Weirs Beach Waterslide to be Torn Down

[birchhaven]

Originally Posted by dykg

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.

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.

[Woodsy]

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

[fatlazyless]

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.

[BroadHopper]

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!

[birchhaven]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

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

[Woodsy]

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

[brk-lnt]

Originally Posted by Woodsy

Birchhaven...


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

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.

[Bostonian]

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.

[jess1234]

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.

[WeirsBeachBoater]

I would think a taxpayer whether full time or not, should be allowed to speak?

[Lakesrider]

Probably having it just before Christmas because they think everyone will be too busy to show up. How about a contingent of Winnipesaukee.com members showing up with a Laconia resident as spokesperson? As I have always said Nothing happens if nothing is done.

[PaugusBayFireFighter]

They have been taking down the water slide for a couple days now. They should leave some scraps and debris so it matches the rest of the corner.

[Shore Driver]

The Weirs is depressing. I just won't drive over there anymore.

[minni on winni]

There are alot of eyesores at the Weirs. Whatever they put in the place of the waterslide should be geared to get families to the beach. The iconic Weirs sign, the train , the Mount, Sophie, Doris, the Drive In are the "draws". We need something to keep kids entertained , not too costly for parents and something that wil be remembered fondly and will make you want to keep coming back. I think an out door amusement park with fun rides would be great.no need for a waterpark we have the beach. No need for more alcohol that is just a set up for litter in our streets and quite possibly bad behavior and accidents.

[jrc]

As other people have said, Bike week may drive this. According to the web, that property is valued around $600K and the tax rate is around $20, so say $12K a year. I bet a beer tent, some stalls and parking will raise enough to pay that and a handy profit in just 10 days.

Why risk investing money and running a real business, when you can make a profit in 10 days, with no risk.

Bike week has it's upside but it does become a crutch for the property owners around ground zero.

[birchhaven]

Originally Posted by jrc

As other people have said, Bike week may drive this. According to the web, that property is valued around $600K and the tax rate is around $20, so say $12K a year. I bet a beer tent, some stalls and parking will raise enough to pay that and a handy profit in just 10 days.

Why risk investing money and running a real business, when you can make a profit in 10 days, with no risk.

Bike week has it's upside but it does become a crutch for the property owners around ground zero.

I could not agree more.

The city of laconia needs to stop promoting from with in and can everyone and start over, it really is pathetic.

[jrc]

The city can change the incentives and try to drive business behavior in a direction better for the area. They could make all the bike week permits contingent on year round business plans.

Say to a property owner, you can't have a that 10 day beer tent unless you make some improvement to the property. Obviously this becomes a political issue about how much is too much and unintended consequences but that's what governing is about.

[pcmc]

Forgive me if anyone interprets this as an insult! Lake George, N.Y. seems to be furnishing nicely. Would it be possible to consult their planning or development committees and get some advice. Yes, I know they are the direct competition but the area is successful and inviting. Why not even try to incorporate some sort of a vacation package between the two areas? Only a thought. I'm not saying copy them and create a second Lake George, but the events page on their website is pretty busy. Any help could be good for the area.

[jmen24]

I believe we are only a few years out from the Weirs finding the bottom of the hole, but it won't be a pretty ride to the bottom.

The reason I say that is, Bike Week continues to move further away from Laconia every year; Hill climbs, chapter rides, large crowd gathering events. They are all happening North and West of the Lakes Region. Those are some of the events listed on the Official Bike Week events page.

One thing that most people don't understand is exactly how profitable that empty lot is for Bike Week. I am certain the current owners will not chime in on this, but here is an example.

When the original owners of the Lobster Pound sold to the current owners, they sold the assets, the name and the land, but they did not sell the rights to that parking lot during Bike Week. The reason, that 10 day period generated an income for the owners approaching 7 figures, in that large lot with a very small building (in case anyone ever wondered why Lou and Harvey never fixed up the old LP). The current owners of the LP realized quite quickly that they misunderstood the "real" value of that property and bought out the rights to Bike Week for the following year. It took them a few years to figure out that they needed to supply their vendors with constant water and other necessary items, but they have the routine down now. The only difference is the building eats up more income than it likely replaces, but they were smart to build the LP into what it is today. They will be in the position to capitalize when a turn around of that area comes.

Why this story matters.

Bike Week continues to move away from the run down Weirs, so does that vendor income for the lot renters. Income continues to drop, so the price of rental space goes up to compensate. The State loves this as it spreads the tourist spending into other areas of our beautiful state and it does not put all the focus on the "Bike Week" atmosphere.

If looking at the Weirs as a business, it is only a matter of years before it will fold. The owners (read: Laconia and the lot owners) are in money grab mode, this is going to result in a developers dream, as they buy up one foreclosed property after another.

The players are just waiting for the other shoe to drop, that is how Meredith became what it is today.

[Lakesrider]

Yeah the city could do a lot. Will they? No. Civic pride in Laconia is dead. They have have a huge asset there slowly sinking into oblivion. The days of the Weirs are numbered. I heard so many complaints from bikers last year it wasn't funny. Every year it is the same complaint. Except for the tents selling stuff there is nothing to do around here. Getting anything acomplised in this area is tough. Look at how the owners of the burnt out place toyed with the city. What did they do for all that time. Nothing. Tied up in legal while an embarrassing structure on a renowned piece of land slowly rotted on its foundation. Still just a big hole years later. So now we will all get to look at a big leveled stretch of land that sits and looks like that TV show on the discovery channel...."Life after humans". Just bring in the Gypsies and traveling freak shows and it will all be complete. Gypsies.....yeah bring in some Gypsies.....

[minni on winni]

Please don't bring in the traveling freak show and gypsies. An amusement park with rides for young children and teens would be a definite asset to the area.keeping a nostalgic feel to go along with the Weirs sign and Drive in .