weirs beach water slide development
 

Just reading the union leader online and came across this http://www.unionleader.com/article/2...WS02/150119940
definitely would be an improvement.

This sounds promising! I had been under the illusion that development was not fully supported by town planners but that article suggests otherwise. Having new development down there would be a good start and would hopefully stir up additional business too. Laconia and the weirs have so much potential, hope this comes to fruition!

The artist's rendering is a little too modern looking for me....
If i heard correctly, the Cumberland Farms up the hill had to be designed in such a way so it would blend in with the surroundings, especially with the roof line and color scheme...
It would be nice if they could copy some of the old buildings along Lakeside Ave, instead of being so modern-looking...
Just my opinion :rolleye1:

I agree that rendering is to clinical looking, and simply doesn't fit with anything in the area at all. This is NH not a business park off Rt 128 in Massachusetts! With any luck maybe the developer would be encouraged to take a ride up to Meredith and take some queues from the more tasteful development of Mills Falls and Church Landing. If it's got to happen at least make it look like it belongs!

I have to agree, that sketch is, "how do you put it"...butt ugly!!! Doesn't fit in with the surroundings at all!!

Terrible vision. I agree if this is the corner stone of the new Weirs the place is doomed. The advice that the owner should visit Meredith is spot on. Hopefully, the local politicians can break their string of overall poor stewardship and push this project in the proper direction.

Well I dunno I wouldn't call the drawing "butt ugly" maybe it doesn't belong on that corner I agree. I think it's fine looking just not where it's proposed...

I think the concept is fantastic and a huge improvement over what it will replace. I doubt that the design shown in this plan would be close to what it will actually end up being.
The Weirs can stand some upgrading and modernization to entice businesses to be able to remain open year round. And, two good year round restaurants so close together just might help to generate more traffic in the area in the off season.

and so it begins, I want change I want change, but then this is not the change I want.

This is primary stage and I am sure that the design will change at things go, but lets hope this is the start of the revitalization. Having a new retail building there with parking to boot, and then the other owners looking at their old decrepit falling down buildings, and their retailers maybe looking to trade up, could be on to something here. I like the charm of the old buildings but the need a major facelift and upgrade in tenants. Not a bad spot to be 365 days a years for a business with the views and the infrastructure. The first tenants need to be self-sustaining for the first off season though. If you build it they will come......

I like this new owner already and he should be encouraged, not discouraged.

Looks just like the Shangerla (sp) also known as the Brickyard Mt. inn

I sure hope they do a complete redesign of the docks while they are at it... I don't go there any more because of the wave action and the reality of getting stuck inside as they are spaced too close together.

Contact Rusty McClear immediately....I am sure he can come up with a hotel or restaurant idea that will fit perfectly and have attractive designs. Now that he is almost done with the rest areas on 93, he needs another project ! And he has a proven track record.

Laconia's Vision
 

After seeing what Urban Renewal did to downtown Laconia. I won't be surprise if the current council embraced this design. Even the new 'strip mall' next to the Union Ave Dunkin Dognuts is 'butt ugly'.

They call this 'progress'!

Change is going to happen... I don't agree that it needs to look just like Meredith, to fit in... I am sure that once interest is developed, and plans are brought further along, the design and image will change. This preliminary drawing, is just that a preliminary drawing, to show concept of how a building might be situated on the lot.

I personally have found the development in Meredith to over the top... Yes they went for a look, and they nailed, it but it was to much for the area.... Meredith now has an infrastructure problem that has made traffic a mess during the height of the season. Now back on track.....

At this point I could care less about how the building looks, I want to see a successful venture..That helps lift up the area. The first key to that would be a good Restaurant, but that alone will not do the trick... Meredith is thriving because of year around accommodations. Hotels, interesting retailers, restaurants etc. In order for the Weirs to thrive, more then just this one venture needs to look into being open year around... Laconia, needs to re-invent the Weirs not just as a summer play ground, but a year around destination. This means bring in a Hotel, that will operate year around, and create attractions that will draw people to the area year around... Shopping is not that attraction... to many other places more convenient to get too...The Weirs doesn't need to become another Meredith... It needs to create its own identity.

Great start...
 

What they need to do as they develop this corner is put in a roundabout with the Weirs Beach sign in the middle, with crosswalks going through the roundabout to enable people to cross route 3 safely as they head to Faro Italian Grille and the as yet announced Japanese / German restaurant at the sight of the old Wide Open Saloon. Of course, they may want to built a pedestrian overpass in lieu of crosswalks.

