Workers have begun dismantling the old coal-fired power plant on the Burlington waterfront which closed down in 1986. The long-awaited redevelopment is removing the outer brick layer of the building and retaining the interior steel framework, the centerpiece of a new city park on a waterfront that was once devoted to industry.

Known as the FRAME design, which stands for “Fearless Relook at Moran Electric,” the first phase of the project is expected to take a year to complete. Some of the $6.55 million price tag, which includes $2 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and $3.6 million in tax-increment financing, will be used to remove toxic remnants from both the building and the land it sits on.

The deconstruction is the final piece of a years-long reimagining of what’s known as the northern waterfront, a post-industrial area now home to the Community Sailing Center, the bike path, skate park, a dog park, outdoor exercise equipment and other landscaping that has turned the area into an attraction for tourists and locals alike.

Filming date: 11/10/20. Music: Aquarium performed by Kevin MacLeod, composed by Camille Saint-Saëns

Text drawn from "Burlington to Officially Break Ground on Moran Plant Project," by Sasha Goldstein, published August 18, 2020.