Weirs Beach Waterslide to be Torn Down

[fatlazyless]

Well, the empty paved lot down next to the new roundabout that used to be Karl's Fine Food restaurant has been up for sale for maybe 5-10 years or so with no buyers including no Duncan Donuts?????


Ya know that Weirs roundabout could have been a lot better looking if it were similar to the Meredith roundabout which has granite cobble blocks on the outside as opposed to smooth concrete. Wonder why Laconia did that and went with a smooth concrete while both the Meredith and Plymouth roundabouts use granite cobble blocks??????

[Lin]

Unfortunately we are not up at the camp because our daughter wanted to share it with friends this weekend. She has been gone for four years at a Florida college and is back this summer. She helped me open the camp earlier this month. She had not been to Weirs beach since she was 18 and this is what she said when I asked if she was having fun. They were at pirate's cove mini golf, red hill dairi and a couple of other fun places but then she texted -"also the weirs is very run down - everything is pretty much closed down."

We love the location at the weirs pretty views, the icecream shops, and the beach and have had very fond memories of being at the weirs both as kids and as raising our kids. My aunt Shirley Avery Hames (related to Captain Avery that used to captain the MT Washington) grew up there and one of the cottages to the north of the pier was Nana and my great Aunt's first purchase at the lake back in the thirties. My parents spent summers at the weirs before my great aunt bought a nice place up on wentworth shores in the fifties. I and my siblings spent every summer at the lake and enjoyed our weirs visits as did our kids. But it is getting run down over the years.

It would be nice to see some improvements on the strip.

[Bostonian]

I was up at the lake this past weekend (first time since about April for the closing of Gunstock's winter season). One of the things I had noticed was the tale of two towns. On Saturday, my family and I went to Meredith for lunch. The town was bustling, with traffic, pedestrians and just life to the town. We ended up eating lunch at the Lake Side Deli, which was fantastic. Whether it was the crafts fair, the people, the food and so on - there was a pulse to the area... Then on our way back to Gilford -

We passed by the Weirs... Empty lots, no bustle, urban decay, and just a sense of loss. As the previous poster indicated, some improvements to the strip would be nice and are needed. Getting businesses into the area that are sustainable, and a draw to the area would be good too. having family friendly, long term sustainable business is the answer. While a Dunkies is nice for the weirs rottery (not that we need another chain), it doesn't provide a longer term solution for a village in Laconia that was the heart of the Lakes region for so long.

[Dickie B from HB]

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 knowhow 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.

[Sal]

Thanks for the HB success story. But . . . that is liberal California

. . . . this is good ol' Live Free or Die New Hampshire.

Fat chance of the gubmint doing that, around here. Ayuh.

(?Right, FLL??)

I am donning my flame-proof suit now.

[Dickie B from HB]

Gotta tell ya Huntington Beach is not a liberal city. We're in the heart of Orange County. This is Republican territory, far to the right of center.
What the city did here wasn't liberal or conservative. It was just the smart thing to do.

[Misha888]

I spied growing grass on the lot. It has that going for it now.

[HellRaZoR004]

Wife and I docked at the Weirs on Monday and decided to try out the Tower Hill Tavern.

We both shared a R.O.B. burger and thought it was delicious. We even decided to eat outside at one of the open tables along the street. The weather was great but the motorcycle noise was too much. Every idiot with a bike thought it was a great idea to rev their engines as they passed. Not very inviting.

Walked down towards the Weirs sign and commented that everything was run down. What is the yellow building at the corner all boarded up with windows almost falling out? What an eyesore.

o0o, did I mention you need to make sure when docking your boat it's at the end of the dock; otherwise you are not getting out without moving someones boat....very bad design.

[BroadHopper]

Built when boats were pencil thin. Weirs can do themselves a BIG favor by adding more space between slips!

[Misha888]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

Built when boats were pencil thin. Weirs can do themselves a BIG favor by adding more space between slips!

The only reason I miss our Carrera SS7M. 4th of July we could just glide in between the boats and get front row parking . . . now, we don't even bother going. Boat is too wide.