New bathhouse at Gilford beach would cost $1 million

GILFORD — During the warm months, the town beach is Gilford’s hottest amenity. The facility there is at least 50 years old and out of date, pushing the town to ask voters to spend $1 million to replace the bathhouse.

The selectboard will hold a hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m., on the proposal. Because the plan includes the issuance of bonds to pay for the project, it requires an approval of two-thirds of voters at Town Meeting. The total cost in the proposal is $1.03 million, with $25,000 included as the first year’s payment.

“On busy days, we’ll see 400-plus vehicles through the gate,” said Herb Greene, the town's director of parks and recreation. “It’s only in heavy use for four-and-a-half months of the year, but during that time is by far our most heavily used rec facility, on a per-day basis.”

Use of the beach, on Lake Winnipesaukee and accessed from Varney Point Road, is restricted to town residents and their guests.

Constructed sometime in the 1960s — Town Hall records aren’t quite clear on the exact date — the primary facility at the beach is its bath house. Finance Director Holly Burbank, who has been working with Greene on the proposal, said tax records indicate that the 1,792-square-foot building was constructed in 1960, though she said that might be an estimate. Other records, relating to a sewer line project there, show that the building was in place by 1970.

In the decades since, construction standards have changed, making it difficult to keep the building maintained, Greene said. The building houses a concessions area, bathrooms, and storage used by lifeguards.

“Over the last couple of years, we’ve had lots of repair issues,” Greene said. Most problematic have been issues related to plumbing, as the building’s pipes are not up to modern code, and contractors are reluctant to make spot repairs without replacing all of the building’s plumbing.

Food service is another standard that looks far different today than it did 50 years ago. The concessions area is so out of compliance, Greene said, that it won’t be able to get a license to serve food this year. Bringing it up to code would require the installation of a three-bay sink and modern appliances, for which there just isn’t space in the current building.

“It’s probably more fiscally responsible to construct a new facility,” Greene said, noting that the building has been on the town’s capital improvement plan for a few years.

However, the cost of doing so has risen considerably, which Greene and Burbank found out when they reached out to other municipalities and state agencies that have recently constructed such buildings. The city of Keene recently built a very similar structure, which is how they arrived at their estimate.

The new building would be the same size or slightly larger than the one it replaces, and would likely be located adjacent to the site where the current building sits, according to Greene.

If voters agree with the plan, Greene said he hopes to have the new structure operational by the 2024 beach season.