Gilford votes for new beach house, Arlberg redevelopment, rejects Home Possible Project land sale

GILFORD — Voters in Gilford gave the OK on zoning changes for a parcel adjacent to the Arlberg Inn to facilitate its redevelopment and to fund the town beach bathhouse project but opposed the warrant article that would’ve approved the sale of a parcel of land for $1 to The Home Possible Project on Town Meeting ballots Tuesday.

Article 2.1, which amends the zoning for the property located at 700 Cherry Valley Road from limited residential to resort commercial, passed 890-538. The 2-acre parcel, owned by real estate developer Nick Tamposi, is adjacent to the property where the old Arlberg Inn is located.

Tamposi submitted the petition to rezone the property in order to facilitate the redevelopment of the Arlberg Inn property and expressed his desire to create a country inn and restaurant that is completely accessible there. He said he’d like to create a place for the hundreds of residents who live around Gunstock Mountain Resort, which has an entrance across the street from the Arlberg Inn, to go out and enjoy a meal.

He hopes to develop the property into a venue to host events catered to disabled military veterans and children with physical disabilities and needed the extra space at 700 Cherry Valley Road to facilitate the construction of adequate parking for the operations on the property.

The rezoning and development of the Arlberg property would also increase the tax base in Gilford, which Tamposi cited as an opportunity for the community. 

“The rezoning passed through,” Tamposi said Wednesday. “The ultimate [goal] is to try to do that country inn with a restaurant and 100% handicapped [accessible].”

Tamposi said the rezoning will make the realization of that goal possible and will contribute to Gilford.

“We would’ve been encroaching on that next door lot,” he said. “A lot of work. So now we can pursue this, and we’re going to work as fast as we can to get it in.”

The site gets plenty of sun all day long and Tamposi will endeavor to build to LEED certification, a standard for sustainability that involves using renewable materials and incorporating solar power into the property.

Next week Tamposi will order an updated consultant survey and then present conceptual mock-ups to Laconia architect Peter Stewart. 

“We would be ready, depending on the town, but I would say that a 2.5-year period is reasonable,” Tamposi said. “That would be ideal — I think that’s a realistic goal.”

Voters also approved article 3, which appropriated $650,000 and authorized the issuance of bonds for up to $650,000 to fund the construction of the town beach bathhouse. That article passed 1,036-407. 

The new building will replace the existing bathhouse at the town beach, built around 1963 and include concessions, storage and space for the lifeguards. 

The bathhouse project will be underway in the coming weeks as the town initiates necessary administrative processes.

“I expect the selectmen to discuss the proposal received from NorthPoint Construction Management,” town administrator Scott Dunn said Wednesday. 

The town will look to begin the demolition of the old bathhouse building once the summer season ends in August, Dunn explained. He’s hoping for the new bathhouse to be open by Memorial Day next year.

“The existing bathhouse is really dilapidated,” Dunn said, noting the new facility will be a nice addition to Gilford. 

Dunn said Town Meeting went well and that voters generally supported the articles town officials were looking to have passed, other than The Home Possible Project proposal. 

“I feel bad for The Home Possible Project folks,” Dunn said. “They put a lot of time and work into their proposal.”

Voters rejected article 27, which would have authorized the selectboard to transfer a 9-acre parcel on Alvah Wilson Road to The Home Possible Project for $1. The land would have been used by The Home Possible Project to house adults with developmental disabilities.

Opponents of the article cited the quick development of the project and potential for ecological harm among their concerns. 

The article failed by a vote of 608 to 820.

Retired fire chief Ken Erickson opposed the article but said he supports The Home Possible Project. His opposition was borne out of a desire to protect the wetlands located at that property.

“We were trying to save the limited amount of wetlands that we have there,” he said Wednesday. “You can’t replace wetlands by moving them somewhere else.”

Covering up a corner of the property with about 10,000 square feet of roofing and pouring asphalt for parking at the facility would further inhibit the natural existence of the wetlands, he said.

A 1990 proposal to build the Gilford fire station on the same parcel failed due to concerns about protecting the wetlands, he explained. 

“That’s over 30 years ago and a lot of people forgot,” he said. 

Numerous individuals approached Erickson at the polls and expressed their opposition to the warrant article, some citing concerns about wetland preservation but more expressing their disagreement with the low sale price on the property.

“I got a lot of thumbs up but the comments that were made most often were that we [Gilford] shouldn’t be giving it [the property] away,” he said. 

But Erickson expressed his support for the mission of The Home Possible Project.

“I feel bad for The Home Possible Project,” he said. “I hope they can find a better piece of land.”

Lisa DiMartino, founding board member of The Home Possible Project, and her husband Gary said they are disappointed in the result of the vote but understand the concerns community members expressed. 

“Obviously we’re disappointed with the results but it wasn’t totally unexpected,” Gary said Wednesday. “We’re going to regroup as an organization, take a deep breath — this is our mission and we’re going to forge on.”

Lisa said the organization will work to continue achieving its goals and would like anyone in the Gilford area who has a line on a suitable parcel for development to contact them.

“We are back to the drawing board, we’re looking for any potential leads out there,” she said. “It’s behind us and we’re moving forward.”

To learn more about the project, visit homepossiblenh.org.

“We want to thank the selectboard, the town administration and members of the community who supported us.”

Article 27 was the only one on the warrant that did not pass. 

There were also two contested elections on the warrant.

Monica Sawyer and Lauren Huleatt won the two school board seats over Jeanin Onos with 1,029 and 853 votes respectively to Onos’ 413. 

Peter Sawyer won a seat on the budget committee with 1,156 votes, as did Amber Latorre and Joshua Ritson with 802 and 676 votes, respectively. Christopher Banks was not elected,  receiving 676 votes. 

In other business, the town:

• Elected Dale Channing Eddy to the selectboard; Rae Mello Andrews as a cemetery trustee; Sandra T. McGonagle as town moderator; Alexandra T. Breed as trustee of the trust funds; William R. Akerley as fire engineer; Mary E. Villaume as supervisor of the checklist; and Peter B. Ellis and Diane McKone Tinkham as library trustees.

• Elected Kimberly Zyla Salanitro as school district clerk; Sandra T. McGonagle as school district moderator; and Susan M. Jensen as school district treasurer.

• Approved all school warrant articles.  

To view the entirety of the results, visit gilfordnh.org/file/3376/Town_Election_Results_-_03.12.2024.pdf.