Oh my...What a dream...or is it a nightmare. ;):laugh:

Roundabout
 

I agree that there should be a roundabout at the Weirs sign. To encourage walkers to visit businesses on both side of the road. Best time to do this is before development, or at least have a plan in place so that one can be added easily in the future.

Can you imagine what a casino would do to the area? Seems like plenty of room between the corner up to where the Cumberland Farm Store. I know Maggie is adamant to build the casino at the former Rockingham race track. I'd rather have the economy in the central NH to promote the region as well as create jobs. Bruton Smith would like to build one across from his race track and hired lobbyists to float the idea around the LOB.

It would be great if it was built off I93 in the Ashland Area. The geographical center of NH. That will definitely promote the Lakes Region and the White Mountains! What would Salem do??????

I wonder if a sub & pizza place could be a financial success at that old water-slide location at the very beginning of Lakeside Avenue that now has an olde, brite brite yellow building? It could be named Water-Slide Subs & Pizza ...or something?

After all, across the bridge, there at the desolate Alpine Rose Plaza, it is so deadly slow from Labor Day to Memorial Day that the Dunkin Donuts closed, the very popular Winnipesaukee Playhouse moved one town away to Meredith, and even the U.S. Postal Service eliminated the window service at the Weirs Beach Post Office, 03246. That big intersection with the particularly unattractive Weirs Beach roundabout, especially unattractive when compared to the Meredith roundabout, five miles north, is home to the only seasonally open gas station that I'm aware of.......a seasonally operated, May-October, Phillips-66 gasoline station....now, that's an oddity? And, who ever heard of a Dunkin Donuts closing up!

Probably, a big part of the Lakeside Ave-Weirs Beach, Sept-to-May, dead no-go business zone are all those property tax exempt, civil war era, seasonal buildings that are part of the http://www.thenhva.org (& click on history or gallery) ....that sit vacant for almost the entire year. Understand its' main money is renting vender space on the grassy embankment along the public sidewalk during bike week and using the money for building maintenance and repairs....but what-a-spot for a Weirs Beach-Civil War stylized destination, lakeside waterfront, G-A-M-B-L-I-N-G C-A-S-I-N-O!

Come on NH Legislature.......Weirs Beach is a great spot for a civil war style........ north vs south .... stylized gambling casino. All those civil war style buildings could be moved off to some other location and reinstalled with great care and respect....and their former location could be a new home to a large casino destination on the lake built in the same funky -wunky civil war style of design, and the casino employees could be wearing confederate grey and union blue designer outfits.

Would Governor Maggie Hassan support this.....probably yes! Would Walt Havenstein support this, had he won....probably yes! Will the 424-member, NH Legislature ever, ever support this......probably not?

It would be nice to see a little master planning done for the Weirs Beach area. Given the attributes of the location, the town of Laconia could create a nice sustainable tax base with some proactive thinking and investing. The new Italian restaurant has the potential to be a good first step in renewing what is basically an area that time has passed by. What the area doesn't need is gambling, casinos, and other similar ideas that will just create more long term blight in an area that needs to move in a more positive direction.

Anything would be great
 

I think it is wonderful that the street can be built up. IT HAS so much potential. I personally would build something that was not so modern but hopefully it will be successful. Maybe something like the BEACH PLACE on Ft.Lauderdale beach that has Senior Frogs and then shops and a Wing Place. Maybe update the arcade and other establishments in the area. So much potential!!! No matter what the place needs SOMETHING.....

As desperately as I want to see something happen on that lot, I'm finding it impossibly hard to get excited over a building that looks like that. Way too industrial looking and completely out of character for the setting.

I think you all are making too much out of one initial "rendering".

The point is that someone is actually trying to be proactive and seeking other business' to join in to put together a (keyword) "Year Round" retail facility with hopefully restaurant.

Isn't this how the Mill's Falls redevelopment essentially started! That, if I am not mistaken, was a five year program with the Town of Meredith fully behind them.

The Weirs area, unfortunately, is an eyesore these past few years. Long gone is the need for cheesy arcades in this day of electronic games and the entire area is nothing more than one giant vacant lot.

I have long said that a program similar -- does not have to replicate Mill's Fall -- would be AWESOME for the area. A group of year round shops, a few restaurants (Faro is a GREAT start) and I truly think you need accommodations -- maybe not a Hilton -- but perhaps a Residence inn or other suite type hotel would be phenomenal.

Laconia missed the boat when they lost the Marriot (now on 11A) to Gilford !


