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jetskier 05-23-2019 07:19 PM

Colonial Theater Funding
 
https://www.laconiadailysun.com/news...ece64ec11.html

joey2665 05-23-2019 07:51 PM

Although they do not admit it, this will probably be the end to the restoration project. Terrible news for the revitalization of downtown.


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fatlazyless 05-23-2019 08:01 PM

.... a rainy day for Laconia
 
Sometimes you win big, and sometimes you looooooooose big!


And sometimes you get rained out. ... ;) ..... just like baseball!


Thursday, May 23, 2019 (same day as today's LaDaSun report): https://www.cdfifund.gov/programs-tr...ment-step.aspx

So, in 2009 the feds said yes to a one million dollar grant for two new clean diesel engines for the Mount Washington through the Cash for Clunkers, EPA program.

And, in 2019 the feds said no to 4.8-million dollar federal tax credits for the Colonial Theatre-Main St renovation through the Treasury Dept. That's like 4.8 mil out of 3.5- billion or 35,000-mil, what they have to work with ..... or 5 out of 35,000 ..... with 34,995 more to offer ... but, it didn't happen.

What a difference ten years can make.

And, Belknap County is the most Republican county, counting state reps and state senators, of all the ten NH counties ..... so how come this got the big red light ...... no?

As you probably know, the rebirth of the Colonial Theatre was planned to help renew and regrow the commercial downtown area for Laconia.

TheTimeTraveler 05-23-2019 08:02 PM

Unless some free money floats down from cloud it appears this vacant, neglected property is doomed to survive.

It's a matter of time before it becomes a safety issue (if it isn't already) and it will be bulldozed and developed into some type of low income housing.

Patiently Watching 05-23-2019 08:28 PM

Thank goodness.
$15 million to rehab a dumpy old theater is a huge waste of money - especially in a small, poor town like Laconia with so many other problems.
Is shocking the city loaned money for the purchase...

Irish mist 05-24-2019 12:40 PM

Sanity finally enforced on Laconia by serendipity. This was a farce from the get-go.

8gv 05-24-2019 02:01 PM

I concur.

What happens to the loan now?

How will the “lenders” be held accountable?

fatlazyless 05-25-2019 12:44 PM

From what I have read in newspapers, New Hampshire is one of just a small number, like maybe five states, that pay more to the federal gov than it gets back. So, receiving these 4.5 million dollars in tax credits would have been an extra gain coming from thye federal government.

Will go look for an appropriate link to Wikipedia or somewhere that explains the New Hampshire deficit balance with thye federal government.

dt5150 05-28-2019 07:51 AM

i would love to see the theater restored to its former glory. however, i believe it should be done by someone in the private sector, not by tax payers. we've got much bigger fish to fry.

Crusty 05-28-2019 05:08 PM

I love the ornate theaters of the past and think that every effort should be made to preserve and restore them. Once gone, they're gone for good. I witnessed the rescue and restoration of the Ohio Theatre in Columbus. Its demolition was scheduled when a local group formed and saved it. You can read about the efforts here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_T...Columbus,_Ohio)

However, one thing that must be considered in saving the Colonial is "what are you going to do with it"?

Once restored, it will need to generate a steady and significant revenue stream to operate and maintain it. This is not something that is going to be a huge attractor of "summer money". To succeed, it must draw and hold local attention.

So, what kind of attractions will, as they say, put Laconians' butts in the seats? Answer that and restoration money will surely follow.

8gv 05-28-2019 09:33 PM

Where will the theatre patrons park?

dt5150 06-12-2019 07:18 AM

now they want to put MORE taxpayer money into the project... :eek2:

https://www.laconiadailysun.com/news...9c15c0e8e.html

joey2665 06-12-2019 07:34 AM

I am all for the revitalization of downtown Laconia but in my opinion to throw good money after bad will only serve to delay or terminate any effort to revitalize the area. Also, I do not see a plan has how the city and Belknap EDC for going to recover their loans and investment in this project.


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Major 06-12-2019 10:17 AM

Invest in the Weirs
 
I would not spend an additional penny on downtown Laconia. Who is the theater going to attract? Section 8 types, rehab graduates? The fiscally responsible approach is to unload the Colonial theater to a private party, and apply any funds on improving roads, which need help.

I would invest in the Weirs, way before downtown Laconia.

joey2665 06-12-2019 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Major (Post 313266)
I would not spend an additional penny on downtown Laconia. Who is the theater going to attract? Section 8 types, rehab graduates? The fiscally responsible approach is to unload the Colonial theater to a private party, and apply any funds on improving roads, which need help.

I would invest in the Weirs, way before downtown Laconia.

That to me is a little harsh. Downtown has come a long way in the past 5 years but still has a long way to go. I do think the Colonial will attract visitors to the area and patrons but my concern is it generating enough to pay back the loans in a timely manner. Money can be spent more wisely on other revitalization downtown not just one theatre

Major 06-12-2019 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joey2665 (Post 313268)
That to me is a little harsh. Downtown has come a long way in the past 5 years but still has a long way to go. I do think the Colonial will attract visitors to the area and patrons but my concern is it generating enough to pay back the loans in a timely manner. Money can be spent more wisely on other revitalization downtown not just one theatre

It is harsh, but the reality is that Laconia is not attracting young families with upsides. It is attracting low-income Section 8 inhabitants and people who have gone through drug treatment. Sometimes the truth is difficult to accept. I work in Kendall Square and go to the Seaport quite often. I don't see a lot of Section 8 housing or rehab centers! In fact quite the opposite. I see a vision of providing an environment to attract the talent being generated by the local colleges to stay in Boston.

