West Lebanon
The City Council heard comments in support of naming the bridge after Korean War veterans, all veterans and families of historic importance to the village of West Lebanon at its meeting last week.
The discussion was spurred, in part, by a proposal from a Londonderry, N.H., senator this legislative session to name the bridge in honor of Korean War veterans.
One such veteran, Henry Dessert, of Lebanon, spoke in favor of naming the bridge in honor of those who fought in Korea. He noted that one of the Interstate 89 bridges between West Lebanon and White River Junction is named in honor of Vietnam veterans.
It’s “time now the Korean veterans get recognized,” Dessert said in a video recording of last Wednesday’s meeting.
Dessert, who is a member of the New Hampshire Korean War Veterans Association which meets in Manchester, said it was at his request that members of the association approached Sen. Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry, urging her to put forward a bill to name the bridge.
Upon learning of Carson’s bridge-naming bill in January, however, city officials and Lebanon legislators sought more time to collect input from community members before putting forward an official name for the new bridge.
At their request, the Senate Transportation Committee earlier this month placed Carson’s bill in “interim study,” meaning that it will not be passed this year.
The new $10.7 million bridge carries 13,000 vehicles per day and opened in November. It replaced a temporary bridge that had been in place since 2009. The original bridge was built in 1936 and had deteriorated beyond repair.
West Lebanon resident Peter Edson told the council that he would prefer the new bridge be named in honor of all veterans.
“If you name it after one particular era, you’re shortchanging the people who have served in other wars and who are still serving,” he said.
Korean War veteran Fred Rogers echoed Edson’s request that the bridge be named in honor of all veterans.
Other options for naming the bridge include honoring familiar names from the village’s past. One such family could be the Danas, according to research provided to the council by Ed Ashey, Lebanon’s city historian.
William Dana made the first settlement in the city, in 1763, according to Ashey’s research. Dana also built the first public house, in what became West Lebanon.
The William Dana Tavern sat on the current site of the Circle K gas station at the corner of North Main Street and Bridge Street, near the new bridge.
After hearing from the public, councilors outlined a plan to create a task force to solicit more community input before making a decision next fall about the name and a way to pay for signage and its maintenance.
Nora Doyle-Burr can be reached at ndoyleburr@vnews.com or 603-727-3213.
