYLE: none; OUTLINE-COLOR: invert; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OUTLINE-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FLOAT: left; FONT-SIZE: 11px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px" class=published>Published Date Thursday, 05 December 2013 01:30</DD></DL>LACONIA — The Weirs Beach Water Slide, among the most venerable and visible attractions at Weirs Beach, is slated for demolition early next year.
The owner, Robert Csendes of Bedford, doing business as 45 Endicott, LLC, said yesterday that he has nearly completed an application for a demolition permit and expects to raze the facility sometime in January. He explained that the attraction is in disrepair and costly to insure or renovate.
Csendes said that intends to lease the 2.4-acre property at the corner of Endicott Street North (Rte. 3) and Lakeside Avenue overlooking the iconic Weirs Beach sign where he would construct a building to suit the needs of a long-term tenant. He indicated that he has discussed the redevelopment of the site with several interested parties. At the same time, he anticipates leasing space on the property to vendors during Motorcycle Week in June.
The water park features four slides with a 75-foot drop, several waterfalls and a 110-foot tunnel passing through what is billed as the tallest man-made volcano in the world, marked by the remains of a crashed airplane protruding from its flank. The slides wrap around an 18-hole miniature golf course that meanders through the water park. According to a city property tax card, the attraction was built in 1979.
Cesendes acquired the property for $580,000 at auction in January, 2010 after Bank of New Hampshire foreclosed on the property when Lawrence Baldi,II, whose family had owned the water park since 1995, was defrauded by Financial Resources Mortgage, Inc. of Meredith and defaulted on loans totaling $703,000. The property is currently assessed at $540,900.
The other water park at The Weirs, Surf Coaster USA, which was built at the corner of White Oaks Road and Endicott Street East in 1983, closed after the 2006 season and has been for sale ever since.

Sad news, but I was afraid that would happen.

Property has become an eyesore in the last few years. However, I cringe to think we will be staring at another empty lot. No doubt it will become one of the many pieces of property in that area, that the owner pulls money out of bike week, and then, us local residents have to stare at the ugly unmaintained lot for the other 50 weeks of the year. :(

Agree with WBB. We lose an eyesore, but gain an empty lot. Like swapping deck chairs on the Titanic...

So this will join the empty lot at the old Karl's restaurant; the empty lot at the old Wide Open Saloon; the empty lot next to The Lobster Pound; the empty lot near The Cumby's gas station; the empty lot just up 11B heading toward Gilford....have I missed any?

MM

I'm sad
 

I am truly sad to learn this news. The Water Slide has been a Weirs icon for decades. Even at age 66, I loved sliding with the granddaughters who are going to cry when they hear this news. And, by the way, we also miss the other water slide that has been closed for quite a few years.:(

an opporunity?
 

Seems like a potential opportunity for some development group (similar to Meredith) to combine all those properties and build a first class resort area and shops in what seems to be a prime location.

Our society
 

Liability insurance is at an all time high. Many Mom and Pop ski areas have folded as well as water attractions and ride attraction to name a few. Now we have to pay outrages fees at the ski area, water countries and amusement parks so the few who makes a living suing people and companies can sponge off of us.

I will never forget a 20/20 segment on a man in California that actually make a living suing in court. He will actually travel and find a way to sue someone and gets away with it. They have also found others who do the same.

It is a sad situation.

A few years ago I heard through the grapevine that a group was considering purchasing the property by the roundabout where the Logs of Fun arcade, mini-golf, post-office, etc. are located, tearing it all down and building a Church Landing style Inn. If I remember correctly they wanted to build a new footbridge over the Weirs Channel to the beach and also invest in and upgrade the beach.

It could have just been a rumor and I never heard anything else about it. It certainly would have changed the Weirs.

Slide
 

Glad to hear it will be torn down. What ever takes its place on that prime corner will set the tone for the next 40 years for the rebirth or death of the Weirs.

This might be a good spot for a jumbo Ferris wheel. I wonder how the view would be from up there?
Just a thought.

IMO, the area needs more year-round things. Too much seasonal stuff.

On a related note, Laconia should do something to prevent major properties from being "bike week only" use. I really hate to suggest the government step in to more things, but it seems like the alternative is to just sit and watch the area decline.

First the Woodshed, now the Weirs Beach Waterside, what is next the sinking of the Mount Washington in the Broads?

....the new Weirs Beach traffic roundabout?
 

