Boardwalk dedication

[vmartino26]

A nice crowd turned out for the rededication and opening of the new Weirs Beach boardwalk today. Had an opportunity to walk the new boardwalk and it is wonderful. Congratulations to all involved with the engineering, design and building. The season has begun!

[john60ri]

Very glad to hear that the boardwalk is back. In '08, we arrived for vacation just two days after the terrible storm that knocked out the boardwalk and the railroad tracks. Can't wait to see it back to normal.

[Mr. V]

Why did it take so long to repair?

[fatlazyless]

The old Weirs boardwalk was built with pressure treated lumber, real natural coniferous wood, and the new Weirs boardwalk is decked with grey colored trex, a plastic composite.

Maybe I'll be proven wrong over time, but by looking at the trex decking used on the Meredith waterfront walkway that borders the Inn at Bay Point, that trex does not seem to hold its good looks nearly as well as the light colored mahogany natural wood decking used on the newer section of the Meredith walkway, close to the Inn at Church Point and the town docks.

It's pretty tough to out-perform natural wood for decking. Did Laconia make the best choice by choosing grey trex which is a very expensive product? Time will tell....wait a few years ...and let's see how the Weirs grey trex looks compared to the ten year older mahogany in Meredith's town dock?

[mcdude]

From the Citizen

Weirs boardwalk rededicated
Laconia:

Friday, May 28, 2010


Nearly two years after floodwaters washed the local landmark into Lake Winnipesaukee — and just in time for Memorial Day weekend — the boardwalk at Weirs Beach has been reopened officially for the summer season and years to come.

The city held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday evening with state and municipal officials and other community members on the boardwalk.

The $1.6 million reconstruction project started in December 2009 and was completed earlier this month.

On Aug. 7, 2008, the boardwalk was forever changed when water coming off the northern slope of Route 3 rushed its way down to the water's edge. The force of the water caused the ground under the railroad tracks and a 100-foot-long section of the boardwalk to be blown into the lake, leaving the area in ruins.

As a result of the flood, the city had to shut down a portion of the boardwalk and the staircase connecting it to the public docks below. For the rest of the 2008 season and all of last year, a section of the boardwalk remained closed and the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad was unable to run between Meredith and Lakeport in a straight shot.


Over the past few months, with engineering by Dubois & King, Inc., and work by Busby Construction Co., the replacement of the blown-out section was completed so the boardwalk would be ready for the 2010 summer season.

The renovations began last fall and entailed removing the existing train tracks, installing the pilings, replacing the tracks and stabilizing the embankment on which both the tracks and boardwalk rest. New lighting has been installed along the full length of the boardwalk, a feature it did not have before.

During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Director of Public Works Paul Moynihan highlighted several special features of the new boardwalk: additions that will make the boardwalk safer and more structurally sound for generations to come.

"Sheet piling is probably the most significant thing that was put in here as far as strength and cost," said Moynihan. "This entire rail bed now has a drainage system in it which it didn't have before, so if we have another event, that is a safeguard."

Moynihan said a new "intermediate" boardwalk was constructed between the boardwalk and the public docks because the staircase needed to be relocated. That smaller section provides a landing area for pedestrians who are accessing the city docks and gives them direct access to the boardwalk.


"The decking of the boardwalk is made from TREX, a composite wood and plastic product that is very durable and is low-maintenance," he said. "We also put in new balusters, the vertical pieces that weren't there before on the railing, which is required by current-day code."

Several guests were welcomed, with some having comments to share about the boardwalk. City Councilor Greg Knytych said he remembered getting a call from the city manager the night when the boardwalk got washed away. He said what he saw the next day will always be a memory in his mind.

"This really is a big event for the Weirs," said Knytych. "To actually have the boardwalk done, much stronger and a better safeguard, is really a wonderful thing."

Tom Pucci, president of the Weirs Action Committee, said he was very proud to be part of the ribbon-cutting and he thanked several people involved in the project, from the engineering firm that designed the project to the construction workers hammering in the nails.

"[The boardwalk is a] very important part of the tourism industry that is near and dear to the city of Laconia and all of us," said Pucci. "The project was no small task. A lot of heart and soul, hard-work, engineering and skill has gone into this rebuild of the boardwalk."

