Mike Welch, St. Johnsbury Town Manager, and Joel Schwartz, St. Johnsbury Town Economic Development Director, testified to the Vermont Senate Institutions Committee on February 9, 2010. What was the grand testimony about? Making the St. Johnsbury Welcome Center a rest stop for drivers on Interstate-91.

Officials in St. Johnsbury say that closing an Interstate rest area and directing travelers to the town Welcome Center would boost the local economy. Welch says that the plan would be to close the I-93 rest area in Waterford or the facility on I-91 in Lyndon. Schwartz agreed stating, "I think that we could operate an alternate proposal for welcome centers for considerably less money and at the same time drive traffic into downtown St. Johnsbury."

However, Darcie McCann, Executive Director of the Northeast Kingdom Chamber of Commerce, isn't quite sold on the idea. McCann said, "You have to be very, very careful about closing a welcome center on the Interstates because they get so much traffic. The way a driver is on the Interstate is they don't like to get off from it." McCann also addressed her concern that the location of the St. Johnsbury Welcome Center could be too much of a detour for drivers who are unfamiliar with the area.

As of the current point in time the state has announced that there are no plans to make any changes, but they have not completely ruled out the possibility.

News 7's RJ Brownell has more.