Just my two cents as a long time "visitor" and now owner in the area


I now sit back and await the barrage from the vocal few ..... while knowing the majority of readers agree.

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I agree
 

Yes, there needs to be substantial change and a substantial investment. Few people would disagree.

Laconia is currently working on a Re-imagine Laconia project to gather input from residents and property owners regarding what they would like to see in Laconia in the future.

I got this in an email today:

"Here's another chance for you to give more valued input! Do you want to be interviewed? Call the Planning Department today (603-527-1264) and ask for Brandee!"

I attended a meeting in September at the Laconia Mill building with about 120 other people. We were given the opportunity to voice our opinons about the changes we would like to see throughout the city. At this time, the Laconia Planning Department is continuing to gather information and ideas.

However,despite the best efforts of the city there are certain entrenched interests in Weirs Beach that, although limited in number, will stand in the way of any significant improvements and upgrades. In order for it to make financial sense for them to sell out they will want a lot of money. A new investor would have to speculate on the potential return on their substantial investment.

At this time it will be difficult to attract that type of investment with the limited duration of the season. The first enterprise that makes the Weirs Beach area into a year round destination will pave the way for the rest and make it possible for many new businesses to prosper.

That would be a good thing for all of us.

Weirs theme
 

Although Mills Falls is beautiful, and I'm so happy to live nearby and enjoy the beautiful lakeside dining and shopping - Weirs Beach has always had it's own flair. And I know over time it has become very run down - but I think it would be cool if a designer/ architect could somehow design the current lot to maintain the history of the 50's -60's era of period cars, drive-ins and arcades. It would be sad to lose it all together to something so modern.

I was at Weirs Beach all the time in the summer during the 60's. It hasn't changed much. I think it looks so run down.

If only my "thanks" button worked!
 

For some reason my thumbs up button disappeared and I am dying to use it on this thread. Particularly for tbonies' reply.

Weirs absolutely needs a neighborhood plan with a cohesive vision and design guidelines, if there isn't one already.

Did anyone else's jaw drop when they read the developer say that the height limits were like 60 feet?

Waterparks
 

I wish they would rebuild the waterparks. I used to love the waterparks as a kid, and still would love to go to one. The lake is always too polluted to go swimming in, so I don't see why the waterslide wasn't profitable. When it was open the place was always packed. There's enough stores, restaurants, and hotels. I guess waterparks are too much of a liability now. Everyone is so sue-happy. The closest one now is Whale's Tale in Lincoln ,and I think there's some in Maine too. I just go to my parent's house and use their pool now cause you can't use the lake without getting duck itch or e-coli.

There is SO much to respond to here but I fear I do not have enough ink left in my keyboard :D



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It is hard for a water slide in NH to make money since there are only 30 to 40 days when folks want to be there. The asset then sits idle the balance of the year.

Where in the lake do you swim??? Sure the major beaches get closed a couple of times a year but that happens everywhere, any lake/river with any population, and it evens happen to ocean beaches! This lake is far from polluted.

Gosh awful ugly.

Yes it does look like a medical clinic.

The architect should view some photos of the 1940's and 1950's Weirs and start from there.

Should be more honky-tonk arcade looking building.

I have to agree with NHKathy, the building just Is too morden to fit In its setting. wouldn't look right at all.

:D

It's a weather thing!
 

That is true. And, when the weather is nice the water slide has to compete with boating, swimming, hiking, and other outdoor activities, some that are free. The same is true for the go-kart tracks but they have the advantage of being useable in cooler weather.

That is why the Funspot parking lot is full on rainy days. Families on vacation, especially those with restless kids, have very few options when the weather doesn't cooperate.

It gets back to the issue that has proven to be an impediment to development and improvement of the Weirs Beach area. An investor, or property or business owner, has 10 - 12 weeks to make enough money to pay the bills for 52 weeks. That is a difficult proposition.

The reason why I had mentioned Meredith and in particular Mills Falls project was not so much that it should be used as an exact blueprint for any development around the Weirs Beach area or anywhere per say, but notice that I suggested taking cues from what was done. The folks that did that I think nailed it in the sense of modernizing but maintaining the overall ambiance, look and charm of the area as it has always been with some very tasteful but not overdone improvements. That's really the point, each town around the lake has it's own unique character to it and it would be nice to see that preserved in some fashion with any new development.

When you see something like that rendering which is such a massive departure from what Weirs Beach has always been it brings about the thought of is this really what the "future" is going to be? Hopefully between public feed back, city planners and the developer a more fitting look can be attained without sacrificing any retail space or drive the cost to a prohibitively high level.

