Sponsor seeks fund to permit Hampton Beach pier; department warns full funding and design typically required before permitting

Senator Kevin Raybould introduced Senate Bill 241 to establish the Hampton Beach State Park Pier Fund, a dedicated fund administered by the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) to support siting, permitting, design and construction of a public pier at Hampton Beach. Raybould said the request would initially fund permitting and design (he suggested $2 million for permitting and to spur grant-seeking for construction), and described the pier as accessibility infrastructure for people with disabilities as well as a potential draw for visitors.

Raybould said earlier studies had estimated construction costs as high as $18–24 million but that his request would be limited to permitting and design and rely on grants and donations for construction; he emphasized the pier’s accessibility function rather than commercial uses. He said a shorter pier of about 500 feet would allow people in wheelchairs to go “out approximately about 500 feet out into the water” to fish or experience the ocean.

Brial Wilson (Bridal Wilson), Director of the Division of Parks and Recreation, provided the department’s written testimony and discussed prior feasibility and accessibility studies. Wilson said the division ran a stakeholder process and an accessibility-assessment that identified low-cost improvements and categorized a pier as an “innovative high-cost” project. Wilson said a feasibility study and an accessibility assessment exist and are available to the committee; she advised the committee that, for a project of this scope, full design and a funding plan are typically identified before the department pursues permitting. The division also noted ongoing operating and maintenance costs and the susceptibility of seacoast facilities to winter storms; it emphasized that the proposed appropriation is substantially less than the estimated construction cost in the feasibility study.

Members raised environmental, coastal-storm, and wildlife concerns. Senator Rosemarie and others asked about piping plover nesting and seal haul-out issues; DNCR staff confirmed that piping plovers nest annually in the South Beach area and said a pier in that exposed location would need robust engineering to withstand winter storms and wave action. Senator Waters asked whether the state’s statutory process for sea-level-rise planning and the Science and Technical Advisory Panel’s guidance would affect siting and viability; DNCR acknowledged sea-level-rise and Army Corps of Engineers work in the area and said longevity, maintenance, and funding are material concerns.

Representative Chris Munz of Hampton, testifying from the town’s perspective, said many year-round residents oppose the project, expressing concerns about traffic, parking, proximity to residential properties, plover habitat, and the additional burden on local infrastructure and emergency services. DNCR and the sponsor said design and partnership discussions remain necessary before advancing permitting or construction.

No committee vote on the bill was recorded during the hearing; DNCR offered to provide the feasibility and accessibility-study materials to committee members and recommended further discussion about ownership, operating responsibilities, and funding plans before pursuing design and permitting steps.