No matter what happens to the state prison facility in Laconia, one thing
is certain, it would be a terrible mistake to sell off the 200 acre state
park adjacent to the site. This park, which includes 3500 feet of some of
the most beautiful shore-front on Lake Winnisquam, as well as about 200
acres of natural, undeveloped wooded area, represents nearly half of the
property the state Attorney General is proposing to sell, to finance the
construction and relocation of the prison.
That there are no accurate figures on exactly how much this property would
bring on the free market, no environmental studies as to what kind of commercial
development would be best for the property, and no concrete estimates on
how much a new prison would actually cost (or even where it should be relocated),
the Attorney General and an ad hoc advisory committee appears to be on a
fast track to suggest to the legislature next year that this land be sold.
Sadly, the governor appears to like the idea.
Yet, this kind of hip-shoot approach to dealing with some of our state's
most valuable natural resources is not only retrograde in its thinking (the
habit of quick-selling pristine public lands for development has not been
in vogue since Teddy Roosevelt pioneered the conservation movement), but
is just a sloppy way to conduct the people's business.
Although the question of the Laconia prison is a thorny one (Laconia never
wanted it. It was always supposed to be a "temporary" facility,
according to a long line of corrections department and elected officials),
certainly support for the state park has never been in doubt.
On two occasions -- in 1983 and 1987 -- the legislature has acted to preserve
this incredibly beautiful and valuable piece of property for present and
future generations. Support for this legislation, which I was privileged
to sponsor both years, was enjoyed by a wide range of people and groups
throughout the state and Lakes Region, including the Laconia City Council
and various environmental organizations.
Although development of the park for use by the general public has been
slow, the mere preservation of the area, which the state has owned for nearly
a century, has been of value in itself. One does not need a $50,000 study
and an army of environmental engineers to know that it's a good idea to
set aside 200 hundred acres of natural woodlands, including lake-frontage
with sandy beach and several thousand feet of additional shoreline, including
white birches, wild huckleberries and rocky, scenic overlooks, for the people
of New Hampshire and their visitors from out of state.
In a year when a long-time Portsmouth state representative was arrested
on the seacoast for taking his young son for a harmless walk in a federally
protected land preserve - only because he was showing his boy where he,
himself, once played among the woods and salty marshes - the message is
clear: the places and opportunities where common people can freely enjoy
the great natural areas of New Hampshire are dwindling. There are plenty
of opportunities for well-planned commercial development in both the Lakes
Region and throughout New Hampshire, without the state selling off a state
park meant for the enjoyment of all the people.
Mark Twain's deep analysis on why to hold onto good land applies here, it's
because "they're not making it anymore."
Dean Dexter is a former Belknap County Commissioner and state representative
from Laconia, N. H. This piece first appeared on the editorial page of the
Manchester (N. H.) Union Leader, November 24, 1997 edition.
After much debate and public commentary, the state
land in question was not sold and has become Ahern State Park as the original
legislation intended, preserved for the enjoyment of present and future
generations.
After much debate and public commentary, the state
land in question was not sold and has become Ahern State Park as the original
legislation intended, preserved for the enjoyment of present and future
generations.