It just seems like the City of Laconia missed the boat a little bit when it comes to the physical appearance of the new Weirs Beach traffic roundabout. This new roundabout, built in 2012, is not particularly attractive looking when you compare it to the Meredith roundabout that's about five miles north in neighboring Meredith.

So, what is the difference? It is all about the smooth concrete outer circular apron of smooth concrete that is so visible at the Weirs. In Meredith, a few hundred grey granite cobbles were used as opposed to smooth concrete, and it makes a big difference in how the whole roundabout looks.

Weirs Beach has a very ugly roundabout, and Meredith has a very attractive roundabout ...... due to the concrete vs granite cobbles difference.....suggest you go take a look-see yourself....and see if you agree on this.

very true. Weirs rotary is drab and un-inviting and unattractive. When they were building it, I assumed the smooth drab concrete and lack of attractive landscaping was only temporary....that they would finish it to look like the Meredith rotary. Wrong! Since the rotary is one of the first things that visitors to the area see, one would have thought that the town would have made it much more attractive, especially being a tourist area.

I'm glad they built the roundabout. When I have to drive by the Weirs I go around the circle several times. I get dizzy enough so when I cross the bridge I can't make out the depressing landscape of that corner.

I might gets some angry replies, but I have always thought the whole strip should be torn down. It needs to get completely rebuilt into something more akin to the Lake George Boardwalk area. You should see the tourism that Lake George gets compared to the now sparse visiting that the Weirs gets. I think it is really sad that there is such potential in that little strip of land and the surround area, and it sits there looking like a slum. Sorry. Just the way I see it. That area needs a planning committee that will step up and control what goes in there. Not people that just buy and put things in hither thither and mess the place up. Laconia is lost in the planning process of just about everything they do...:(

Believe it or not, I totally agree with you.

And demolish and rebuild the docks. They are way too narrow.

Slide
 

I just returned from having lunch in Kennebunkport. We thought this would be their off season and a quiet day since it was raining. The place was packed with people and 90% of the businesses were open. Low key Xmas decorations, beautiful hand carved business signs, all the store fronts were painted and windows were washed. No vacant lots and no broken down chain link fences. What isn't there is a beautiful lake and mountain views you'd think the Weirs would want to capitalize on and be open for business year round. Go figure.

If I recall and my memory is correct, Rusty who owns that complex was trying to get approved from the city of Laconia a hotel complex for that site but got denied. Not sure if my facts are correct but I think it's close...

I believe what is sorely missing is a master plan for the Weirs Beach area. Something that make sense and is financially viable after considering all the current and potential uses of the area, including how to host Bike Week in any new arrangement. The square footage of the vacant lots is growing faster than the property value of the surrounding real estate is dropping. Piecemeal development without a master plan is doomed to failure.

I do not know why one of the local politicians does not start this ball rolling. What we have now is a big mess that seems to get worse each and every year. This is a beautiful part of the lakes region and it is not being treated with the respect it deserves.

That is my 2-cents worth.

R2B

I couldn't agree more. The leaders of Laconia have totally butchered what should be a jewel of the Lakes Region. I am not sure what the problem is but the result of Laconia's inaction has been to drive commerce to places like Meredith. It likely will get worse before it gets better.

I could not agree more. I wrote in another post this exact situation, that bike week drives development away because a land owner can generate income with no improvements, making the land owners pretty much lazy, where as anywhere else you need to improve the land to make a buck. I know for a fact that the powers that be, take the attitude that, it is what it is, and who are they to change it, really great planning attitude.
Speaking of Laconia planning, the new steep slope ordinance pretty much makes all of the weirs need a zoning variance, so they just keep adding regulation to stop development. That entire area is over 25% slope (so is pretty much the entire lakes region). So anyone looking to buy up and revamp the Weirs has a serious up hill battle and a lot of extra expense to make that area into the great place we all know it could, simply because of Laconia. Not only that but they are adding more regulations.
I have never understood the steep slope ordinances towns put in place, if you want a walk out basement on your house it requires a lot with greater than 25% slopes pretty much, yet with these regulations it makes an area like that unbuildable.
I could go on about this for a while... :)

It's been a few years since I have been up there so I may be out of date. Could the problem be the lack of activities during the off season, thus no tourists to generate revenue then?

Bottom line...having a business that is only operational 4 months a year is tough to push on any investor. As someone else said, Meredith is where money is going. Why not? They make things interesting year round.

Meredith is in the same geography with a similar asset and it has been able to flourish. What Laconia has in the Weirs is irreplaceable. That being said, any high caliber asset can be mismanaged and that is what we have seen the leaders of Laconia do with the Weirs.

