At its September meeting, the Benson Park Advisory Committee accepted two generous donations totaling approximately $20,000 from Lee Levoie of Hudson’s Home Improvements. The contributions – one for labor and one for materials – are intended to support the restoration of the historic cupola atop the Haselton Barn.
“That’s to repair the cupola of the Haselton Barn,” explained Committee Chair Jack Madden.
The donations were not made directly to the Benson Park Committee but were instead routed through the Board of Selectmen.
“This gentleman is very passionate about the Haselton Barn for a lot of reasons,” said Selectmen Liaison Heidi Jakoby. “He wants to bring the cupola to his indoor space so he can work on it during the winter.”
In addition to the financial support, Levoie offered a crane operator and a truck to transport the cupola to his workspace. Each donation was valued at approximately $10,000.
Despite the committee’s advisory role, several members expressed surprise at the donation, which was presented and approved without their prior knowledge.
“The first we heard of it was when it appeared on the Board of Selectmen’s agenda,” said Madden. “Proper procedure would have been for Mr. Levoie to at least inform us of his proposal.”
Madden also emphasized the importance of involving the NH Division of Historical Resources (DHR), which has a vested interest in preserving the barn’s historic character.
“The Haselton Barn is a historic building, like the train station,” he said. “DHR would want to ensure that any restoration work is consistent with the original design and character of the cupola – and ultimately, the barn.”
To clarify the situation and gather more details, the Benson Park Committee formally invited Levoie to attend its October meeting. Madden stressed the need for transparency and regulatory compliance.
“I want to find out if Levoie has run his proposal by DHR. Maybe he has, and they said, ‘Fine, go ahead, replace like with like,’ and they were okay with it – but we don’t know,” he said. “We had to go through an approval process before opening the old Hudson Train Station to the public. We don’t want to step on DHR’s toes or antagonize them.”
Jakoby assured the committee she would provide all necessary contact information to help resolve the matter.
“What is the plan after he fixes the barn?” asked Committee member Sue Clement. “Is it going to be placed within the park?”
Town Administrator Roy Sorenson responded that the issue was still “open for discussion.”
“I don’t think there is a plan,” he said, noting that reinstalling the restored cupola on the aging Haselton Barn may not be feasible without more extensive restoration work.
Madden suggested an alternative: placing the restored cupola on display near the barn, leaving room for future, long-term restoration efforts.
“His goal was to get it back up on the barn, even if that may not be possible right now,” added Jakoby.
