City Council still pressing for brick look on boat showroom exterior

LACONIA — The City Council has instructed the city manager to open discussions with the owner of Lakeport Landing Marina in an effort to get the business to include brick facing on a section of its new showroom and storage facility at Lakeport Square.

The decision came on a 4-1 vote following a presentation by City Councilor Bruce Cheney, who told the council that Lakeport Landing or its representatives had indicated several times that the building would include a multi-story architectural feature which would be faced in brick or brick-like material.

In raising the issue Cheney said, “It’s an obligation to finish the project in a style presented to the city.”

The building stands on the site of the former Lakeport Fire Station. Built in the 1950s, the station was deactivated in the early 1980s, but afterward served as the base for its call company into the early 2000s. The station was largely unused in the years immediately preceding the sale to Lakeport Landing.

The late City Councilor Armand Bolduc insisted that the old station’s brick hose-drying tower be incorporated into the new showroom. However, that part of the building was found to be structurally unsound and was torn down, but the building plans showed a new tower-like structure faced in brick.

Most of the councilors said it was entirely reasonable that the completed building have the same look as was shown in the plans, especially in light of the lengths to which the city went so the business could remain in Lakeport.

The boat dealer purchased the station from the city in 2017 for $385,000.

“If it hadn’t been for the council she wouldn’t have been able to maintain her business in Lakeport,” City Councilor Henry Lipman said, referring to Erica Blizzard, the owner of Lakeport Landing.

Blizzard called the council’s action Monday “disappointing,” explaining that the decision not to go with brick was reached after it was clear that it would have been cost-prohibitive or impractical to do so.

“It was discussed in detail on more than one occasion that the building was not designed to support the weight of the brick,” Blizzard said in an emailed statement. “We spoke to several companies, including Mas-Con Corporation, who helped us look into a brick veneer. Unfortunately the cost was exorbitant. Other brick alternatives could not be warrantied given the size and height of the structure.”

Mayor Andrew Hosmer, pushed back against councilors who were making a big issue of a decorative feature on the new building.

“We are targeting a business. The owner has committed $2 million to renovate a building that was neglected to some extent. I think that the city should look to support a business, ” Hosmer said, accusing critical councilors of “nitpicking.” He called the discussion “a waste of time,” adding: ”It’s folly.”

Blizzard said in a statement that her new building pays tribute in a number of ways to the old fire station, and she was dismayed that most councilors have not bothered to visit the building since it opened a year ago to see the results for themselves.

“Our doors have been open for more than a year now. We kindly invited the City Council to visit our showroom to see how we have preserved a lot of the original building; including fixtures, garage doors, lights and the fire pole. It is unfortunate that only two councilmen accepted our invitation and the others could not find the time to see the beautiful work we have done here,” she said.

Councilor Mark Haynes said the city had acted in good faith in its dealings with Lakeport Landing, but that Lakeport Landing had not reciprocated. “That is not harassment,” Haynes said, explaining why he believed the city should pursue the matter.

“It’s important to remember that this building had not been a working fire station since the mid-1980s. It was run down, poorly maintained and had been used for storage for the last 30-plus years. It also did not meet the qualifications to be listed on the National Historic Registry,” Blizzard said.

Cheney said he was raising the issue of the brick-like architectural feature in large part because Bolduc felt it was one element of the old fire station that should be preserved in some way.

For her part, Blizzard said she was very mindful of Bolduc’s stature in the community.

“I tried to integrate as much as possible, which included building a 30-foot-tall faux hose tower. A structure that serves no purpose to this showroom but was done out of consideration and respect for Armand Bolduc, a man I had known since I was 4 years old. We built a beautiful showroom around a building whose purpose was once a fire station and now is here to serve another purpose. I can sincerely say from the many conversations I had with Armand, he would be very proud of what we have accomplished and Lakeport Square is much lovelier for it.”

Cheney initially asked that the city manager refer the matter to the city’s attorney, but later, at the urging of Councilor Bob Hamel, amended his motion to have City Manager Scott Myers hold formal discussions with Blizzard in an effort to have the tower covered with brick facing.

Councilor Tony Felch, who represents Ward 6 which includes much of Lakeport, was the only member of the council to vote against pursuing the matter, arguing the council should not be “giving a hard time to businesses who want to remain in the city.”