A developer approached the Laconia City Council on Monday, Nov. 27, with plans to put a dome on top of the downtown parking garage so that it could house athletic facilities. (Courtesy photo)
After many years of questions about what Laconia should do with its aging parking structure, a possible answer appeared at Monday (Nov. 27) night’s city council meeting: Build a dome on the top floor and use it as an indoor athletic facility.
The proposal was brought by Kevin Hayhurst, a developer and owner of the Paugus Bay Pub, and his concept was greeted warmly by city council. Councilors voted unanimously to hold a public hearing during the Dec. 11 meeting about whether the city should declare the second and third floors of the garage as “surplus property,” a declaration that is necessary in order to allow the city manager to negotiate for its sale.
The first floor of the garage is privately owned, and currently houses shops and a fitness center.
The vote at Monday night’s meeting was only to schedule a public hearing on the question of declaring the parking garage as surplus. If the council decides to follow through with that declaration, then the city manager could negotiate with Hayhurst over the terms of the sale, and the developer would then need to achieve the requisite approvals from city land-use boards to perform renovations.
In an interview on Tuesday, Nov. 28, Hayhurst said his idea was inspired by a similar facility he used to visit in Boston’s North End, which had indoor athletic facilities under a dome atop a parking garage.
“I love the atmosphere and the idea of keeping everyone busy,” Hayhurst said. “That was kind of my mentality. I thought it was a great place for it.”
“It’s something that would really be a big draw to downtown,” Hayhurst said. “I think it would be huge.”
He would leave the second floor for parking. The third floor has been closed to vehicles for years due to degradation to the structural supports.
Hayhurst said he didn’t have a final figure yet as to how much of an investment this project would require. He walked through the garage with a welder, who has been part of similar projects before, and got a sense of how much steelwork would be needed, but he hasn’t yet been able to access the building’s electrical or plumbing systems for inspection. He is already figuring that he would need to rehabilitate the ramps, engineer drainage for water coming off of the dome and construct a new elevator.
“It’s going to be very expensive,” Hayhurst conceded, but said he has already spoken to lenders and economic development organizations, in addition to the city, and has come away encouraged. “I think we’re going to try our best to make it work.”
