Pending a vote from the Springfield Selectboard and an ACT 250 permit, the existing McDonald’s in Springfield will be closed this spring for about three months while it is demolished and rebuilt.
http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/macdonald%E2%80%99s-rebuild
Pending a vote from the Springfield Selectboard and an ACT 250 permit, the existing McDonald’s in Springfield will be closed this spring for about three months while it is demolished and rebuilt.
The new building will be slightly smaller and have two drive-thru lanes. It will be moved forward about 60 feet and built with the latest technologies, including better cooking equipment and LED light bulbs. There will be additional parking space for delivery trucks.
Selectboard member Donald Barrett questioned the need to completely teardown the existing building at the public hearing last Tuesday. “The use of the drive-thru has grown 40 to 65 percent. There is no need for a large building. (The new building) will be smarter and more efficient to operate. It will accommodate family and groups adequately,” said McDonald’s representative Francis Essien in reply.
Barett also questioned how the building is designed for growth in the future. Essien replied that McDonald’s stores are being reconstructed across the nation. The Springfield location, about 40 years old, is outdated in terms of technology. “Our goal is not to increase capacity of use but improve efficiency of use. There is new technology that we need to adopt,” said Essien.
The board was also concerned about lighting and the amount of traffic making left hand turns on the River Street entrance to McDonald’s. Board member, Wilbur Horton Jr., had engineering concerns and asked the applicants to consider rooftop appearance.
McDonald’s store manager Susan Williams is looking forward to the new building and especially to customers having less wait-time in the drive-thru. “We’ve become a grab-and-go society,” said manager Susan Williams of the increased traffic at the drive-thru. “It gets frustrating to customers who are trying to pull out of a parked space and can’t because of the drive-thru line.”
Springfield McDonald’s employs about 60 people and Williams is working to get all of her staff temporarily relocated at neighboring restaurants so they can become trained on how to operate two drive-thru windows. She says her crew understands having to relocate for three months. “The crew understands. This is a little bubble, but there are challenges that are here now that won’t be here when they come back,” said Williams. An additional 25 people will be hired after construction is finished to accommodate more drive-thru traffic.
Construction can begin 30 days after the board makes their vote and 45 days after the applicants receive their ACT 250 permit.
The McDonald’s applicants said this building will look similar to a recently built restaurant in Barre and another similar one in White River Junction.
MacDonald’s to Rebuild
Submitted by VT Journal on Tue, 02/19/2013 - 2:50pm
By
BY KATY SAVAGE The Shopper
SPRINGFIELD -
I heard they already voted to get rid of the cut-off. It's a sad day indeed.
ReplyDeleteWhy, that thing is a clusterchuck.
DeleteThat cut off is an accident waiting to happen, wait a second, numerous accidents have happened, along with drivers not heeding the no left turn signs onto or off from route 106
DeleteThere are so many lights at that intersection and it's a mess. We should quit paying for electricity and maintenance on the lights and put in a traffic circle. Heck, maybe mcdonalds will pay for it.
DeleteHow about a fresh vegetable stand instead?
ReplyDeleteWe already have a farmers market in the summer months.
DeleteWhy do they need permission to rebuild there own building? I hope it's not being paid for by the community.
ReplyDeleteI think Mcdonalds is on the ballot this year for money to repair their buidling. Do you think it will pass?
DeleteWhy doesn't the town revisit the agreement with McDonald's not to let any other fast food restaurants into town as I am of the understanding this is why there are no other restaurants here. Not that the obesity of the town needs more but seriously it is just another representation of how this town has entered into ridiculous contracts that have cost this town expansion, jobs, and money.
ReplyDeletewhoa whoa settle down...
DeleteBoss Hog, care to take this one?
That "contract" is all rumors, grow up Peter Pan
Deleteso its just a back room deal? remember anytime some one has tried the select board says no. burger king down by the truck stop.
DeleteWhat about what happened to the Price Chopper when Shaws cut a deal with the Plaza to boot them out? This town makes bad, bad, bad decisions.