..... Weirs another thrift store?
 

Possibly a retail store on Lakeside Ave at the old water slide could be a good spot for another thrift store. While Laconia got hit with the double whammy, what with the disaster of downtown Main St and the dismal Weirs Beach waterfront area, Laconia is home to a lot of thrift stores ....like at least five thrift stores that I know about; St Vincent de paul, Goodwill, Salvation Army, Too Good to be Threw, and Thrifty's (next to Goodwill), so maybe another thrift store could do well on Lakeside Ave... and it could be named Water-Slide Thrift Store or something!

Most likely, nothing any good will ever happen to change the Weirs.......as people say when there's nothing else to say.....it is what it is.....and that about all it will ever be....just a place to stop in at Kellerhaus for a Wednesday special....when Kellerhaus lowers the price on their incredible fantastic ice cream cones down to $1.09.....and they do not skimp on the ice cream either.....Kellerhaus is a go-to store and the best of the best in the Weirs area.

Ever been to the Crazy Gringo or the Looney Bin? No, I have never been to either one?

Yeah there's a good way to start improving the look and feel of the area overall, another thrift store. :rolleye1:

The problem with the Weirs is... well the Weirs!

I welcome any and all new development proposals. If you like the design or not, at least its a starting point for a conversation. :)

You have owners like the Mike & Rich (Faro), Michelle (Looney Bin) Rusty (AlpenRose Plaza), Brett & Krista (Paradise), Anthony (Tower Hill Tavern) and Bob (Crazy Gringo) that take a lot of pride in their establishments and property.

Then there are others like the Baldi's... The Drive In is AWESOME and everything possible should be done to preserve it. But they also own that EYESORE of a lot that the Saloon sat on... that they are trying to sell for 1.8 MILLION (ya right!)

The Ames family aren't any better than the Baldis.... they haven't improved their properties at all... and have absolutely no desire to either! But I am sure they love the unreported cash from those arcade machines!

The City of Laconia doesn't treat the Weirs any better.... They are happy to take the tax $$ for those lakeside properties, but spending money on infrastructure very rarely occurs.

The City has done its best to kill off Bike Week.. the one profitable week the Weirs has. They overload the area with Police, and generally make it very unfriendly. Then wonder why the $$ don't show up in the city coffers.

Overall the Weirs needs a master plan.... one with vision and a look towards a sustainable future! I say BRING IT ON!

Woodsy

...sometime somewhat recently, the city placed barriers across the old wood bridge that crosses the railroad tracks below to keep cars from using it to get to the waterfront olde area of the Weirs....it is a public road...so what's happening with the bridge there? .... that old area what with tiny tiny house lots all built close together is very unusual....narrow streets leading down to the waterfront, old dilapidated structures on tiny lots....and now the bridge is closed....about once/year when I'm totally bored out of my mind, I drive around down there and gawk at that neighborhood and there's never any people there....just some strange old residential structures?....and there's not enough room on the roads to turn around so I end up backing up the whole length of the road away from the waterfront....to get the heck out of there.....zoning was not yet invented when they built that area......zoning.....who the heck needs zoning?

www.meredithbaynh.com has some condominium construction underway, just up the road, seems to be going along very well, and you really have to dig deep through their website and their advertising to discover it is located in Laconia, and not in Meredith.

FLL...

They block off that bridge EVERY winter.... I don't think they want some rookie plow driver inadvertently going over it. They open up a gate right by the entrance to the pier to allow access. In the summer, that gate is closed unless emergency vehicles need access.

You can also get into that neighborhood from down by Akwa Vista Marina.

Woodsy

Am I the only one who thinks this guy is pulling an old developer trick, sorta tacky actually. Literally trolling all of us. Show a terrible plan/concept, get everyone to universally hate it, then when he reveals the real plan, everyone will say what an improvement, I love it. He can then say he listened to feed back etc. All the while it was always his plan. Because the reality is if he came out with a great plan right off, lets be honest a very vocal minority would still hate it.
As far as what the Wiers needs, I am going to steal the saying "Not enough ink in my key board"
Just my two cents.

The design is not the issue; getting tenants is
 

One could infer from the article that unless the developer/landlord can line up tenants, it is unlikely that there will be any building anyway. The "artist's rendering" in the article is just to give a sense as to what something might look like. Since The Weirs is famous for its "burned, charred, abandoned building" style of architecture, it is unlikely that the image in the article--a cross between a medical research lab and a Kardashian LA mansion--would ever come to fruition.

