Seashell Complex Demolition Begins at Hampton Beach

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Construction of New Complex to Begin this Fall

By Patrick Cronin

Hampton Union, Tuesday, September 28, 2010

[The following article is courtesy of the Hampton Union and Seacoast Online.]
Contractors from A-Best Abatement Inc., of Salem, NH, a company that specializes in the safe removal of asbestos materials, prepares the Hampton Beach Chamber of Commerce building and the Sea Shell Stage for demolition this week.
[Rich Beauchesne Photo]

HAMPTON -- The Seashell Complex has been the site of happy family memories for more than 48 years and state officials said there is a mixture of sadness and anticipation as the buildings are torn down this week to make room for new facilities.

Phase Two of the $14.5 million redevelopment project at Hampton Beach — the construction of a new Seashell Stage Complex — is scheduled to commence today, Sept. 28 with the demolition of the bathrooms, Chamber of Commerce and state park offices as well as the stage.

"It's sad," said Brian Warburton of the state Department of Parks and Recreation. "I know a lot of the old-timers feel bad and have many fond memories of the Seashell. But this is the start of a new era. The new facilities will offer better customer service for our guests and new memories will be made."

The buildings, which have been there since 1962, are set to be replaced by state-of-the-art ones that officials say will revitalize the beach.

The project will be worked on through the winter and summer with a completion date of November 2011.

Construction contractors said they expect the new pavilion buildings to have a style similar to the new bathhouses — one at the Marine Memorial and another near Haverhill Street — that are almost complete.

One noticeable change in the original design for the Seashell Complex is the clock tower — which was designed to give the area a visual landmark feature — is no longer a part of the plan.

Ted Austin, director of the state Division of Parks and Recreation, said money budgeted for the tower will be put back into the overall project to improve the "experience on the ground" for tourists.

The new complex roughly incorporates a similar overall "footprint" of the existing one, with the main stage at the center, with smaller pavilion buildings that house state park and visitor service functions north and south of the main building.

The main stage will be located at the center of the main building with an adjacent seating area for 750 people.

The stage will include sound and lighting equipment and be crowned by a tensile canopy structure.

In addition to the stages and associated dressing rooms, the main building also accommodates rest rooms and a first-aid station on the ground level.

The second level will contain the lifeguard office and associated locker and changing rooms as well as a community event room overlooking the ocean.

The lifeguard lookout and park manager's office is located on the third floor.

The pavilion buildings are two-story structures flanking the main building to the north and south.

The south building contains rest rooms and a visitor information center at the ground level.

The second floor will contain offices for event and outreach managers as well as a small conference room.

The north pavilion will be used for storage and support space for park maintenance and park patrol services.

At a public meeting on the project Thursday night, more than 100 residents showed up to ask questions, and the meeting lasted for more than three hours.

Officials said the majority of the heavy construction will be completed prior to the beginning of the summer season.

While the buildings will not be ready for the summer season, plans are under way to set up temporary facilities.

There will be three trailers set up north of the planned construction area for first aid, Chamber of Commerce and parks daily operations and maintenance supplies.

A temporary stage will also be set up, but where has yet to be determined.

A proposal to install a temporary stage that would face the ocean has received bad reviews by the Hampton Beach Village Precinct.

Austin said the state intends to set up a task force to review alternative plans for a stage and hopefully come up with a proposal that will have the least impact.


Businesses Will Survive Beach Project

'Opinion'

Hampton Union, Tuesday, September 28, 2010

[The following article is courtesy of the Hampton Union and Seacoast Online.]

People were given a preview of things to come this summer during the construction of two new bathhouses as part of a $14.5 million redevelopment project at Hampton Beach.

This week, the real work begins with the demolition of the Seashell Stage complex.

From now until November of next year we will see the construction of a new, state-of-the-art Seashell Stage complex that will not only provide a place for 750 people to sit and enjoy free entertainment, but offices and rest rooms and other amenities.

The main building will contain the lifeguard office and something that has not often been mentioned in the plans — a community event room overlooking the ocean.

A lifeguard lookout and park manager's office is located on the third floor.

There also will be two pavilion buildings on either side of the main building.

One will contain rest rooms, a visitor information center, offices and a small conference room.

The other will be used for storage and space for park maintenance and park patrol services.

Construction will proceed during the course of this winter, which shouldn't present too much of an inconvenience.

However, next summer will be a different story. The stage will not be ready in time to be used for concerts and other traditional events such as Miss Hampton Beach and the talent competition.

And, clearly, a lot of people are unhappy about the situation.

At a three-hour-long public meeting on the project last Thursday night, more than 100 people showed up to ask questions.

The main issue, one that has yet to be resolved, is where to put a temporary stage so that the entertainment can go on.

It's a big beach, but even a temporary stage is going to take up a lot of space. It has become almost a not-in-my-back-yard issue.

Some people don't like the original plan to put it next the site of the old stage, but facing the ocean, which would mean the audience would have to sit on the beach with the ocean and wind blowing directly onto them.

The state doesn't want to put it anywhere that would mean a loss in parking revenue.

Restaurants with nighttime entertainment at the southern part of the beach don't want it down there for fear of possible competition for audiences.

Another option of closing a section of Ocean Boulevard in front of the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, and putting the stage in the middle of the road was rejected. While the town has closed a section of the boulevard in the past for special events, police are opposed to doing it for the entire summer.

The state intends to create a task force to review possible plans for a stage and hopes to come up with a proposal that will have the least impact.

But impact there will be. There will be no pleasing everyone on the stage issue or on construction concerns. (The owners of the The Surf Motel and Mrs. Mitchell's gift shop, which were destroyed in a February fire, would like to have new buildings completed by next summer, but if they run into delays, construction might also be ongoing at that location.)

Businesses owners are all concerned about what would be best — or worst — for them. And who can blame them? Many of them rise or fall based on the summer season.

But the project will only be disruptive for one summer. People will get through it. And the end result should be good for everyone.

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