SCARBOROUGH – The Soldiers’ Monument was dedicated at Dunstan Corner in Scarborough on June 21, 1913, and it has since stood there as both a reminder of sacrifice and a local landmark.

Now, the monument may be on the move.

On Wednesday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. in Council Chamber A, a public meeting will be held to discuss the monument’s history while figuring out just where it may rest in the future.

Assistant Town Planner Jay Chace, who will be leading the meeting, said the historic monument dedicated to veterans from Scarborough could be displaced due to the impending redesign of Dustan Corner.

The state Department of Transportation is looking to add a right-turn lane onto Route 1 from Broadturn Road, which would encroach on the monument’s spot, Chace said. The project is nearing the end of the preliminary design phases, with construction expected to start next year.

“We don’t have a definite plan in mind,” Chace said. “We really want to hear from people to see what they think.”

Town Manager Tom Hall said while it appears there is no resistance to moving the monument, it is important to engage the public in the plans.

“There is no doubt there is tremendous historical significance to the town,” Hall said.

Wherever it ends up, Hall and Chace said, the goal is for the monument to return to being a place for both quiet reflection and public celebrations honoring veterans in town.

The monument used to be the focal point of the town’s Veterans Day activities, but as Route 1 became too crowded with vehicles, that practice subsided.

David Dolloff, commander of American Legion Post 76, grew up on Broadturn Road, just behind the monument. He remembers when he was involved with the Boy Scouts, the monument was a stop on the Veterans Day parade route.

Now, the parade route has been moved closer to Memorial Park and the town and school campus, located further north on Route 1.

Several months ago, Dolloff said, the American Legion membership voted to relocate the monument to Memorial Park, next to Scarborough High School, where the parade currently begins.

“They got a beautiful spot there,” he said. “It is the ideal spot, in my mind.”

Memorial Park, Chace said, is one possible location for the monument. Other possibilities include the town-owned property across the street from the monument or the Dunstan Cemetery, though the town is open to other suggestions, he said.

The Soldiers’ Monument was started as a project to honor local veterans of the Civil War, but the finished product also honored veterans of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Later, the monument was expanded to include veterans of World War I, World War II and the Korean War, and now represents local veterans of all wars.

The Soldiers Monument at Dunstan Corner in Scarborough, dedicated in 1913, could be moved. (Courtesy photo)