LUNENBURG, Vt. (WCAX) – Several major community revitalization projects are in the works in the town of Lunenburg.

Lunenburg is located in Essex County on the Connecticut River. It was chartered in 1763. It has several unincorporated villages, including Gilman.

Some 1,246 people call the town home. Many more people used to live there, and given what’s going on now, that number could go up again.

Tax day in Lunenburg keeps Town Clerk Gary Briggs busy, but he’s also busy helping to bring new opportunities to the town.

“There is a lot going on here,” he said. “It’s very exciting.”

We’re talking about three major projects.

Where deer currently travel, so will people. New accessible trails are in the works behind the soon-to-be renovated Fox Field, including a space for events, new tennis courts and a track.

“It’s just going to be a great recreational opportunity for us,” Briggs said.

Just down the road, the now-closed Gilman Middle School will get a new chapter. Classrooms in the 1923 building are expected to become four apartments.

“We need housing in our area just like everybody else does,” said Tina Breault of the Lunenburg-Gilman Community Trust. “And you can see this is a really great space.”

It will also be a multiuse community resource center. The $3 million overhaul will be paid for in part by a $650,000 grant. The Lunenburg-Gilman Community Trust is spearheading the upgrades.

“Now that they see there’s a possibility to come back and use the school, people are really ecstatic,” Breault said.

The town’s biggest meeting space is the biggest reason. Grant money is also getting the old school’s gym back open. Right now, it’s off limits due to environmental concerns.

“We used to hold Town Meeting Day, all our events used to be held there. And when we lost access to that, it was devastating to the community,” Briggs said.

Part of the building is already being used by Head Start. Other ideas for the space are still being hammered out.

But the former Gilman Paper Mill is the big project. It permanently closed back in 2007 and has primarily been empty ever since. It was the community’s economic driver, the lifeblood. Now, it’s getting a new life.

“When it went out, it was one big depression for the community,” Briggs said.

Hundreds lost their jobs then, and businesses supported by those employees went under.

But now, the rail line running into the mill from New Hampshire is reopening next year in order to connect to St. Johnsbury and other tracks. And companies are already interested in occupying space there.

“That means businesses can economically get commodities in and out of the property,” Briggs said.

Some interested parties include an antique car storage company and a wood pellet manufacturer.

Nothing is set in stone, but it’s giving residents we talked to a lot of hope for this once-thriving town.

“We have such a great group of elected officials, town employees and all these employees coming out of the woodwork making sure that the vision we put forth will actually happen,” Briggs said.

Not everyone is happy about the return of rail traffic. Some people living along the tracks are concerned about noise and the potential for danger. But town leaders say it’s the economic driver the area needs.

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