MM

I thought the exact same thing when I saw this thread....... great minds think alike. ;)

I was running ahead of schedule for a meeting in Gilford and stopped in at the Weirs on Tuesday late afternoon. I couldn't help but thinking that the Weirs will never be fully developed with the NH Veterans houses in the middle, commanding the views. I never realized how many houses there are (and how seasonal their use is- there was one car parked in front of one house and that was it).

In the 15 minutes that I sat there, 2 cars passed by stopping down near the Gringo.

Have any proof that the Ames family is defrauding the IRS & breaking the law ? This is a public forum & your musing on the alleged criminal proclivities of this family is nothing short of amazing to me.

Every geographical region has its depressed area (s) and Laconia happens to be the NH Lakes Region's blighted area. Laconia is also the only major city on the lake and with that comes a large and generally less wealthy population of year round residents. As a result, city government has many issues to contend with and tourism tends to take a back seat. The other population centers on the lake are small towns whose economics are largely driven by second home owners and in these areas tourisim tends to be front and center when it comes to importance. Given these dynamics, I expect Laconia will fall further before it experiences any turnaround. And a significant turnaround is likely years away.

... in current use
 

Believe it or not .... and I was more than a little surprised to learn this after reading an article in the middle of the LaDaSun, maybe three months ago, the lot of land just to the north of the water-slide lot, going up the hill, is supposedly designated 'in current use.' I believe 'in current use' requires a lot to be a minimum of ten acres and it is a state law.

Maybe a year to 18-months ago, most all of the large oak and pine trees were cut down and removed except for some trees that are immediately close to the D W Webster-Route 3 Hgwy, and this hillside lot is bordered by the lengthy Route 3 frontage in front, Cumberland gas up top, water-slide below, and maybe NH Veterans' Assoc in the back.

The LaDaSun article mentioned that this open hillside lot which has no building structures on it as far as I can see, was maybe going to become a venue for paintball shooting team recreational activity....so stay tuned to see what happens with this 'in current use' quasi-moto, commercial(?) 10-acre plus lot with lots of hi-visibility frontage on the Daniel Webster Highway.....believe it or not!

Believe the Veterans' Assoc has had that property since the 1920's, after the large Weirs Hotel burnt down, www.weirsbeach.com/Largejpgs/weirsfire1924.html and it had something to do with the New Hampshire legislature passing a law which let's the Veterans' Assoc have the use of the property indefinately or something, and is all exempt of local Laconia property taxes.....so's it could be there for many many many years into the future..... such a deal from the NH legislature .... too bad that it was not a 100-year lease as opposed to ownership????

http://www.thenhva.org ... and click on NHVA sign ... and then maybe take a peek at the cottage and campground reservation forms.... "Cottage & Campground Use Is for NHVA & Auxiliary Members Only"

Maybe the Veterans' Assoc would agree to leasing their land out to a 'Lake Winnipesaukee destination casino' ......come to Weirs Beach and play big! .... in return for the money it would give them to use for helping the veterans individually....plus the huge economic boost to Laconia from a property tax paying, and jobs creating, destination casino(?). A casino with a civil war style theme and moving all the civil war style buildings to a new location are very, very, very, remote possibilities.

Could the NHVA.org cottages and campground be financially viable if it had to pay Laconia property taxes? An interview with the campground some time ago in the LaDaSun said that its' biggest money raiser was renting out vending space to bike week on their grassy embankment just above the public sidewalk, and they use the money for maintenance and repairs to the cottages and campground.

According to the NH Veteran's Association web site:

In 1884 The 3rd Regiment & First Band building is constructed, the first NHVA building to be constructed on Lakeside Avenue. 3rd Regiment & 1st Band had an open area on the first floor, which could be divided into two rooms and an open 2nd floor which also could be divided. 1/3 of the building was used by the Band, the rest by the 3rd Regiment. The original colors were dark yellow with dark green trim.

It sure would be interesting to be able to see into the future 10-years from now, into the year 2025, to see what the Lakeside Drive area overlooking the lake walking from the Crazy Gringo to the public beach is doing....ten years from now???

My guess is probably almost no changes what-so-ever....nothing new down at the Weirs ... just my two cents..... oh wait.... here's one big new change....the old water-slide lot, about two acres in size at the intersection of Lakeside Drive and Route 3....has become a Dunkin Donuts that leases out sections of their lot during Bike Week.....and that's all that's new on Lakeside Drive .... over-looking beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee...a new Dunkin.....like how's about that!

