WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Fans of a popular sign from a long-closed drive-in theater that is used to announce community events are looking for a new place to put it because plans to construct a roundabout at the intersection of Route 5 and Sykes Mountain Avenue will displace it.
“The sign is coming down because the roadway is going to be widened there,” said Scott Robertson, a program engineer with the Vermont Department of Transportation.
The town recently paid $55,000 to purchase the 0.4-acre land parcel where the old White River Drive-In sign sits from the Hartford Land Co., which is owned by the Flanagan family. The sign was included in the purchase.
“We have acquired that space as part of the right of way,” Hartford Town Manager Brannon Godfrey said.
The land is part of a long-planned nearly $5 million project to create two roundabouts on Sykes Mountain Avenue, which is home to a growing number of car dealerships and other businesses. Construction is expected to begin next spring and be completed in 2021.
“The roundabout is going to move traffic constantly. That’s the benefit of a roundabout,” Godfrey said. “A sign like that has less value (there) than when people stopped at the intersection.”
The sign is a holdover from the White River Drive-In, which closed in 1986. In the years since, it has been used by area organizations to let the public know about upcoming events and fundraisers. The strip of land — which sits near McDonald’s — has been owned by the Flanagan family since 1990.
“It’s too bad they just couldn’t have just left it where it was. It is useful for a lot of good causes, really,” Patrick Flanagan said, adding that he is supportive of the roundabout project in part because it will create better access to the businesses in the area. “The ideal thing about that one is there was no plowing done around it.”
The town recognizes the importance the sign has in the community and wants to find another spot on town-owned land to place it, “unless a private property owner offers space,” Godfrey said. One of the challenges will be finding a place that has similar visibility to the sign’s current location.
“We haven’t figured that out yet, but we know there is an interest in preserving that for its nostalgia and history with the town,” Godfrey said.
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