Pucci said he is always reminded of the movie "Field of Dreams" with the belief that, "If you build it, they will come," something which occurred during the past few months.

"I now welcome everyone to Laconia's own field of dreams," he said.

Executive Councilor Ray Burton said the boardwalk is a thing of beauty and something that has been part of the local history for decades past, being looked on by those in the veteran homes along Lakeside Avenue and walked on by thousands of people visiting the area each year.

"Through the efforts of the city of Laconia, Paul [Moynihan] and all involved, you combined the old with the new and made it happen in a modern, safe and an environmentally acceptable way," said Burton. "The outdoor industry is thriving because of this project."

Burton thanked everyone involved on behalf of Governor John Lynch.

Mayor Michael Seymour said he was impressed by the work done on the boardwalk, from the aesthetics of the finished project to the preventive measures implemented into the engineering.

"The boardwalk is such a critical part of tourism and quality of life, not just within Laconia, but within Central New Hampshire," said Seymour. "This project really benefits a large number of people, it's not just the city of Laconia."

He said the project was one demonstration of how the local, state and federal government help each other to make such a project come to fruition.

"This means so much for the community; it's been a central focal point here for over 100 years and now it's back open," Seymour said.

[Shore Driver]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

The old Weirs boardwalk was built with pressure treated lumber, real natural coniferous wood, and the new Weirs boardwalk is decked with grey colored trex, a plastic composite.

Maybe I'll be proven wrong over time, but by looking at the trex decking used on the Meredith waterfront walkway that borders the Inn at Bay Point, that trex does not seem to hold its good looks nearly as well as the light colored mahogany natural wood decking used on the newer section of the Meredith walkway, close to the Inn at Church Point and the town docks.

It's pretty tough to out-perform natural wood for decking. Did Laconia make the best choice by choosing grey trex which is a very expensive product? Time will tell....wait a few years ...and let's see how the Weirs grey trex looks compared to the ten year older mahogany in Meredith's town dock?

Have to disagree with you there. I see it every day in my neighborhood which was built by 2 different builders. There is a good reason most high-quality builders have gotten away from natural wood decking (unfortunately not mine). If you see a poor-quality "Trex" decking, its not Trex. The worst you can expect is some fading.

[jmen24]

Originally Posted by Shore Driver

Have to disagree with you there. I see it every day in my neighborhood which was built by 2 different builders. There is a good reason most high-quality builders have gotten away from natural wood decking (unfortunately not mine). If you see a poor-quality "Trex" decking, its not Trex. The worst you can expect is some fading.

Most high quality builders have tried but will not go back to trex or correctdeck type products. Less is right on this one, but my feeling is it has to do with maintenance. Other than not needing paint, composite decking still needs to be constantly washed if you want it to maintain any form of decent appearence, especially with the foot traffic that that decking will see.

Stick with wood, it holds its value better (not PT). If you are really looking for composite decking, look at something that does not contain wood fiber (Trex) and take a look at what Azek is putting out. Trex is a dinosaur in the industry and as typical with the first company to offer a cutting edge product, have done little to improve it since it came on the market.

And Trex is still the most expensive composite decking on the market, and don't tell me cause it is better than the rest, cause its not. It does have its applications that it works well and it is better than some of the other product lines, but zero inovation other that different color options, since it came out. They are still one of the only companies that still use wood fiber (even after the industry has rejected wood based composite due to the amounts of mildew that they collect and stains that they hold).

[birchhaven]

Jmen24 is right.

FLL the Meredith docks in front of the Town Docks and Church Landing are IPE decking it extremely expensive, it never rots, it looks very nice, it will grey over time unless it is oiled kind like teak. A fun fact is it is so dense it sinks in water like a rock. It is very hard to work with, it requires carbide blades and it chews them up fast, and then all fresh cuts need to be waxed, all screws need to be predrilled. It is extremely tuff stuff. O and it does not check as it drys out. It also has the structural strength to span 24+" stringers, rather 12' or 16"
I love the stuff, it is the only thing I will use for decking and the only thing I consider truly maintenance free.