I've stated this before, but I feel safer in Boston than I do walking around downtown Laconia. On Monday, on my way to work, I went to CVS on Union Ave/Church Street to purchase a Father's Day card for my dad. As if on cue, two dirt bags riding BMX bikes are hanging around at the entrance, waiting for who knows what. They were obviously living out of the backpacks. They were obviously drug users. I'm sick of it.

Find ways to attract people the right people, and then we can have a discussion on the types of investments that should be made.

joey2665 06-12-2019 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Major (Post 313269)
It is harsh, but the reality is that Laconia is not attracting young families with upsides. It is attracting low-income Section 8 inhabitants and people who have gone through drug treatment. Sometimes the truth is difficult to accept. I work in Kendall Square and go to the Seaport quite often. I don't see a lot of Section 8 housing or rehab centers! In fact quite the opposite. I see a vision of providing an environment to attract the talent being generated by the local colleges to stay in Boston.

I've stated this before, but I feel safer in Boston than I do walking around downtown Laconia. On Monday, on my way to work, I went to CVS on Union Ave/Church Street to purchase a Father's Day card for my dad. As if on cue, two dirt bags riding BMX bikes are hanging around at the entrance, waiting for who knows what. They were obviously living out of the backpacks. They were obviously drug users. I'm sick of it.

Find ways to attract people the right people, and then we can have a discussion on the types of investments that should be made.

You are never going to attract the "right people" without an investment and as with most city revitalization you need to start with the businesses and attractions first to make the city a destination before you can start to remove the section 8 types. That is the exact way it was done in areas in NY such as Harlem Upper Manhattan, and Bed Sty and other areas in Brooklyn that were much much worse than Laconia. May not be an exactly comparison but it gets the point across

iw8surf 06-12-2019 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joey2665 (Post 313271)
You are never going to attract the "right people" without an investment and as with most city revitalization you need to start with the businesses and attractions first to make the city a destination before you can start to remove the section 8 types. That is the exact way it was done in areas in NY such as Harlem Upper Manhattan, and Bed Sty and other areas in Brooklyn that were much much worse than Laconia. May not be an exactly comparison but it gets the point across

Sinking money into the colonial is not how you attract in my opinion. Like Major said, I actually now live in the Seaport which as most will remember was waste land barely a decade ago. You know what is driving millennials and older folks with good salaries there or areas like Cambridge? Its not the run down colonial theater type places but the education institutes, the start ups and the good paying tech jobs. Those came first, now they are trying to build it into a neighborhood and adding fire stations, libraries etc. Create or invite good industry and there's actual incentive to move and establish a home there. I lived in the Lakes Region on the lake year round in my 20s when I was transferred to Laconia for work, constantly said to my self what am I doing here there is nothing here except old retired people, the lake and work? When searching for a new job there was barely any companies even worth looking at and that was very evident in how my employer treated their employees because guess what, they had nowhere else to go. Making somewhere a destination is exactly that, a place people visit and leave, not stay.

joey2665 06-12-2019 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iw8surf (Post 313273)
Sinking money into the colonial is not how you attract in my opinion. Like Major said, I actually now live in the Seaport which as most will remember was waste land barely a decade ago. You know what is driving millennials and older folks with good salaries there or areas like Cambridge? Its not the run down colonial theater type places but the education institutes, the start ups and the good paying tech jobs. Those came first, now they are trying to build it into a neighborhood and adding fire stations, libraries etc. Create or invite good industry and there's actual incentive to move and establish a home there. I lived in the Lakes Region on the lake year round in my 20s when I was transferred to Laconia for work, constantly said to my self what am I doing here there is nothing here except old retired people, the lake and work? When searching for a new job there was barely any companies even worth looking at and that was very evident in how my employer treated their employees because guess what, they had nowhere else to go. Making somewhere a destination is exactly that, a place people visit and leave, not stay.

I never said put money into the colonial. Read my first post. You need to invest in several businesses and attractions not sunk all the funding into one theatre which will then bring in the working class instead of section 8 types.


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Major 06-12-2019 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joey2665 (Post 313271)
You are never going to attract the "right people" without an investment and as with most city revitalization you need to start with the businesses and attractions first to make the city a destination before you can start to remove the section 8 types. That is the exact way it was done in areas in NY such as Harlem Upper Manhattan, and Bed Sty and other areas in Brooklyn that were much much worse than Laconia. May not be an exactly comparison but it gets the point across

I don't necessarily disagree with your statement. However, I think one important difference is that the City of Laconia has gone out of its way to attract Section 8 and rehab types to Laconia by greenlighting lots of projects over the past 5-10 years. The City has exacerbated the problem.

