By JOHN KOZIOL

Staff Writer

LACONIA — The results of the first Greater Laconia-Weirs Beach Chamber of Commerce survey on Bike Week are in and while only 15 percent of members responded, they strongly supported the event.

The chamber released the information on Tuesday afternoon via fax and e-mail and prefaced by noting that but 68 of the chamber’s 447 members took the time to return the surveys which went out in the chamber’s August newsletter.

To the question of should Bike Week be shortened from its current nine days, 29.41 percent of responders said they agreed; 66.18 disagreed and 4.41 percent were undecided.

More than two-thirds of responders — 69.21 percent — agreed that Bike Week provides "a positive residual economic benefit" to his or her business; 29.41 percent disagreed and 1.47 percent were undecided.

Slightly less than two-thirds, or 64.71 percent of responders, agreed that Bike Week benefits their business while 30.88 percent disagreed and 4.41 percent were undecided.

As to whether Bike Week did not benefit the responder’s business, 27.94 percent agreed; 67.65 percent disagreed; and 4.41 percent were undecided.

Nearly a quarter of responders, 23.53 percent, said Bike Week harms their business; but 73.53 percent said it does not; and 2.94 percent were undecided.

Responders split on the question of should changes be made to continue Bike Week, as is, but in a way that would "make the event more beneficial" to the responder’s business as 35.29 percent said they agreed; 32.35 percent disagreed; and 32.35 were undecided.

The chamber should support Bike Week said 82.35 percent of responders and it should also be involved in a committee to work on the future of Bike Week said 80.88 percent of responders.

"I think the response was low. I would have preferred more than 15 or 16 percent response," said Chamber Executive Director Theresa Pinto, "but I think out of the responses we did get, it was a good diversity of our membership. We had a broad base of businesses responding."

Among the responders were manufacturers, retailers, restaurants, inns and hotels and professional services providers.

The survey accomplished its goal of trying to find out how chamber members felt about Bike Week, which, Pinto summed up, is that "basically, businesses in this area recognized the economic benefit they are receiving from Motorcycle Week."

It is up to the chamber’s Board of Directors to determine whether the organization will take any action in response to the survey results, said Pinto.

The survey also asked responders to write suggestions on how to improve Bike Week.

Pinto said several responders wrote that Bike Week could change "a little to benefit their business more," but she did not elaborate, while one person was interested in bringing more Bike Week activities to downtown and another suggested an evening reception during the event which would be attended by various local businesses.

The chamber will post the survey results and the written suggestion on its Internet site at www.laconia-weirs.org. Responders will not be identified.

Pinto defended the integrity of the survey.

"It was an honest attempt" to gauge members’ feelings on Bike Week, she said. "If people could see who responded and the comments we received back, our intent and purpose has been met."

The survey, and how to interpret it, will likely become cannon fodder in the ongoing discussion over Bike Week.

Bike Week 2002 was marred by several controversies that have made some residents as well as city and county lawmakers rethink their support for it.

The Finance Committee of the Laconia City Council is slated on Sept. 9 to consider the request of the Belknap County Economic Development Council for $10,000 to do a cost/benefit analysis of Bike Week.

Also, Mayor Mark Fraser has asked each of the six councilors to submit written opinions of what a municipal Bike Week committee should look like.