Excavators are expected to demolish the 71-year-old Maple Center Motel

ST JOHNSBURY — Excavators are expected to demolish the 71-year-old Maple Center Motel on Hastings Hill. The space created by a crew and heavy equipment from J Fenoff Site Works of Waterford is set to be filled with an apartment building project by the St. Johnsbury Development Fund. The Development Fund purchased the property from St. Johnsbury Academy on Aug. 31 and was planning to demolish the structures on the 5-acre parcel even before that date. In June, the Development Fund paid to remove underground storage tanks on the property. The St. Johnsbury Development Fund is a corporation that organized in 1956 to promote and increase the general welfare of the St. Johnsbury area by encouraging industrial, recreational, agricultural and other enterprises to locate in the area, providing financial aid or other assistance.