weirs beach water slide development

[VitaBene]

Originally Posted by ITD

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.

[fatlazyless]

Originally Posted by VitaBene

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.

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.

[MAXUM]

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.

[fatlazyless]

Originally Posted by MAXUM

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!

[MAXUM]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

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.

[meredith weekender]

Originally Posted by MAXUM

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

[RLW]

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.

[fatlazyless]

Originally Posted by MAXUM

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.

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!

[MAXUM]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

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!

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.

[BroadHopper]

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.

[upthesaukee]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

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.

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

http://steelehillresorts.com/amenities/

[Phantom]

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.


.

[ghfromaltonbay]

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.

[Dickie B from HB]

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.

[MAXUM]

Originally Posted by Dickie B from HB

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.

[tis]

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.

[Seaplane Pilot]

Originally Posted by MAXUM

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.

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

[Crusty]

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.

[mcdude]

Originally Posted by Seaplane Pilot

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

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

P.S. Thank You for your service Maxum


.

[fatlazyless]

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???

[lilyelgato]

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.

[mcdude]

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

Re-Imagine Laconia open house is tonight - Daily sun - Published Date Wednesday, 18 March 2015 12:16

LACONIA — Tonight the city's Planning Department will cap the process to "Re-imagine Laconia" with an open house at the Opechee Conference Center in Lakeport beginning at 5 p.m.
The Re-imagine Laconia effort is the first step in the preparation of a Master Plan re-write designed to define and identify the values that will inform the vision statement, which will serve as the keystone of the plan.
The conference center will be ringed with different interactive stations where participants can mingle with one another while offering their perspectives on the future of the city during the first hour.
At the "heroes and headlines" station residents will be asked to write a sketch about someone who has left an indelible mark on the city and its inhabitants along with a newspaper headline envisioning the city 10 years into the future. At the land use station there will be a number of options for changing the face of the city together with colored dots for residents to score them in order of priority. Residents will also have opportunities to express their opinions about the management of natural resources and the development of the local economy.
Those who have not completed the survey on-line at www.re-imaginelaconia.org will have another opportunity at the survey station where laptops will available to record responses. to 10 questions, all aimed at gathering opinions about all aspects of civic life, from the outward appearance to the quality of life in the city.
Children will be welcomed and a table will offer them activities to pass the time while teens will have a corner to themselves to "text their opinions".
At 6 p.m. Planning Director Shanna Saunders will summarize the results of the community forum held in October, explain what steps have been taken since and look ahead to the next steps in formulating the Master Plan. In particular, Saunders will address the values and priorities expressed by residents and visitors since her department began soliciting opinion last summer. The goal will be to identify the principal values and incorporate them into a vision statement that will inform all aspects of the Master Plan.
David Hohenschau of the Orton Family Foundation, which provided funding and support for this stage of the Master Plan process, will explain why the identification and refinement of community values is essential to the planning process.
At 7 p.m. the open house will resume another hour for those who arrived after 6 p.m. Drinks and light refreshments will served during the evening.

[AC2717]

Originally Posted by mcdude

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/

[mcdude]

so there you go!

[AC2717]

Originally Posted by mcdude

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

[mcdude]

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.

[fatlazyless]

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?