[Shore Driver]

Originally Posted by jmen24

Most high quality builders have tried but will not go back to trex or correctdeck type products. Less is right on this one, but my feeling is it has to do with maintenance. Other than not needing paint, composite decking still needs to be constantly washed if you want it to maintain any form of decent appearence, especially with the foot traffic that that decking will see.

Stick with wood, it holds its value better (not PT). If you are really looking for composite decking, look at something that does not contain wood fiber (Trex) and take a look at what Azek is putting out. Trex is a dinosaur in the industry and as typical with the first company to offer a cutting edge product, have done little to improve it since it came on the market.

And Trex is still the most expensive composite decking on the market, and don't tell me cause it is better than the rest, cause its not. It does have its applications that it works well and it is better than some of the other product lines, but zero inovation other that different color options, since it came out. They are still one of the only companies that still use wood fiber (even after the industry has rejected wood based composite due to the amounts of mildew that they collect and stains that they hold).

Perhaps you are a builder.

But what you are saying here is builders are NOT currently using Trex and have returned to using wood? Certainly not here in CT. I'm sure you could find a few VERY high end builders using some very high quality wood, but the guy paying $400K + wants, and will get, composite decking. The guy below that gets pressure treated wood and is sorry within 5 years (speaking from experience).

[birchhaven]

Am I the guy below? IPE is not PT and should not be confused with IPA (that is essential in the construction of said deck)
I mean this in a very nice way, but some of the very expensive homes I have seen in CT have always made me cringe they look good but they are not well built.
If you are building a deck I would go for a natural rot proof wood like IPE, just sayin...

[jmen24]

Shore Driver, PT is nasty stuff and is not at all what I was refering to when suggesting wood decking. But you are correct, if that is really what the owner wants they can have it, but not after a quick lesson on what they are actually getting. Just as an FYI mahogany decking costs half of what trex does and has all of the same properties as composite, you do not have to apply a finish if you do not want to. Ipe costs about 20% more than Trex, so give or take a $1.00 or 2 per square foot.

Birchhaven, they don't call it "Iron Wood" for nothing. Ipe will actually throw sparks when you cut it, as it is ripping the metal off your blade. The wax end coating is what actually prevents the checking in Ipe and Mahogany, without it it will split out. In most respected builders opinions, an exotic hardwood decking, harvested from a sustainable forest enterprise is the greenest decking material on the market. But big money is paid to push composites from the manufacturers and big box retailers.

Birchhaven, next time you do an Ipe deck, request Ebty fasteners. They install using a biscuit joiner slot in the side of the deck board. No fasteners on the surface and no pre-drilling. One fastener holds two boards at each joist. Only the breadboard gets surface screwed and that should be plugged and sanded over to hide that fastener as well.

We are going to be repairing some trim on a home built in my area that cost over 500K to build 8 years ago, but because they used pre-primed finger jointed trim and did not paint the end cuts prior to installation, it is literally rotting off the house. Pulled off a 2 ft long section by hand. The price tag has nothing to do with the quality of construction. This company is still building homes in our area like gangbusters. This is not the first one we have gone back to repair from this company.

[NoBozo]

All quiet on the western front. Where are the environmentalists on this..? WOOD is a Renewable Resource. Anyone wonder where Plastic comes from..? OIL.

BTW: I have used Pressure Treated (PT) lumber on a porch and a deck. I will never use it again. It cracks, checks, splits, warps and twists. And it also splinters into slivers six inches or more in length that will really be pleasant if you happen to get one in your bare foot. I don't allow anyone to walk on my deck with bare feet because of the splinters. My deck is 22 years old and has been splintered for the past 15 at least.

Whenever I get to it I will replace the "decking" part of the deck with mahogany. Trouble is it isn't cheap and money is scarce when your retired. Maybe I should get a job. NB

[Rattlesnake Guy]

I think they old board walk was the original kind of pressure treated wood that the rail road would have used. Creosote impregnated like a railroad tie or telephone poles. Doesn't last forever but it last a couple generations. I don't think we want to know the environmental impact.

