WEST LEBANON — Money set aside two years ago to demolish crumbling buildings at the Westboro Rail Yard will finally be utilized to clear the 22-acre property of debris, giving hope to Lebanon officials and residents who want to build a public park along the Connecticut River.
The New Hampshire Department of Transportation, which owns the rail yard near Route 10 in West Lebanon, informed city officials last week that it intends to unfreeze funds dedicated to site cleanup and asbestos removal. DOT has not said specifically what it will spend, but estimates indicate it could be more than $500,000.
The money, part of a $1.87 million fund to demolish state-owned buildings, was frozen at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as policymakers feared that revenue shortfalls could necessitate deep budget cuts.
Since then, legislators and Lebanon officials have lobbied to secure the funding before it would be eliminated at the end of the two-year budget cycle on June 30.
Executive Councilor Joe Kenney, R-Wakefield, said he broached the issue with Gov. Chris Sununu and DOT Commissioner Victoria Sheehan during a meeting last month in Concord. Kenney, whose district includes most of the Upper Valley, said he then spoke privately with Sheehan a few days later and was informed the funds would be released.
“It’s moving in the right direction, and that’s good news for that part of town,” Kenney said in an interview Thursday, adding that he’s glad Lebanon and the DOT could avoid further conflict.
Lebanon had started the process of issuing a notice of violation asserting the state isn’t living up to its building enforcement code. But that push was canceled when DOT unfroze the Westboro funds, City Manager Shaun Mulholland told the City Council last week.
DOT spokeswoman Eileen Meaney said in an email Thursday that the department hopes to put the demolition project out to bid between May and June “with a completion date of next summer.”
State plans include the teardown and removal of the rail yard’s bunkhouse, roundhouse, sandhouse and chimney, all of which were deemed unsalvageable by local historians.
The brick roundhouse was constructed in 1890 and was used to service locomotives along the Boston & Maine railroad’s route between Concord and White River Junction.
While a report estimated the work would cost $858,000, Lebanon offered to take the debris to its landfill, where masonry material could be ground up and used as a road base.
The city’s efforts, officials predicted, would trim more than $280,000 off the state’s costs.
“I think it’s a great arrangement with the state,” Lebanon Mayor Tim McNamara said Thursday. “It’s a cost savings for everyone.”
McNamara went on to say he is “extremely pleased” by news of the renewed demolition effort and hopes progress will be made this year.
State Rep. Richard Abel, D-Lebanon, also said he is “incredibly excited” by the news of the pending demolition and credited a team of lawmakers and city officials who have worked for more than five years to clean up the rail yard.
“I think there’s a lesson here,” he said. “To get something done, you should get together a group who are interested, work together and never give up.”
Abel added that the demolition opens “terrific opportunities” for Lebanon, which has sought to lease parts of the rail yard and create a park.
Mulholland, the city manager, said last week that the city has again requested a long-term lease that would someday allow the public to enjoy the waterfront. That process, he said, also was halted during the pandemic when the demolition funds were frozen.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.