Crews Revamping Hampton Beach After Fire
HAMPTON BEACH, N.H. (CBS) - While Hampton Beach is a bit of a ghost town in the winter, it's alive with the sound of construction.
A 3-story building under construction is the beginning of a lost block coming back to life.
It was almost a year ago that a wind driven fire ravaged the A Street block of Ocean Boulevard, wiping out a gift shop, a hotel and an arcade.
WBZ-TV's Peg Rusconi reports.
"You have a whole block of the main beach that was totally vacant," said Hampton Town Manager Frederick Welch, who called the fire "devastating." He has artist's renderings of plans for the Surf Hotel and Mrs. Mitchell's Country Shoppe.
He said the hope is the shop will be open by summer.
That's not the only construction underway right now along Hampton Beach. The state is spending millions to upgrade and modernize the main stage area on the beach, which features an amphitheater.
That's scheduled to open in the fall.
In May, however, something to address beachgoers' more "pressing" needs-- two brand new bath houses.
"I'm looking forward to the new bathrooms," said Yolande Bourasa. "I come here all the time with the kids when they were little, and now with my grandkids."
Said Hampton resident John Hamel, "I think it's great. You're watching a renaissance of the whole area."
"The town is a tourist attraction anyhow, on a really really hot day we can expect to see 150- 200,000 people on the beach," said Welch. "So we're certainly going to have a lot more people attracted with these brand new facilities. It's going to be beautiful."
Town officials say don't expect a radical change in flavor.
Said town attorney Mark Gearreald, "Hampton Beach has a unique flavor, which isn't necessarily bigger but when possible can be upgraded."
