LEWISTON — Economic development officials hope a $5,100 federal environmental grant will help clear the last obstacle to leasing the Grand Trunk Railroad depot building.

LA Railroad President Lucien Gosselin said the city of Lewiston confirmed a $5,100 EPA Brownfields grant to spray disinfectant in the basement and make sure the depot building is free of mold.

Auburn’s Atlantic Environmental Services has been hired to do the work and it should be complete within 10 days, Gosselin said.

“I am operating under the basis that, from communications between attorneys, there should be no reason that we know of why the lease on that building should not be executed,” he said. “We expect it will be executed shortly after this work is done.”

The railroad company has been working to negotiate and settle a lease on the property with one person for the last two years.

The renovation project, targeting one of the most historic structures in the city, was announced in 2010. Initial renovation work began in September and it involved installing new water, sewer and natural gas lines as well as a new heating and air conditioning system.

The work so far has cost about $380,000, paid for with a $200,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant and $115,800 of Lewiston’s Community Development Block Grant allocation. The railroad has paid for the rest of the work.

Gosselin said the potential tenant plans to open a cafe in the building. Gosselin said he can’t name her because the lease has not been signed. However, she has created a website at grandtrunkcafe.com.

Gosselin said the renovation of the historic building was complete in January. He expects the building will be outfitted with carpeting, light fixtures and painted walls once the tenant signs the lease. The tenant has pledged to spend $230,000 on her renovation work.

Two large puddles of water were discovered in the basement this spring, after the railroad company’s work had wrapped up.

The first puddle was discovered after heavy spring rains, and that led officials to do work sealing the ground on the sidewalk outside of the building.

A second puddle was discovered after a valve on the building’s basement fire sprinkler system broke.

“Of course the building had been closed up since the contractor wrapped, so it has fairly high humidity inside which is conducive to mold forming,” Gosselin said. “Also, the heating and ventilation system had been turned off since building was vacant and that contributed to the humidity.”

Gosselin said the building was tested for mold and none was found.

“But because of the water getting in the basement and the high humidity, the fear is we might not see it today but we could in six months,” he said.

Lincoln Jeffers, director of the city’s department of Economic and Community Development, said the railroad applied to the city for a Brownfields grant from the city’s allocation.

Brownfields grants are designed to help clean up property that is perceived to be environmentally hazardous and the city has used the money to pay for work at the Bates Mill and the Camden Yarn Mill, proposed site of the new Museum L-A.

“We can loan money to for-profit entities and offer grants to nonprofits,” Jeffers said. “That’s what we had to confirm, that the railroad company was considered a nonprofit. And the EPA reviewed it and they said yes, it was eligible for a grant.”

Gosselin said he learned about the grant Thursday night.

The depot has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979. It was built in 1899 and served as the landing spot for many of Lewiston-Auburn’s Canadian immigrants for many years.

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