So the general feeling is the existing businesses (most?) could be managed correctly for a year round appeal? However, the effort has not come?

Management is part of it, but more importantly the lack of investment in the properties and also a serious lack of imagination. The whole place needs to be torn down and rebuilt.

Fewer attractions
 

The area can not support a water slide? What's happened to our Weirs?
There used to be three water slide areas around Laconia. The SurfCoaster, Part of the Alpine Slide Gunstock ski area and the Weirs Beach water slide. Now we are losing the last waterslide.

When I try to encourage friends to visit the area they talk poorly about the Weirs. They call it a honky tonk atmosphere. Run down, nothing to do. Great scenery though.

Those who are black, gay or Jews feel unwelcome. Real or perceived that is how they feel.

What was the Weirs Water Slide land used for in the past? Will it be abandoned and just exist except for Bike week+ ?

It's awful to watch the area get so run down. :(

What??
 

"Those who are black, gay or Jews feel unwelcome. Real or perceived that is how they feel."

What!?? While the Weirs may have issues, racism certainly is NOT one of them!!

Give me a break!

Dan

What I don't understand is why aren't these properties being developed? There is a carrying cost of owning these properties. They tear down the structures ie Karl's steak house and now the water slide with no plans to replace with an attraction or something that will draw people to the area. Am I missing something here? Is there just a lack of investment interest? If you drive further down lakeside ave to Lookoff Rock, they are building & selling high end town homes.
Go figure.

.... Weirs Beach huge Cumberland gas station????
 

Compared to any of the other local super-pumper gas stations in the area including the Irving and Mobil on Rt 104 at Exit 23, New Hampton, or the Irving in Meredith next to the new Rite Aid, the Cumberland Farms gas station at the Weirs always seems like it has very few customers for a gas station of its size. Like, where are all the customers at the Weirs Beach Cumberland gas station? Becuz with maybe ten different gas pump stations, they is all usually empty of gas customers.

I travel through Laconia and stop in there for gas while enroute to the Gilford Lowe's or the Gilford Wal-Mart and typically buy a newspaper and get gas, and with all those different gas pumps, the Cumby management has got to be very disappointed with their gallons sales numbers ...... so's why the heck did they even build that very expensive-to-construct store there in the first place....if it has such poor performance????

By the way, it has a public rest room that is maintained extremely clean!

So many gas pumps ...... and so few gas customers ...... someone at Cumby management didn't do their research for that particular spot for the predicted gasoline sales demand .... or something????

p.s.

Riding a bicycle around the Weirs and especially around the residential area across the railroad tracks over behind the Winni Gardens building can be an interesting bike ride, and a good way to really see the area......some many very old homes built on tiny, close together, congested lots all crammed in together....very old construction and very tightly close to one another.... small narrow streets .... and then some real beauties of old restored homes directly on the water down through there.... riding a bicycle in through there is the way to go for a Weirs Beach sight-seeing ride....

....and .... if and when the www.wowtrail.org ever gets built through the Weirs....that could give the Weirs a tourist boost in the shoulder months of April-May ....... Sept-Oct-Nov .....

They make money having the land sit with no mainance till they make a quick buck from bike week. Bike week has to go.

A large portion of the Weirs is owned by the veterans, so it is kinda of a tough one. No one would ever want to take anything away from a group that has given so much. And while you could certainly begin the resurgence of the weirs by building at the water slides, and the arcades, no master plan would be complete without factoring in the Veteran Buildings.

Birchhaven....


In the interest of full disclosure, I am year round resident of the Weirs. I love it! The Veterans homes & the Bike Rally are not going away. That being said, the issues with the Weirs are many, and there is plenty of blame to spread around.

1. Property owners like the Baldi's, who let their burnt out eyesore sit there for 2 years while they played cat & mouse with the city & their insurance companies. I get that they are entitled to due process, but ultimately it was going to have to be torn down anyway. Finally tearing it down only to leave it a mess still and bury the toxic waste in the drive in! No doubt the same fate awaits the water slide.

2. The City for treating the Weirs like a red headed step child. They are happy to take as much $$$ from Weirs/Bike week as possible, with little to no re-investment into the Weirs.

3. The City for not being business friendly. A recent example is the BBQ guy that set up a temporary shop in the old Karl's parking lot. City ordinance said he could only operate x amount of weeks....

4. The State of NH for treating Bike Week as the Police Overtime Association. Way too many police for the amount of people! It discourages people from coming. They need to see how the other big rally's are run.

