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Old 04-11-2012, 01:36 PM   #104
Woodsy
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Weirs Beach
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To start, with all due respect to the Baldi family and their right to due process… be a good neighbor and tear down that ugly eyesore! To the Laconia City manager and mayor… WTH! If that building was located in downtown Laconia we would not have this issue! The building would have been razed a year ago!

The intrinsic dynamic of the Weirs has changed radically in the last 10-12 years. There used to be a lot of small mom & pop motels that people spent their vacation week in. This provided a large turnover of people on weekly basis for the Weirs attractions and kept them busy. In the last real estate boom those mom & pop motels all but disappeared… turned into condos. This process virtually eliminated 60% - 70% of the revenue stream to the Weirs attractions. Condominium owners are more likely to patronize the attractions 2-3 times a season vs. a new bunch of people staying at the local motels every week. It has always been difficult for any business to make a year’s salary in the short 3-4 month summer season here in the Weirs. Couple that with a down economy and you can really understand the struggle business owners have. Unfortunately I don’t think this can be corrected. The damage is done. The City of Laconia and local business owners need to adapt to this unfortunate outcome and think of NEW ways to attract visitors to the Weirs.

Of the 3 biggest towns on the lake, Wolfeboro has always been quiet and rather upscale, Meredith was transformed to upscale, and unfortunately the Weirs has remained somewhat stagnant. This needs to be reversed. What the Weirs needs is better planning and leadership… The Weirs needs a makeover that sticks to its honky-tonk roots! The Weirs has always been the honky-tonk spot on the lake! This should be embraced not discouraged!

Bike Week should be EMBRACED! Years of heavy handed police presence coupled with economic discouragement by Laconia City Hall have diminished the attendance of Bike Week. Other communities throughout the state such as Meredith, Rochester & North Conway have jumped on the Bike Week bandwagon looking to cash in on what the City of Laconia doesn’t seem to want. This all has an effect on attendance.

I think in order to make the Weirs a destination again there needs to be some radical shift in thinking. I would recommend the Weirs become a designated resort area… loosen the rules a little! Look at Key West for inspiration!! Awesome restaurants… Cool bars with great entertainment, funky shops. Clean the area up. Tear down that stupid eyesore. Let people enjoy themselves a little. Maintain a police presence but discreetly (think undercover cops). No need for 3 cruisers and 2 bicycle cops hanging out waiting for something, anything to happen! Let people drink along the boardwalk and enjoy the lake (plastic containers). Allow outside music in the summer up until 12:00. Encourage people to visit. Adjust the rules so that people WANT to VISIT! Adjust the rules so that people WANT to open NEW businesses!

Make the Weirs friendly and people will visit…

Woodsy
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