City Docks should soon be humming

LACONIA — The city docks at The Weirs were deserted Friday afternoon except for a woman tying up her boat and a couple of men sitting down and fishing under sunny skies, their feet dangling near the water.

Business should pick up in the coming weeks as coronavirus restrictions are loosened throughout the state and people become more comfortable returning to old haunts.

On one end of the dock, the M/S Mount Washington will soon begin transiting from its pier. And at the other end, workers may begin building a new pier for The Dive, which bills itself as "the coolest floating bar & restaurant on Lake Winnipesaukee."

This week, the City Council, by a 4-3 vote, approved a lease for the project, but delayed implementing it pending a public hearing on June 22.

The council in early April first took up the proposal by Jamie Merriam and Betsy Sullivan, owners of The Dive, to build a large pier for their watercraft, which is essentially a two-story cube built onto a self-propelled barge. They will pay more than $150,000 to build the docking area. 

Merriam said it has been a thorough review process, and he’s anxious to start building.

“We can’t do much until we get this lease approved,” he said. “We’ve been patiently waiting, upgrading and doing the best we can.

“I could go out to the sandbars, but it would be difficult.”

Last year, The Dive docked at the far side of the Winnipesaukee Pier. It went to sandbars during the day to serve boaters and returned in the evening to act as a floating bar.

On the website, they say:

"You'll find us at local hot spots and sandbars on the lake, serving up the tastiest cocktails, cold beer and mouth-watering food. Grab your buds and join us for a boat-load of fun and good times on the lake. Don't forget, it's always five on The Dive! Cheers!"

Some nearby neighbors complained about noise from music and partying customers. There was a zoning dispute with the city and the owners of The Dive filed a lawsuit, which was dropped in favor of pursuing the new pier.

Under the lease, The Dive is allowed to use the dock rent-free for three years, but the owners would pay property tax for the part of the dock where the Dive would tie up. The offer also includes the option to extend the lease twice — each for a period of five years.

During the first extension they would pay rent based on market rates. If the lease were extended for another five years, the rent would be based on comparable rentals adjusted for inflation.

Councilor Bruce Cheney voted against the lease.

“I get calls from people who express opposition,” he said. “Some of the people are residents who live up there and claim it gets very noisy and some of them are other businesses who think it's unfair the Dive gets to use a public dock for a private business.”

Mayor Andrew Hosmer supports the project as a beneficial public-private partnership and said it was a mistake to unnecessarily delay it.

The company that owns the Mount Washington, a 230-foot excursion ship, owns the pier where that vessel ties up, as well as the ramp leading to the pier. It pays property tax on those facilities as well as on its ticket office on Lakeside Avenue, which sits on land the company rents from the city for $1 a year.