GOLDENDALE —Klickitat County commissioners recently learned more details about a 200-foot flagpole with a 60-foot by 100-foot American flag being offered as a gift to the county. At a workshop on Jan. 15, commissioners met with project backers Scott Robinson and Ty Ross, who presented their proposal, and the county public works department staff, who discussed logistics of the proposal and ongoing maintenance costs.
The flagpole would be installed about 20 feet east of the courthouse parking lot, centered north to south on the courthouse lawn. Ross, a local businessman, would pay for the labor and materials.
Details include:
• The 200-foot-tall flagpole would be almost five times taller than the courthouse building.
• It would claim the title of the tallest flagpole in Washington state.
• The base of the flagpole is expected to be between 24 inches and 36 inches on each side.
• The flagpole would use internal halyards (ropes for raising and lowering the flag) to reduce noise that come from external halyards slapping against the flagpole in the wind.
• A light on top of the pole would face downward to illuminate the flag at night — while complying with the city lighting codes.
• Everyday flag size: 30 feet by 60 feet (Ross would donate four flags).
• Holiday flag size: 60 feet by 100 feet (Ross would donate one flag).
• This would replace the everyday flag on five days of the year: President’s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, 9/11, and Veterans Day.
• $10,000 donation to a flag fund for future maintenance.
Estimated annual expenses provided by staff include flag repair and replacement, lightbulb replacement, and labor for installation and removal of the flag and lightbulb as needed. These estimates do not include electricity, maintenance or replacement of the halyard and winch used to raise and lower the flag, potential additional insurance expenses, or inflation. Annual county costs are estimated at $10,083 in today’s dollars.
Details include:
• Everyday flag, raising and lowering, repair or replacement: $3,950.
• Holiday flag, raising and lowering, repair or replacement: $4,890.
• Lighting: $1,243.
Donations to the flag fund and volunteer labor could reduce the county’s expenses. For example, the American Legion has signed a memorandum of understanding stating that they would provide volunteers to raise and lower the flag. However, staff told commissioners that as the owners of the flag, the responsibility would ultimately fall back on the county should donations or volunteers not be available.
Commissioners were concerned about adding new annual costs to the county budget. As Commissioner Ron Ihrig said, “We can always find the money to build something. It’s the maintenance. We’re going to be liable forever.”
Ihrig asked whether there were any other locations in Goldendale that Ross would consider appropriate for the flag, but Ross indicated that the courthouse lawn was the only place he was willing to install it. He said he spoke to his family members and they are hesitant to take on the responsibility.
“I just don’t want to tie my family to having to do it down the road,” he said.
Ross and Robinson told county commissioners that they would like to have the flag installed in the lawn in time for Goldendale Community Days this July, in order to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States. In order to meet that goal, they said commissioners would need to approve the project by the end of January. As reported by Rodger Nichols on page A3, commissioners did not give an immediate vote at the Jan. 27 meeting, but promised to do so in the near future.
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Amy Spring is Uplift Local’s community editor in Washington. Spring has worked in semiconductor analysis and marine fabrication, but has recently redirected her focus to improving local government transparency and accountability. She speaks Spanish and English and she volunteers with variety of community organizations in the Gorge.
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