Scott Everett: Lakeport is a special village in Laconia

By definition, a community is a group of people with something in common, including location, heritage and/or culture. Lakeport is such a unique village within Laconia and, like all of you, it is very special to me.

Everyone within this community has unique value and contributes in different ways for the greater good. This is true for teachers, police, firefighters, construction and trade workers, business owners and their employees, the many caregivers and health care workers and those in public service, including the mayor, city planner, city council, planning board and those who volunteer to serve on nonprofit and public boards. I, too, want to bring value to the residents and visitors and want to explain in my own words how I believe I can play a positive role here in Lakeport. With the Lakeport Opera House completing its second successful season and one of my newest projects, 51 Elm, entering the final construction phase, I wanted to share thoughts on why investing in this community is important to me.

Over the past five years, I have been involved in several development projects; however, there seems to be confusion as to why. Those who know me know I am direct. So to be clear, I am not investing in these projects because they are the best way to put capital to work. It is because, like you, I care immensely about this community and I want to see it flourish. 

My affinity for the area dates back to my youth. I grew up in the Lakes Region. My father was raised on Valley Street behind the Opera House and my grandfather was a partner in T&E Cleaners in Lakeport — the E was for Everett — which today is Sanitary Dry Cleaners. My grandmother worked at O’Shea’s downtown as a “sales lady,” as she described it. My grandparents on my mom’s side owned a small motel in Gilford called The Greystone that is still there today under new owners with the same name. My grandfather worked at the Sears store across from the Big Banana before opening the Allstate office that is also still there next to Sawyer's Dairy Bar. I lived in Gilford from age 5 through my senior year in high school where I played soccer, tennis, baseball and basketball. I built lifelong friendships and have very fond memories of growing up here and being part of this community. In short, I am a Lakes kid.

College and life pulled me away from the region, but I have always been drawn back to this community. While my business in Texas requires me to primarily live there, I am fortunate to be able to spend summers in Laconia and have owned a home here for over 20 years. It is where I plan to retire. 

Over these past two decades, I have looked at Lakeport differently than as a kid boating or swimming in the lakes. With Elm Street passing between Lake Opechee and Paugus Bay, the vast waterfront serves as an amazing natural resource. It is a gateway. Just look at the enhancements in Lakeport Square over the past several years with new restaurants, spas, shops, a marina and the Opera House. I’m very proud of what everyone has done to date.

The Opera House project has been especially rewarding. Despite being closed and boarded up for 60 years, the building was well-preserved, and its historical significance warranted an investment to bring it back to its past glory. This has not been the case with other projects that have fallen into disrepair, were unsafe and did not warrant renovation.

Beyond real estate development, I’m also a strong believer in supporting our youth, as they are our community’s future. I’m fortunate to be able to commit significantly to supporting important Lakes Region nonprofits such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, Advantage Kids, the Boys and Girls Club and many others. I plan to continue to make these investments in our youth and I am excited about how they can grow into engaged community citizens in the years to come.

Many have seen our next project at 51 Elm, which is scheduled to open in the spring of 2023. The 40,000-plus-square-foot building features covered parking, condominiums and first-floor retail, including an ice cream shop, a pub/restaurant, coworking spaces and more. Other nearby projects include a waterfront development across the street down by the dam on Doris Ray Court and a partnership with city leadership and the WOW Trail organization that will feature wider walking and biking paths, a gazebo, benches, bike racks and landscaping that complete the attractiveness of all four corners of Lakeport Square.

There is a grander vision in the works that interconnects all these projects — one shared by the mayor, city officials, numerous local business owners and others. Steps to improve our city, create more housing options that include affordable housing, build a stronger tax base and enrich the quality of lives will help us retain and attract residents and visitors are all in the works. This happened over a quarter of a century ago in Meredith, led in part by the vision of Rusty McLear and supported by the community and its leaders.

I envision Lakeport as a top destination where people want to live, work and visit. I would like to see Lakeport Square as a destination for walkers, bikers, shoppers, boaters and residents. There is an opportunity to embrace a future that sees this as a community of opportunity through responsible, planned growth and respect for these amazing natural resources. Thank you to all of you who also embrace this vision.

Scott Everett is a Lakes Region native and lives on Paugus Bay during the summers.