WEST LEBANON — Residents on Wednesday questioned why Lebanon would consider purchasing the Maple Street property that was once home to Holy Redeemer Church and continued to voice opposition to a plan that would see it turned into a fire station.

About 30 people attended a public hearing at City Hall to discuss Lebanon’s plans to buy 38 Maple St., which for decades served as a Catholic church and is situated about a block away from the current West Lebanon fire station on busy Main Street. Another 20 people participated online.

Almost all of those who spoke said they don’t want to see fire engines and ambulances driving through their residential streets.

“This does not seem to be the most appropriate area to place a firehouse,” Maple Street resident Mark Shaker told the City Council, adding there are other alternative sites that could serve that purpose.

Shaker added that it also doesn’t make sense to purchase the Maple Street property when the city doesn’t yet know what purpose it will serve.

Others questioned the price tag and wondered why Lebanon would spend tax dollars on the site.

“What makes it worth $775,000?” asked Maple Street resident Jane Carroll. “What are we getting with that that makes it worth that?”

The city hopes to pay Hanover developer Jolin Kish $775,000 for the roughly 2-acre Maple Street property, which was left largely unused after West Lebanon’s Catholic parish closed in 2003.

Kish, a major Upper Valley landlord, purchased the lot along with the neighboring Olivet Baptist Church parcel for $510,000 in 2005. It’s now assessed at $339,700, according to city records.

While the City Council is expected to vote next month on the sale, officials haven’t said what Lebanon would do with the property.

Lebanon Mayor Tim McNamara told the crowd that the property might be used “for something else,” although he didn’t elaborate what that could be.

“Right now, there are a limited number of proposed uses that lot could be put to,” he said, adding those might include housing or a municipal or school facility.

Meanwhile, Councilor Karen Liot Hill said she’s looking to hear what West Lebanon residents want, especially since the city is actively looking to revitalize the neighborhood.

“What do the residents of West Lebanon want and do they see this as an opportunity worth pursuing?” she asked.

That led to several ideas, including a park or residential housing. Katie Romano, a member of the Planning Board, also said it would make a good community center, a feature the city has long sought in West Lebanon.

“Purchasing this gives the city a significant amount of opportunity to ensure that our neighborhood is what we want it to be,” added Councilor Doug Whittlesey.

The Lebanon Fire Department announced last month that they sought the site for a new West Lebanon fire station, with officials saying it meets the dimensions and location needed to replace its current aging structure.

However, the City Council partially retreated from that plan when faced with neighborhood opposition and removed wording about the proposed fire station from its public hearing notice.

On Wednesday, councilors said they don’t want to take options off the table while municipal employees explore other possible homes for a future fire station.

Among them is a roughly 1-acre property, which includes a house, along Route 10 that West Lebanon developer David Clem says he’s open to selling.

Clem’s company, Lyme Properties, purchased 193 North Main St., in 2019 for $240,000 with hopes of developing the site along with the neighboring River Park subdivision.

And while he’s expressed a willingness to negotiate its sale to Lebanon during past City Council meetings, an effort to discuss conditions failed last year with the developer cutting off talks with the city.

Lebanon Fire Chief Chris Christopoulos began his search for a new West Lebanon station after a study of Lebanon’s public safety buildings found that two of the city’s stations — those in downtown and West Lebanon — are too small and “not designed for the uses they see today.”

The West Lebanon station, which dates to 1974, sits on a roughly half-acre parcel of land that’s surrounded by commercial interests and an often-congested travel corridor, making it difficult to expand, consultants said.

And although the fire station is considered in “fair condition,” officials argue it needs accessibility upgrades, better insulation, new heating units and a new roof. The fire department also is calling for gender-specific locker rooms, showers and sleeping quarters.

A formal City Council vote on the Maple Street sale is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 15.

Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.