“They said Lynn has a ‘can-do’ attitude,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy said it is easy to compile a list of underutilized local property, including the South Common Street armory and vacant land behind the school administration building on Bennett Street bordering the commuter rail tracks.

“It’s big enough to hold an elementary school,” Kennedy said.

The hulking brick armory has a tower overlooking the Common, a detached motor-pool garage and large assembly space the size of a big high school gymnasium. Once the location for National Guard units and an Essex Sheriff’s program, only the armory’s parking lot gets use today as a Registry of Motor Vehicles driver testing site.

Kennedy said two other prospective sites that will be examined for future use are the Pine Hill and Tower Hill fire stations. A bond approved by the City Council last week includes feasibility study money for a future West Lynn fire station.

Kennedy called the station a “long-range future” plan that could eventually leave the two aging fire stations empty.