After three decades vacant, Nahant landmark being restored

NAHANT – The Nahant Lifesaving Station, which has been abandoned for more than three decades, is being revived.Plans for the station on Short Beach include a two-bedroom apartment, space for the American Legion Post #215 and amenities for the public.Selectman Richard Lombard said residential use is one of the approved uses for the property.?A decision has not been made on what to do with the apartment,” Lombard said. “It could be rented out or it could be for a caretaker. It’s up to the Nahant Preservation Trust.”Lynne Spencer, a member of the Trust ? a non-profit organization that leased the property from the town ? said she expects the first floor to be completed this winter and the second floor, which would house the apartment, will most likely not be finished this year.?We have enough money for the infrastructure and first floor,” she said. “The second floor is on hold pending additional funding but it will be an apartment. We are looking at renting it out to someone who will take some responsibility for the property.”David Greenleaf of Medford-based Greenleaf Construction is overseeing the rehabilitation of the Coast Guard Station. On Tuesday he said the work is progressing and he expects the project to be complete by mid-December.?The asbestos floor tile and plaster were removed from the second floor in March,” he said. “The heating systems are being installed this week and it is going very well.”The Coast Guard Station was built in 1899 and remained in active service until 1964. At the request of the town, the federal government officially transferred ownership of the station to the town in 1999.The building had been vacant and neglected for years before its transfer.The Nahant Lifesaving Station Committee, which was formed in 2002, spearheaded the effort to raise money to preserve the station and many community groups have held fundraisers during the last 10 years to raise money to preserve the historic structure.Town officials have held numerous public meetings during the last decade to help determine the fate of the station and it was on the warrant at several Town Meetings.Cullinan said Town Meeting approved zoning the Coast Guard Station as a mix of business and residential. He added plans for the building include space for veterans, a lifesaving service museum and a common space that could be used for functions.The town awarded a 25-year lease in March 2006 for management rights to the station to the Trust. Cullinan said the lease agreement is good for both the town and NPT, which has a proven track-record with the Valley Road School.Cullinan said approximately $1 million is necessary to complete the restoration of the Coast Guard Station, and according to the terms of the lease agreement, the NPT has committed to raise $600,000 and the town would kick in the remainder.In 2006, Town Meeting voted unanimously to spend $450,000 in Community Preservation Act funds to help restore the Lifesaving Station.Cullinan said the NPT will not pay rent to the town, but the $600,000 it has agreed to invest in the facility averages out to $2,000 a month over the 25-year period.NPT is also required to pay all of the operating costs associated with the facility.Cullinan said the lease, which has a provision for two 10-year extensions, has a provision where the town would benefit from any future profits. He said if after operating expenses there are any profits, NPT has agreed to split those profits 50-50 with the town.Cullinan said one of the first projects the NPT tackled was building bathroom and shower facilities in the garage on the Coast Guard Station site for patrons of Short Beach.Earlier this year, the Nahant Veterans Association (NVA) and Nahant Preservation Trust reached an agreement regarding the sub-leasing of space on the first floor of the Nahant Lifesaving Station to the Nahant Veterans Association for use as an American Legion Post #215 for at least the next 25 years.Lombard, who is a member of the American Legion,