Deleteu can thank the youngs for that
DeleteActually people should know that to "build" anything new down by Exit 7 would take extensive money as they would need to get water from Charlestown or piggy back off the Irving, or Holiday Inn. They get their water from C-town. To piggy back off either of those two places... means shut downs of either RT 11 or RT 5 which has high traffic.. not very feasible...
Deletei think that their was a gas station there before so the water was there. side note they wouldnt allow the padock to reopen either.
DeleteNo, I arrived in town just before it was built. There was no gas station there, just the ruins of the ice house. There did used to be a gas station where the rock-faced slope now is. The owner made the mistake of digging into the bank to expand the building, and the whole hillside up to the end of Summit Avenue started to de-stabilize. Exciting times, there.
Deletechuck exit 7 my friend
DeleteYou are G.D. right this blog is saved as a favorite, highest of high comedy and your spamming efforts are awesome.
ReplyDeletehope they add a play room for the kids
ReplyDeleteYes, let's suck in the little ones to a life of unhealthy food choices through a play room.
Deleteno one is making anyone eat there. They do have some healthy alternatives. Also, sad to say but we do have families who can afford to pay $1.00 per hamburger as opposed to buying anything at all at the local SHAWS. So we have lack of well paying jobs, lack of jobs, no competition to spur lower prices....==unhealthy in all kinds of ways. But what the heck the prison has crippled us with drugs and unsafe streets and the Biomass plant will solve all the towns financial woo--why worry about eating when you will need to worry about breathing. and the 30 jobs it will ultimately bring--they want be from Springfield citizens
DeleteYou are right, no one is making me eat there so I don't, but someone is making me pay taxes that end up treating people that think fried food is delicious.
Delete6:28 comment......BRAVO.I`m so sick of hearing people whine about the prison,biomass plant.If you were a business would you want to locate in the Springfield area? I think not. High taxes ,losers hanging out shooting at each other,drug issues,no people that actually want to work for a living and worse of all ALL THE LOUDMOUTH WHINERS
DeleteMcfatty`s rebuilding......thats perfect for the welfare types that eat there.They need to rebuild that place so they can pump more dollar value meals out. To bad they wont take food stamps for those unfortunate souls who cant support themselves.I find it funny that people are upset,just dont eat there if you dont like it.Take yor foodstamps and actually buy food you can cook at home....WAIT ....that wont work because to many welfare leeches are to LAZY to make their own meals.
ReplyDeletethis comment is so sad. You are obviously in need of humility--God will see you get it. You are also very ignorant of the food crisis the country faces along with the poor of this country--many who are elderly, retired who have worked all their life.--they are not "welfare types" as you refer to them! Many people have simply not had the chance to educate themselves to your obvious intellect--that certainly makes them no less valuable to society than you. My guess is they would offer the world much more.....than your bias attitude ever would.
DeleteAmen anon 5:20 I agree however don't build up their intellect too much...afterall they too also live in Springfield and anyone with ANY education worth its weight in gold wouldn't be caught dead living or working here. I think they are just another springfield bully
DeleteBias attitude?
DeleteWas I wrong about the folks who eat there? NO
Whats god got to do with allowing people to poison themselves eating fast food?The only food crisis is that people in the US are fat because of fast food and lazy, sedentary lifestyles.My taxes pay for plenty of education programs so people can educate themselves properly. They choose not to. They choose the easy welfare route and some choose to spend money buying poor food choices . One of those choices is fast food.
Deleteunlike most places in Springfield Mickeyd`s actually is paying taxes and providing .jobs
ReplyDeleteExactly..... and I thought it was the town who insisted on that dangerous little shortcut to the plaza when McD's was built. Mcd's had to jump hoops to be here in the first place. They then got a rash of crap about the paint color of their building. I agree it seems nobody can read the sign, no left onto River Rd or they dont't bother. That could be a revenue source for the police department.
DeleteI hate to agree with you however I am. They are actually providing jobs. There are people who have been there since I was a kid. It is a sad thing to say that the McDonalds is the only place in town with tenure.
