Welcome to Mallards' Landing Association

Read below to get a history of Mallards Landing

The History of Mallards Landing Association

The idea of Mallards Landing Association (MLA) was conceived in the summer of 1982 by a group of concerned renters. It was in that August of 1982 when Gerald Hickox, the previous owner of this tract of land then known as Sandy Beach Campground, came to the renters with a proposal to keep the campground open. Gerald Hickox told the group gathered on the beach that the State of New Hampshire was going to close the campground at the end of the year. The reason for this closure was due to the lack of proper sewerage. None of the units within the park had sewers, and he did not have the finances to install them. A main sewer line which ran alongside the railroad tracks had actually been completed in the mid 1970’s. Unknown to us as renters, the state had given the owner of Sandy Beach many extensions for connecting all the existing units into the main sewer trunk line, yet he had neglected to ever take action. Noting Hickox’s lack of resolve, a small group of people banded together and founded the organization now known as MLA. The law firm of Sulloway, Hollis, and Soden of Concord, NH was hired to represent this group of interested members. The rationale for selecting this firm was that they had expertise in this area having also represented Lake Shore Park in Gilford. On March 27, 1983 a meeting hall was rented in Concord, NH, and this became the first big step in forming the MLA.

In October 1982, 89 families contributed $50.00. According to our lawyers these families became MLA Charter Members. By March 30, 1983 a total of 66 families had contributed $200.00 more. Thus the groundwork for what had to be accomplished was now completed. Between April and June 1983 a total of 57 families had also shown good faith and contributed $4500.00 and the $800.00 dues, these monies collected funded the sewer/water project, lease payment and working capital of MLA.

At that time life at Mallards Landing was not the way it is now. The old septic system consisted of 55 gallon drums buried next to each unit, and this did not always work that well. When we installed the new sewer system, we also removed the remains of an outhouse and a gas pump and tank on the waterfront.

Like the old septic system, the water delivery system was woefully inadequate. All we had were ½ inch lines within the park so water pressure was very low. At times, water would flow from the tub faucet, but there was not enough pressure for the water to flow out of the shower head. And there were times, especially at dinner hours, when no water flowed into your house at all. People were known to keep buckets of water available to flush toilets. Also in earlier days, roads were graveled and in very poor condition. There was a pavilion where the playground is now. In that pavilion was a little store that sold the basics: milk, bread, cereal, and a few other essentials, but that building was also torn down in the mid 70’s.So with that initial meeting, the groundwork for goals was set. Much work remained however, with many steps to complete the journey. One major step was a 10 year agreement with the owner to purchase the property with a sliding scale on lease payments and purchase price which went up with every year. Many other steps involved having a board of directors elected, bank financing secured, by-laws established, rules and regulations written, sewer connections completed, drinking water upgraded to meet municipal standards, a tax free status created, and, one of the biggest challenges, obtaining State of NH approval of the Association.

The lawyers explained all the options and challenges that we had to overcome. They also told this core group that it was going to be an uphill battle, and it would not be an easy road to travel. Based on their experience, we needed at least 97 members to make MLA a successful venture. This initial meeting produced 57 families who committed a $50.00 non-refundable assessment to meet these challenges.
When the association set up the by-laws of MLA, membership in the association was mandatory. Although at the time it was difficult for many of the members to pay the $4,250.00 fully refundable membership fee, this money was very much needed for the
association to meet the one year mandate to install a sewer and water system within the association property. Some families challenged the mandatory membership and attempted to maintain their units without joining the association. This challenge was met with opposition by the elected board of directors and a strong set of by-laws. Eventually, they removed their homes or sold to new members of MLA. Many of those homes sold for $500.00 to $1,000.00 (prices have certainly changed). Although we did not have
much money, we found it in the best interest of MLA to purchase a few homes and remove them to ease crowding. This effort to reclaim more open space was done prior to the water and sewer system being installed and was another wise decision.

So the ten year lease with the option to purchase agreement was negotiated with Gerald Hickox, and MLA was founded on April 12, 1983. The State of NH gave MLA one year to connect all existing units to the main sewer line. With this very small window, and such a huge task to undertake, an engineering firm was hired. It was decided to start the sewer project on the lake side of the railroad track that winter, as it was the least expensive and best time to start the project. It was less expensive because the ground was frozen, and we did not have to run pumps to pump water out of the holes. When the sewer lines were being installed, the water lines were also installed in the same hole as this was allowed at the time. When the lake side of the sewer/water project was completed, the project progressed to the other side of the track. This extended to Union Rd., and also along the road now known as First St. At that time only three units existed on the Union Rd. side up to the end of the road.

The association finally exercised the option to purchase in 1987, the 5th year of our agreement. The purchase price at that time was $1,250,500.00. If we had waited until the 6th year, the purchase price would have increased to $1,500,000.00. When we
exercised the option, the previous owner took the association to court stating that he did not have proper representation at the time the agreement was signed on May 6, 1983. When the original agreement was signed, we had wisely negotiated that all capital improvements would be deducted from the purchase price. Some of these big deductions were: the sewer system, the new well, installation of water lines, a new bridge, and some improvements to Birch Hall. These items added up to $585,000.00 in credits. The credits were the main reason the original purchase and sale agreement was contested. We secured our first loan agreement with NH Savings Bank on August 3, 1987 for $700,000.00 and as of July 2008, we owe $152,000.00 on the MLA property mortgage.
As of July 2008, of the 57 original families of MLA 28 still remain. The efforts of this association have enhanced the quality of life in our homes and the beauty of our property, and today we all enjoy living in this wonderful community.