CONCORD, N.H. – The state has sued a Windham construction company it says may have contaminated the site of the former Benson’s Wild Animal Farm in Hudson with asbestos.

According to court records, George R. Cairns and Sons was hired to restore the wetlands at the former theme park. But state officials say the company either used contaminated soil from elsewhere, or failed to inspect the existing soil before doing the work.

Glenn Cairns, the company’s vice president, denies the company is responsible. He says the contamination was only discovered about a year after his company completed the restoration work.

“We don’t believe we brought any asbestos onto the site,” Cairns said.

According to court records, the company says state workers oversaw the restoration project and had the same opportunities to notice problems, but did not. It also says inspecting the soil for contaminants wasn’t part of its contract.

The company has argued that the soil likely was contaminated before it began work at the site.

The state wants the company to remove the asbestos, then restore the wetlands.

“As a result of the defendant’s negligence, approximately four acres of the Benson’s site … are contaminated with asbestos, which now must be removed, disposed and reconstructed,” the lawsuit says.

Department of Transportation Commissioner Carol Murray, whose agency brought the lawsuit, said the contamination isn’t a public health risk at the moment. The legal wrangling, however, has delayed the town’s plans to convert the land into a recreational area.