Delete"..... and I thought it was the town who insisted on that dangerous little shortcut to the plaza when McD's was built."
DeleteSorry, I've only lived in town for three years....what "dangerous little shortcut"???
Why do we need another dunkin drive through too? How about variety? Like it or not convenience food is needed for working families on sports nights, etc. How about something else to offer? Maybe it would pull people to drive through springfield on their way to the mountain? Just a thought. I am sure someone will have a chitty comment back.
ReplyDeleteI think you are sadly mistaken if you feel the ONLY option is convenience food on sports nights etc.
DeleteEating from home made healthy food is always a option unless you are LAZY. If someone in your family cant whip up something to eat and put in a cooler earlier in the day or the night before then you deserve the horrible feeling you get after you "treat "your family to the options that they offer there.
I hear Mcdonalds is coming up with a new marketing strategy:
DeleteMcdonalds = Fueling tomorrow's Springfield Athletes!
No wonder the football team is non-existent.
Anon 7:00 you jest of course are you seriously implying that Springfield should attempt to exploit travelers coming north to ski now that they know that going thru Springfield is not as jam-packed as going thru Chester? You must be out of your mind!! Look at all the traffic we let pass by when they rebuilt the bridge and rte 103 in Chester was closed. Face it this town wouldn't know how to grab an opportunity if it hit them in the face, but hey, we have a Magic Mushroom!!! Go Springfield!!
DeleteSeriously 4:00 PM... the athletes from the football team spend most of their time in the gym or on the basketball court right now. I know them. Do you? My guess is, no. Get a life.
DeleteYes, my football player has been in the gym every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. What has your kid been doing? Ohh yeah Call of Duty just came out.
DeleteSpringfield needs to revisit the original building permit's requirement for subdued colors. Colors and signage consistent with many well managed, New England communities.
ReplyDeleteMcDonald's was never sighted for the violation when it repainted it's current, clownish color scheme. However, so much of the town is now a fetid eyesore, anything with paint on it is a bonus.
Maybe this is an opportunity to reconsider the place of McDonald's in Springfield. Maybe we take it for granted that McDonald's occupies the busiest intersection in town and receives a large share of what many Springfield residents spend on food. But is all that for the best?
ReplyDeleteI can't afford to eat at any restaurant, generally. Before I was laid off from the schools, I spent a little money at Apron Strings whenever I could. That was good eating!
Now our family grows a lot of food and we cook everything at home. Eating this way does take a lot of time and work, but it's cheaper and we love it.
I ate my share of McDonald's as a kid and to be honest I loved every bite. But as an adult I choose not to do that any more, for lots of reasons.
Everyone makes their own choice. Maybe now is a time for different choices with regard to the Springfield McDonald's.
Try supporting the downtown eatery`s instead.
Deletedid we get new select board members,that I'm not aware of,never heard of the 2 listed
ReplyDeleteZoning board, not select board.
DeleteMaybe our obese community will lose some weight in the 3 month timespan!
ReplyDeleteSee you on the bike path.
DeleteThree cheers for McDonald's! One of the very, very few legitimate economic success stories Springfield has witnessed over the past few decades. And folks, they're actually rebuilding without the use of taxpayer dollars. And on top of that, they are going to remit taxes to the town. Now you can't say that about: the prison; the tech center; the new police station; the North Springfield School property; the state offices; the wrech center; and many other "government subsidized" operations that serve as a cost to all and create wealth for none! I think I'll buy some more shares of McDonald's this week!
ReplyDeleteNot true. I heard they are on the ballot to provide money to help them rebuild, someone posted it on this blog.
DeleteBelieve half of what you see and none of what you hear. They are NOT getting taxpayer assistance.
DeleteIf any of you that read this can remember what used to be on the spot that Mcdonalds is now can tell me what the name of the ice house was it would be greatly appreciated if you could post the name of that place?I do remember it was quite a eyesore......not unlike some buildings that are in town now.
ReplyDelete