Before long, motorists passing the Town Hall will know without doubt
they are in Warwick, thanks to a six foot wide sign purchased by the
Women's Guild, with an assist from the Historical Society. 
Organizations willing to buy a panel showing their name with space to
announce an upcoming event can forget about the sandwich board method of
publicity, prone as that has been to being overturned by wind and
pranksters.

The sign will stand near the northwest corner of the town green, between
the sidewalk and the fence.

Selectmen Jim Toth and Rick Abbott met in special session Saturday
morning to vote on the location of the sign.  Chairwoman Patricia Lemon,
who was out of town, participated by speaker phone; Toth, the board's
vice-chairman, presided.

Since photos of the sign's proposed location have appeared, some
residents wondered if it would interfere with the ability of drivers
approaching Route 78 from Hotel Road to see oncoming northbound traffic.
Others wondered whether the event signs, which are to be hung under the
main sign, would be obscured by the fence that surrounds the town green.

A half-dozen residents showed up at the morning meeting to pose their
questions. The assembly then moved out to the green, where incoming Town
Coordinator David Young had placed marks to show where the sign might be
placed.  Toth drove his pickup from Hotel Road onto 78, and returned to
assert that the sign would not block visibility.  He said that by the
time a car came close enough to be able to read an event notice, it
would be readily seen through the fence.

An old spruce tree, which was supposed to have been removed as part of
the state-funded fencing of the green, will eventually come down to
further improve the sign's visibility, Toth said.

Toth and Abbott voted on the sign's placement; Lemon, who handled most
of the arrangements on behalf of the Women's Guild, declined to vote
because she hadn't seen the exact location, but voiced her approval of
the decision.

Made by Custom Designs of Keene, N.H., the sign will cost $2,870. The
Historical Society will contribute $1,000 and the Women's Guild will pay
the remainder. Organizations wishing to use the sign to announce their
events will pay $350 for a slat 14 inches high on which their name will
be painted and removable letters can be affixed. The slats will be
equipped with hooks and eyes so that more than one at a time can be
displayed.

Toth said he hoped the sign could be installed before a hard freeze
makes it impossible until spring.

Miryam Williamson reporting