Proposal for Hampton Beach pier advances amid questions about cost, maintenance and local impacts

Senator Abarth (District 12) presented Senate Bill 241, which would establish a Hampton Beach State Park Pier Fund and authorize the division of parks and recreation to use gifts, grants and private donations to site, permit, design and construct a public pier at Hampton Beach. "We're not asking for anything other than a dollar and to set up the fund," the senator said. "We want to make it so that private donations, grant money can be put into the fund for the construction of the pier."

Senator Abarth emphasized accessibility benefits and said the pier could let people with limited mobility enjoy the beach and extend the season for tourism. "I think this would be a wonderful thing for individuals who are handicapped to be able to stroll out on ... the pier," the senator said, describing meetings with users and anecdotal support.

Opposition testimony came principally from Representative Chris Munz, a Hampton resident, who recounted four previous bills and studies since 2021 and said many local constituents were unaware of the project and that the pier's projected costs and impacts had not been resolved. "That study characterizes the project as an accessibility improvement that is 'high cost with moderate public support' that has physical environmental impact," Munz said, and urged the committee not to advance the bill as written.

Other witnesses included Vanessa Blaise of the New Hampshire Council on Developmental Disabilities, who said the council supports better, permanent access to the beach for people with disabilities and that temporary measures such as mats and the limited number of beach wheelchairs were insufficient. "Disabled people and their families travel and they spend money," Blaise said, urging the committee to consider the economic benefits of accessibility.

Committee members asked about cost estimates, locations and long-term maintenance. Senator Abarth said prior feasibility studies estimated costs ranging from about $12 million to as much as $27 million depending on design; she said the bill sets an initial appropriation at $1 to create a fund that can accept donations and grants. Lawmakers raised concerns about storm damage and who would pay for repairs; the senator suggested the fund and potential user fees could defray maintenance but offered no firm long-term funding guarantee.

Representative Munz and other Hampton residents told the committee they worry about traffic, parking and strain on local services, and they urged the legislature to prioritize other infrastructure and waterfront resiliency work in the area. The committee also heard environmental concerns such as piping plover habitat near two proposed locations.

At executive session the committee voted 9–7 on an "ought-to-pass" recommendation for SB 241 FN A. Representative Mark Bridal moved to recommend passage; Representative DuPont seconded. Opponents said the bill was premature without clearer funding and maintenance plans and without broader implementation of accessibility measures identified in an October 2024 accessibility study.

Supporters said the fund would allow fundraising to proceed without an upfront state appropriation and that a pier could provide meaningful, durable access for people with disabilities while drawing visitors to the shore. The amended bill sets a 2035 sunset for the fund and indicates unused funds would revert to state park accounts for accessibility or park purposes if a pier is not built.