5. A loosening of the liquor laws.... Let people have a beer or cocktail (in a plastic cup) and walk around. Think like Key West. The Weirs needs to be inviting, not excluding!

The demographic of the area has changed dramatically. All of the old mom & pop motels are now condos. There isn't the weekly turnover of new people like there used to be. SO the question that needs to be answered is to how best attract people to the area? Everyone needs to have some input.

The "Family only" plan isn't working. There needs to be a balance of adult and family entertainment. Maybe a little less arcade, a few more bars/restaurants geared towards adults. Embrace bike week! The motel owners need to understand that shutting everything down at 11pm isn't good for them or the other businesses. The city needs to spend some $$ on keeping the Weirs looking nice. I don't think a copy of Meredith is what the Weirs needs, but it certainly needs to be spruced up. The vacant lots.... like the Baldis & soon the waterslide need to be addressed. No Bike Week vendor permits unless your property looks nice and is kept up to code.


There is lots more I am sure!

Woodsy

www.weirsbeach.com/Largejpgs/nhvahistory.html

As I recall from an article in the LaDaSun maybe a year ago or so, all the veterans rental property is summer seasonal because it is unheated and has no foundations under cottages.

The biggest portion of their annual income comes from renting out retail concession spots along their grassy embankment that fronts on the sidewalk during bike week. This income goes to maintaining the properties.

The veteran's property is exempt from Laconia property tax.

Rail trail
 

I have to agree with FLL regarding a rail trail from Laconia to Meredith. That will bring a lot of folks that are health conscious to the area. If the rail trail extends to Franklin as envision, I can see a big draw on events such as a bike, foot, run race at the Weirs. Unfortunately there are sour pusses that don't want ANYTHING in their back or front yards. Lighten up people the lake and surroundings are to be enjoyed by all!

Not to get totally off topic, but I have heard this idea kicked around a lot for the past 10 or so years, I am hesitant to even say it because I think it will be a very polarizing idea.
Get rid of the train and replace it with trolly cars, that can be stopped at any location. So for instance South Down shores people can flag it down with a season pass card or something get on ride to Meredith have dinner, ride back to the Weirs, go dancing, get ice cream, then ride back to south down shores. Etc... I live on the tracks and this would be awesome IMHO

Birchhaven...

Might require some infrastructure upgrades....

But...

That is a GREAT idea.... its ideas like that the Weirs needs! :)

I am a big fan of the WOW trail too. Even though cutting through Southdown is a mighty unpopular idea with those folks!

Through the passage of time, and due to neglect the Weirs is no longer a "Destination"! Anything that can be done to change that would be a change for the better... and it would benefit most people! IMHO


Woodsy

Disclaimer, I'm an owner in SouthDown.

I'm opposed to the WOW trail because I don't buy in to the argument that it will attract any new people to the area. There are already many existing recreational activities in the area, and around NH in general. People aren't going to flock to the area just because you lay down a few miles of pavement.

The majority of the WOW trail would have no "destination" spots, especially the Weirs area which is pretty much the opposite of "healthy activities" right now.

The WOW trail has all the markings of a poorly thought out (but, well intentioned) pet project. 5 years after it's built, it'll sit there in disrepair and be a general eyesore. Take a look at some of the litter and graffiti along the existing portion for examples of this.

As a SouthDown resident, I see no benefit to that. I'm not concerned about people coming in to "my community" as much as I am concerned about some group dropping in a slab of blacktop that is going to be an eyesore, get in the way, and ultimately need to be dealt with by the residents.

Nothing like Internet Message Boards to chime in... So I will put in my two centers.


While I do not live at the Weirs, my family has been coming up to the lake to vacation for 3 generations. Currently, my family owns a house near Gunstock, and let me tell you it is depressing to go up there. Whether it is the Gunstock Inn sitting idle (which now appears to be changing), to the Surfcoaster rotting away to now the Weirs Beach Waterslide being torn down and lot after vacant lot popping up along the Weirs. It is an embarrassment...

Echoed in a previous post, the City of Laconia needs to step up and have the entire stretch redeveloped focusing on the natural beauty and create a destination to visit. Having a 4 star hotel, quality restaurants (not the greasy putrid gringo), entertainment that draws all walks of life and of course focus on the natural beauty of the lake is key. I want to be able to showcase the greatness of the Weirs, but instead we have nothing but a rundown empty strip that drives away people who want to spend money there.

There is a meeting on December 23rd @ 7pm for comments not on the agenda at the Laconia City Council meeting, would we be heard as seasonal owners.