Gov. John Lynch and other local and state officials were on hand Thursday to celebrate the official opening of two new bathhouses at Hampton Beach. The delegation will showcase the site improvements that have been made so far as part of the beach’s $14.5 million redevelopment project.
The ceremony, which will included a ribbon cutting, was be held at 10 a.m., at the Marine Memorial Statue.
After the ribbon cutting, the public was invited to take a self-guided tour of the new facilities and site improvements and will have the opportunity to speak to park staff and contractors about the project.
George Bald, commissioner of the state Department of Resources and Economic Development, said Harvey Construction Corporation, the construction manager for the project, has kept an aggressive schedule since the ground-breaking for the project occurred last May.
He expects the firm to complete four of the five buildings and site improvements by mid-June. The fifth building, the Seashell building where the stage is located, will be completed by November 2011.
“Harvey Construction Corporation has worked hard to make sure the primary visitor services at the park will be available this summer,” said Bald. “Their project team, including the subcontractors on site, has done excellent work.”
The total construction cost of the project was $12.8 million and funding came from the state’s 2010-11 capital budget.
Several local officials and business owners have praised the work that has been done so far, calling it a rejuvenation of Hampton Beach.
“I think people are excited to see the revitalization,” said Bob Mitchell, owner of Mrs. Mitchell’s Country Shoppe. “A lot of people are calling it a renaissance of Hampton Beach.”
John Nyhan, chairman of the Hampton Beach Area Commission, said the project was a dream come true, made possible by many supporters who never gave up.
The commission worked behind the scenes lobbying for the project, arguing that such an investment would generate more revenue for the state.
“This project started with dreams,” Nyhan said. “Those dreams led to ideas and passion from a community to say we are going to make this work.”
The two new bathhouses — one at the Marine Memorial and another near Haverhill Street — have been open since April 15.
The new bathroom facilities include changing rooms, toilets, outdoor showers, coin-operated lockers and bike racks.
The two outlying buildings of the new seashell complex had a completion date of November but state park officials say both facilities will now be available for use on or before June 15.
Earlier this winter, the project team agreed to put a major effort into completing the two buildings to avoid using temporary trailers to house the state park operations and the chamber of commerce visitors center at the beach.
Park operations will be in the north pavilion, while the visitors’ center and public bathrooms will be in the south pavilion.
Lifeguard administration, which will eventually be in the main complex, will be temporarily based at the north pavilion.
While the new stage will not be done in time for this summer, there will still be nightly entertainment this summer.
A temporary stage will be placed on the beach facing Ocean Boulevard, directly across from B and C streets.
The temporary stage is expected to be constructed on June 13 in preparation for the first show, scheduled for June 18.
Photo: John Walsh || Source: seacoastonline.com