[fatlazyless]

Refinishinging an old pressure treated lumber deck is a good do-it-yourself type of a job using boiled linseed oil, paint thinner, grey alkyd primer, and alkyd grey deck paint. What's nice about the redone appearance is that the weathered and worn lumber shows through the new paint so you end up with a pretty good look'n redone deck. Suggest you go with that famous color, battleship grey, and it will turn around an ugly old brown pt lumber deck...&... anchors away...

If the old deck is not too badly dried out, then skip the linseed oil/thinner application and just go with oil primer and oil deck paint. ...just forgetabout use'n latex!

Creasote stain & preservative was outlawed sometime around 1970, so's 40 years later, any creasoted decks still in existence could be redone similar to pressure treated cac, chromium-arsenic-copper, lumber.

[jmen24]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Refinishinging an old pressure treated lumber deck is a good do-it-yourself type of a job using boiled linseed oil, paint thinner, grey alkyd primer, and alkyd grey deck paint. What's nice about the redone appearance is that the weathered and worn lumber shows through the new paint so you end up with a pretty good look'n redone deck. Suggest you go with that famous color, battleship grey, and it will turn around an ugly old brown pt lumber deck...&... anchors away...

If the old deck is not too badly dried out, then skip the linseed oil/thinner application and just go with oil primer and oil deck paint. ...just forgetabout use'n latex!

Creasote stain & preservative was outlawed sometime around 1970, so's 40 years later, any creasoted decks still in existence could be redone similar to pressure treated cac, chromium-arsenic-copper, lumber.

Speaking of outlawed,
Less when was the last time you tried to buy oil based paint at any dealer or retail store. Short of the LoVoc stains from Minwax (that do not match the old colors of Minwax, for anyone thinking of touching up or matching some trim that is older than 4 years) and Cabot, oil based paint, stain and urethane is not to be purchased, sold or have sent to you (ordered online) in the State of NH.

I have a guy that does midnight bootleg runs into Vermont or Mass if you need some of the good stuff!!!!

[fatlazyless]

Wal-Mart Plymouth still sells gallons of black, white, & grey Rustoleum gloss oil paint for about $26.00/gal. I betcha you could find left-over gallons of oil paint without too much trouble simply by asking around at local stores. Oil paint has a shelf life of maybe twenty years, as long as the lid is tight and it's kept from freez'n.

...hey...from 1919-1930...alcohol was outlawed too...but did that keep people from using their favorite form of alcohol.....ya know...adding the correct amount of alcohol to a paint job always seems to produce a higher quality paint job....why is that?

[jmen24]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Wal-Mart Plymouth still sells gallons of black, white, & grey Rustoleum gloss oil paint for about $26.00/gal. I betcha you could find left-over gallons of oil paint without too much trouble simply by asking around at local stores. Oil paint has a shelf life of maybe twenty years, as long as the lid is tight and it's kept from freez'n.

...hey...from 1919-1930...alcohol was outlawed too...but did that keep people from using their favorite form of alcohol.....ya know...adding the correct amount of alcohol to a paint job always seems to produce a higher quality paint job....why is that?

That was true 2 years ago when the ban took affect, betcha didn't know it even happened. Also check the label, it is either LoVoc (which uses a linseed oil or soy based oil) or water cleanup oil based. Take a long think on that one, when was the last time you used water to clean a brush used for oil paint. That is for the oil paint.

You are still able to get certain oil or Alkyd paint for metal, but FLL are you really using that stuff to paint the deck....

I will agree with the alcohol added to a paint job, mostly because I absolutely hate to paint and that is the only way I can get through it. It only looks better when it is finished that day, the next day provides a different view of the results.





Anyway, here is to hoping that the boardwalk holds to the hill for many more years to come. May even increase foot traffic from folks coming down to see how it came out.

[Scott]

Who ever would have thought that storm that ruined the boardwalk would be the best thing to ever happen to it?

The new boardwalk is fantastic.

It appears they're not going to replant trees down the length of it, which is a bummer. A nice row of red maples would have been nice. The garden that runs almost the whole length is a great replacement though. I sure hope someone waters those plants soon, because many of them were wilted and close to death this morning, and there's no rain coming in time to save them.

[Shore Driver]

OT: Was the Weirs waterslide open this weekend?