Minus owner funding, town will remove arson house

LEBANON - The owner of the Champion Street house that was gutted in a June arson fire has told selectmen she can’t afford to have the structure demolished, so the town will now undertake its removal.

To recoup the costs, the town will either place a lien of some sort on the property or there may be a way to accelerate the repayment through property tax collections, selectmen said.

It is expected to cost several thousand dollars to raze the building and remove all the debris, some of which may contain asbestos.

Selectmen agreed to put the razing and removal out to bid and hopefully have a contractor agreement early next month.