Rather see nothing done than your idea of casinos and pawn shops. Why not class the place up a little bit and add a super walmart while you're at it.

If you are putting a super wal-mart in you better not forget about adding a family dollar. ha ha ha ha ha :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

http://i44.tinypic.com/1499wms.gif Paugus bay girl, I was just browsing through the forum and noticed that you are fairly new to posting on the forum and glad you have joined us. Have fun and enjoy the Winni Forum while making many new friends.

Thanks for joining in with us.:)

http://i54.tinypic.com/2e56yqf.gif

Pawn Shops are a no-go and I never mentioned pawn shops and do not want them.....for one thing, they lend themselves to theft of power tools from construction jobs.

The NH Veterans' Assoc Campground and Cabins has been there for over a hundred years. It occupies prime waterfront-commercial land, pays no property taxes, and is a seasonal May to October use. It would be a big help to Weirs Beach and the local economy to remove all the Veterans' historic seasonal buildings to a new location somewhere in the area, and replace it with a mega-multi million dollar, destination casino that attracts casino tourists all year round. Just picture Donald Trump walking up and down Lakeside Drive welcoming casino visitors to the new Trump Weirs Beach.......i.e. creating jobs, and paying local and state taxes....and hopefully for the Donald....it won't be a windy day!

Really? A casino where motorcycles cause traffic jams?! Keep the casinos to the trashy areas and keep the lakes region beautiful.

Ignore him. Just trying to get reaction.

Great Wolf Water Park
 

They just built this indoor water park in Fitchburg, MA (of all places) with hotel and kid-friendly activities. I understand that it's a huge success. A destination with overnight accommodations. Skiing (in the winter) during the day and water sliding at night? Perfect for the Weirs??

http://www.greatwolf.com/newengland/waterpark

This would be a great success for the Weirs Beach area. The boardwalk would be bustling in the summer with kids and their cotton candy and fried dough. Someone needs to have the vision.

I was thinking the same thing when this came out last week. It would be a great location to have one of these with glass all around the waterpark. That would be a excellent year round draw

Similar to No. Conway...
 

Red Jacket Inn in No. Conway has similar amenities, and seems to do quite well. The Shriners in NH have meetings there on occasion and the place is always packed. Certainly could work, especially with some convention amenities included. Year round, family friendly, conducive to businesses... You would think it could work.

An indoor, all year-round waterslide like what you describe would be a super-duper addition to the Weirs.

In all likelihood, nothing will be happening at the Weirs, and it will continue to be a seasonal area, open from Memorial Day to Labor Day for summer visitors, and all closed up for the remaining nine months. It is truly a great big waste of what could be a beautiful waterfront commercial area that attracts tourists all year round.

On the briter side of the Weirs....have you seen the big new construction now going on....just up the road....at www.meredithbaynh.com

Here is a big one at Jay Peak Vt.

So what gives you or anyone else the right to come in and kick out the NH Vets Assoc from a piece of "prime" waterfront they own so YOU can get more tax revenue? As I vet myself I take serious offense to the fact you apparently have no respect for an organization that represents those that have personally sacrificed for the very freedom you enjoy. As a disclaimer I am not a member, but now I think I will become one.

I'm glad they don't have to pay taxes because allows them to offer vets the chance to enjoy the lake where maybe that is the only option they can afford to take advantage of. If we can give handouts to people on welfare and illegals surely we can cut our ex-military members a little bit of a break.

Steele Hill Inn Sanbornton
 

I believe Steele Hill Inn in Sanbornton has an indoor water park. Not sure it is open to the public, but I do know they host parties.

Doesn't look like it has an indoor water park
 

From their Website Amenities section, looks like they have two indoor pools and 2 outdoor pools.

http://steelehillresorts.com/amenities/

They do indeed have a GREAT indoor pool area.

We have taken the Grandkids up there as an escape weekend on several occasions !

I do NOT think it is open to the public however.


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Summit Resort
 

The Summit Resort off White Oaks Rd in Laconia has similar amenities including indoor & outdoor pools. I think it was built by the same outfit as Steele Hill. It's walking distance from the Weirs Circle. We stayed there about 10 years ago during Feb. School break.