When I refer to right people, I mean people who are willing to work hard and pay taxes, and not look to the government for subsistence. I would prefer that people looking to live off of government (and taxpayer) money to live in cities and towns willing to pay for them. Unfortunately, Laconia is one of those cities. There is no meaning in my reference to right people beyond this concept.

joey2665 06-12-2019 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Major (Post 313275)
I don't necessarily disagree with your statement. However, I think one important difference is that the City of Laconia has gone out of its way to attract Section 8 and rehab types to Laconia by greenlighting lots of projects over the past 5-10 years. The City has exacerbated the problem.

When I refer to right people, I mean people who are willing to work hard and pay taxes, and not look to the government for subsistence. I would prefer that people looking to live off of government (and taxpayer) money to live in cities and towns willing to pay for them. Unfortunately, Laconia is one of those cities. There is no meaning in my reference to right people beyond this concept.

We are on the same page especially on your definition of the right people. Investing in the Colonial would not be a wise choice to spend money to revitalize, yes it’s a beautiful building but this project should be privatized and started after the area begins to turn around.


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WinnisquamZ 06-12-2019 01:07 PM

Not one more dime!


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Irish mist 06-12-2019 03:51 PM

Right on cue the Mayor gets out his shovel & promises to dig deeper....throwing millions more of taxpayer dollars at a run-down theater.

It's inconceivable that this farce keeps moving along. There is no way in the world Laconia has this much money to dump into this theatre without harming what's left of the city budget & the taxpayers' sanity. The Mayor has become Ahab & the theatre has become his white whale. I know the Mayor personally & like him. Good guy, but as I feared, a feckless civil servant.

Six or eight years ago the "leaders' in Laconia made the conscious decision to turn the city into a major rehab center for drugs & a Section-Eight magnet. They succeeded. The city basically gave up on its self, and its future. And by doing this left the dwindling taxpayers' afloat, and on their own.

My family blew out of Laconia years ago when we saw the writing was on the wall. Sold everything, the family home, the rental units & some land that was in the family forever. Sad, but necessary.

8gv 06-25-2019 08:42 AM

https://www.laconiadailysun.com/news...57dedb084.html

More money headed for the drain...

joey2665 06-25-2019 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 8gv (Post 313963)

As I have stated in past posts, I also believe that the theatre is a waste of money that could be used elsewhere to benefit the city, the addition of Rusty McLeer to the mix could help bring this project for a huge negative to a positive.

Although I do have questions as to the scope of his involvement especially his financial commitment and the total investment by the city which will now be about 8.1 million given Rusty's past successes I am willing to revise my opinion once all the information is presented including the time frame of the repayment of debt.

Paugus Bay Resident 07-24-2019 05:29 PM

The latest. Would prefer it be done privately, but hopefully it will be a catalyst. We'll see :confused:

https://tinyurl.com/Colonial-Theater

LongBay 07-24-2019 11:02 PM

Who wants a wicked witch?
 
This is what happens when you get the leaders of a non-profit pitching an elephant and promises everyone the elephant will not cost the taxpayers a dime. Then as time goes by, they change their story and convince town hall to hand over the cash so they can finish making the elephant and get the food to keep it alive. Meanwhile, the taxpayers never have a say because the decision was made without them. Why may you say taxpayers don't get to chime in...the non-profit leaders create a false sense of urgency to town hall leaders the elephant will die next week if they don't hand over the money NOW. We all know everyone doesn't want to see an elephant die. Now, if everyone was told the truth in the first place the elephant is actually a wicked witch and and a decision was made to land a house on top of it, everyone would be singing ding dong the witch is dead, the witch is dead...

joey2665 07-25-2019 05:12 AM

No mention of him in the article but as stated in previous articles my hope is Rusty McLeer’s involvement will make this project a successful venture. As someone who has a vested interest in the area I have no choice at this point to try to be optimistic. As this seems to be a done deal now.


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Major 07-25-2019 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LongBay (Post 316034)
This is what happens when you get the leaders of a non-profit pitching an elephant and promises everyone the elephant will not cost the taxpayers a dime. Then as time goes by, they change their story and convince town hall to hand over the cash so they can finish making the elephant and get the food to keep it alive. Meanwhile, the taxpayers never have a say because the decision was made without them. Why may you say taxpayers don't get to chime in...the non-profit leaders create a false sense of urgency to town hall leaders the elephant will die next week if they don't hand over the money NOW. We all know everyone doesn't want to see an elephant die. Now, if everyone was told the truth in the first place the elephant is actually a wicked witch and and a decision was made to land a house on top of it, everyone would be singing ding dong the witch is dead, the witch is dead...

Very clever. You have real talent!

You summarized the issue perfectly. Our city leaders are under the illusion that if only we can put lipstick on a pig, the pig will become more beautiful for everyone to see. However, as I've stated in prior posts, the city leaders have already cemented their vision of what Laconia is to become. A downtown chock full of Section 8 housing and rehab centers. Instead of investing in other paths, the city leaders decided to take the quick money from this current path without any thought as to the future. Unfortunately, our city is not filled with nor attracting young families with bright futures, who would have enjoyed these city-funded attractions.


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