BRATTLEBORO — An impatient truck driver who decided to try an unauthorized shortcut around a traffic backup on Main Street ended up crashing into the Latchis Theatre marquee on Monday afternoon.
According to Brattleboro Police Lt. Robert Kirkpatrick, Richard J. Belt of Claremont, N.H., a truck driver from Harvey Building Products in Waltham, Mass., was cited for driving on the sidewalk, which is a non-criminal offense.
Gail Nunziata, managing director of the Latchis Corp. and the Brattleboro Arts Initiative, said the crash took place at around 12:15 p.m., and occurred when traffic was backed up at the intersection of Routes 5, 142, and 119 in downtown Brattleboro due to a passing freight train.
“The driver tried to squeeze over onto the sidewalk, but squeezed over a little too much,” she said.
The truck caused significant damage to the marquee, but no one was hurt, she said.
Nunziata said that the incident will not affect the Latchis's showing schedule. As for when the repairs for the marquee will be completed, she said that she is unsure.
“It depends on how much needs to be replaced, but the superstructure seems to be undamaged,” she said, adding that the first round of demolition for the marquee is nearly finished and that the sidewalk will be reopened soon. On Tuesday afternoon, workers stripped the marquee's exterior, leaving only its wood frame.
But still up in the air is whether the marquee, which dates back to the building's construction in 1938, can be restored, at least in its current dimensions.
According to Brian Bannon, zoning administrator and clerk of the town Development Review Board (DRB), the town zoning regulations are “a little bit ambiguous” about whether a nonconforming marquee can be rebuilt.
Bannon told The Commons at press time that other parts of the zoning bylaw do not permit rebuilding of a nonconforming structure that is destroyed, and he said he has recommended that the Latchis work with the DRB to resolve the issue.
According to the town zoning bylaws, any nonconforming sign like the marquee is destroyed or damaged “to the extent that the cost of repair or restoration will exceed one-third the replacement value as of the date of destruction shall not be repaired, rebuilt, restored, or altered.”
The sign bylaw does define a theater marquee but says it “must not extend or project beyond the confines of the entrance.”
A larger issue?
Nunziata said that the Latchis Corp. does not yet know if the driver's insurance will cover the repairs, but the company has been in contact with the driver's employer.
She said the incident draws attention to a larger problem - the traffic backups at the intersection some call “Malfunction Junction.”
“Regularly, there is a situation in which [traffic] is backed up,” Nunziata said. “Something was bound to happen. Clearly, what is happening right now is not the answer.”