Redevelopment
 

This is a post that I made last May on a similar thread:

I live in Huntington Beach, California. When I moved here in 1965, the town was a run down little surf spot with cheesy bars and surfboard shops, and not much else. The town council decided that the time had come to rescue the town from further decay. They created a tourism board whose sole purpose was to provide the vision and the know how as to how to redevelop the area to attract new business.
And it has worked out well. Working with the council and the population, bond issues were passed, and redevelopment took place. It took many years, but today Huntington Beach is an attraction for not only tourists, but people that live in the surrounding areas as well. In fact, tourists are not the prime supporters. The bulk of the spending comes from visitors from the nearby cities.
There is no casino, but there are nice shops, nice restaurants and street side cafes, and nighttime clubs. The tourism board has come up with events that happen almost on a weekly basis.

Where it once was a summer only type place, it now attracts people all year round. The key to the redevelopment was that the city took over most of the prime area (they bought out the old business properties)and built new structures that were very attractive, and leased them out to new business. Therefore, the new businesses did not have to invest huge sums of money in real estate. They also built a very large parking garage. It took time, but the formula has been very successful. Now the area is home to a Hilton hotel and a Hyatt Regency Resort among other large brands.

Something similar could happen to the Weirs, but it isn't going to happen if only small business is relied upon. The government needs to step in and give it a boost.

I know this sounds like liberal California, but Huntington Beach is in Orange County which is very conservative. It turned out to be a smart business move.

A success story like this is great to hear. Of course the town or city has to put together a vision and a master "plan" which would be the basis for guiding any future private development of a given area. However there are limitations to that because the landowners have rights too. Now if the town wants to come in and offer to buy up distressed properties at fair market value and in turn execute a master plan that's fine so long as the property owners are willing to sell out. It's an entirely different story when any municipality uses eminent domain for the purpose of displacing something they don't "like" for something they do. That's just plain wrong.

The problem is that when the towns (states etc.) take something by eminent domain they don't want to pay the owner a fair price. I think the definition is something like "highest and best use" but they don't even want to come close to that let alone fair market value.

Because that's how liberals think. Pathetic :( (Thanks for your post - and your service, Maxum)

Good morning... I'm sitting here about 800 miles away with a fresh ribbon in the old Smith Corona and have nothing better to do than add my two cents worth.

The problem that you face with the Weirs area is fairly simple: Very high costs associated with the property (taxes) and very few people to patronize the businesses most of the year. If you do place a nice business on the shore, why, the taxes will go through the roof. There is absolutely no reason to build a year-round business in such a high tax area. Anything at the Weirs will need to be water-centric and cater to the seasonal crowd.

As to building a "casino"... First of all, assuming this isn't to be a "seasonal casino", you'll need to boost the year-round local population by a few hundred thousand just to support on. --But let's assume that some swanky outfit does take the bait and opens one. You would be surprised at the results. For example, we just got a Casino here in Columbus (our city population is about the same as the state of NH). Everybody said that it would revitalize the area around it and the taxes would greatly benefit the city, county, and state. Well, the taxes never reached the level predicted, the cost to the city in required infrastructure upgrades weren't anticipated, and there was NO revitalization. What nobody considered is that the first rule of casinos is "nobody leaves". The casino provides onsite restaurants, hotels, bars, everything that you might want to leave for. No local business sees any casino traffic. --Oh, and the casino is not locally owned. All of the profits head to another state. We're just left with a lot of folks with a lot less money to spend in our town.

Had one in the Poconos too, it was always filled
Had a casino too......evil
Wynndog

Excuse me, but that's not in the least bit true. All liberals think the same way as fatlazyless? I can assure you that is not the case. You are guilty of painting a rather large and diverse group with the same broad brush.

As far as the regimental buildings are concerned; They are a priceless resource and should be emphasized as an integral part of the community with their interesting history. How about a visitor's center with some displays etc. about the civil war? (The buildings were built by Civil War veterans) The buildings are probably (?) filled with artifacts. How about opening some of them up for tours with folks in period costume? How about holding re-enactments by the various groups that do that sort of thing up in the grove behind the buildings? Something like Sturbridge Village or Strawberry Bank in Portsmouth? Get some federal dollars in grants to declare that part of the Weirs an historical district? Work WITH the veterans and the Lake Winni Museum.

How about a "Molly the Trolley"? (in addition to the trains and boats)

The Weirs Beach Action Committee is a big stake-holder and is very active. One of the owners in the area (who was trashed in a post above and BTW is a member of this forum) has put together numerous websites on the history of the area. See
http://weirsbeach.com/reasons-to-vis...tory/veterans/
and
http://www.weirsbeach.com/Largejpgs/nhvahistory.html
I also put together a history some time ago. Check it out....
http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...ad.php?p=15471

As everyone has said, you need a vision. All the stakeholders need to work together - liberals and conservatives:D

P.S. Thank You for your service Maxum

http://weirsbeach.com/wp-content/upl...orscavalry.jpg
.
http://weirsbeach.com/wp-content/upl...nandphelps.jpg

... storage unit biz & paintball shooting biz
 

Today's Thursday, Feb 5, Laconia Daily Sun has two local news reports on two new proposed businesses that would be close to the location of the former volcano water slide.

