Quote:
Originally Posted by TiltonBB
As in most things it is easy to be critical.
There are a few owners with property investments in Weirs Beach that have existed and done well for many years. The city of Laconia would face a significant challenge if they tried to make any changes that would impact those property owners.
It would be nice to have Laconia look like Meredith but how do you make that happen? Who would want to invest in the modernization and cleanng up of the Weirs Beach area if every eyesore in the area was not removed? How do you get the income from 12 weeks to support 52 weeks of debt? Many tourists, summer people, boaters and vacationers are here for the summer season and have no idea how much this area turns into a ghost town for 9 months of the year.
If you have really great ideas about how you can support the investment required for significant change that will make sense with the short season we have I am sure that the Laconia Planning Department would love to hear from you.
So, don't complain, offer your solution!
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See Meredith. I'd go figure out who transformed Meredith and offer them, or someone like them, incentives to do the same for Laconia. No property taxes for twenty years in exchange for developing a high-end hotel at the Weirs? There must be town owned property (tax foreclosures) that could be given to developers in exchange for a commitment of heavy capital expenditures. Who developed the Meredith Hockey tournament? If I were running Laconia I'd improve the docking situation. Clearly this isn't rocket science. While I agree that running a seasonal tourist destination is difficult, why has every other town on the lake been HIGHLY successful? This is Lake Winnipesaukee....there is a ton of money around. If people were convinced that change and investment were happening money would flow to the Weirs and Laconia rapidly. While the area is downtrodden there is a ton of value here. What other town on the lake has that much commercial property at its waterfront? My God look at what has happened to Boston's South End.....take a peak at what has happened to places like Chelsea and Dorchester. These areas benefitted since they were values relative to Boston's Back Bay and North-end. Isn't the same relationship present between Laconia and Meredith?