A storage unit business with 296-units in 17-buildings plus a two story office building on the cleared 6.8 acre land, fronting on Route 3, just below the Cumberland gas station, and a paint ball shooting recreational business somewhere else(?) in the Weirs on a 28-acre lot.

......oh well.....la-tee-da.....so whatever happened to a new Marriott-Weirs Beach destination hotel going in there???

another zombie shopping center at the weirs?
 

Why would another commercial development work at the volcano site when there is a perfectly good and visually appealing shopping center that is 90% vacant right on the other side of the roundabout? It doesn't seem like a good idea to build another shopping center when there's a relatively up to date one that's mostly empty. But what do I know.

Master plan
 

For those who have proposed that the Weirs needs a master plan

Hi McDude
Would you be able to follow up on that link for the re-image of laconia
it is not working?

Think this one works:
http://www.reimaginelaconia.org/

so there you go! ;)

thank you for posting that information, it gives the chance to add our input and a chance for us to put our money where our forum mouth is :D

Regretfully the article about this gathering in this morning's Daily Sun would seem to indicate that the discussion presently is not very specific. They are talking about what "Values" are important as Laconia is "re-imagined". Most people agree on things such as; strong economy, safe community, diverse demographics....etc. Article may be found on p. 10 for Daily Sun readers.

www.meredithbaynh.com is located totally in the weirs beach area within the City of Laconia .... but you gotta dig pretty deep to find that out from their website info .... have to ask why they choose this name as opposed to www.weirsbaynh.com?

And for the uninformed ..... www.meredithbaynh.com ... is totally NOT located within the Town of Meredith.

....like....what are they trying to sell that they attach themselves to the name Meredith and not Weirs or Weirs Beach .... like ....what's in the name that they like better for marketing their vacation home community .... hmmm? It used to be named Akwa Soliel, a made-up name with water and sun connotation, and the new owner changed it to Meredith Bay. Is it located on Meredith Bay or Weirs Bay....at least one inquiring mind wants to know!

The Weirs Beach area has a long history, going back to the 1880's or so, as a summer vacation go-to spot. and it used to be very attractive with lots of dirt roads, little summer cottages, and many pine trees, plus the lake. It is still very attractive, just a little rough around the edges, and can be brought back....but it needs a plan.....if only, it had a plan.....so, what's the plan, here, folks .....what's the plan?

Not that I am fighting you on this, but they overlook the Meredith Bay area not the Weirs, this could be the reasoning for this

One Small Step for Mankind....errr.....Weirs Beach
 

Laconia Daily Sun

Now if they could just get people to stop burying dirty diapers in the sand.......

Jetty
 

The thought is great but not sure adding 20 feet to the jetty will be good for the boaters going thru the channel

Are there people not coming to the Weirs because the beach is 60-75 feet too narrow? Maybe I'm being pessimistic, but that's a lot of money to spend on something that isn't going to draw people here.

Though, it'd be cool if they converted it to a white sand beach, and laid the white sand far out into the water so it'd have that tropical turquoise appearance when the sun hits it.

Nice idea about revitalizing the beach but it's going to take more then truckloads of sand to Revitalize The Weirs and its Honky Tonk reputation. Don't get me wrong I frequent the area by boat often. The Weirs Beach area needs a Master Plan and a developer(s) with deep pockets to give the place a needed facelift while still preserving the Weirs Beach roots and history.

George

The old Saloon location has been completely cleared (motel units gone) and is being graded as of today. Looked like it was going to be paved but could not be sure as I drove by today.

A little off topic but does anybody here know if the "Lobster Pound" was once owned by a Dixon? Was that in the Weirs?

I'd like to think they sold that burned out slab of concrete to build something nice but it's probably being graded for parking/vendors for Motorcycle Week.

I'd love to see the city step in and put an end to this sort of thing through zoning/permitting. Time to limit temporary parking permits. The Weirs will forever suffer as long as bike week makes having an empty lot so valuable.

$50k is hard to pass up . . .
 

particularly when a store owner only nets about $30k for himself after working 60+ hours a week. Sadly, I don't see it ending anytime soon.