GOLDENDALE — Public Works Director Jeff Hunter shared more potential hidden costs involving the giant flagpole proposed for Goldendale’s courthouse lawn during the March 3 Klickitat County Commissioners meeting.
“We’re very concerned that they’re not going to be able to light that flag and make it work so it meets the city’s lighting ordinance,” he said, reminding commissioners that Goldendale’s dark skies regulations require downlighting. Since the top of the pole would just be a foot wide, only part of the flag nearest the pole would be visible after dark with a downlight.
If the flag couldn’t be illuminated, he said, it would have to come down every night and get put back up in the morning. He called that option “a nonstarter,” because there just wasn’t the manpower available. There may be problems with the ground under the courthouse lawn, too.
“When we put the parking lot in, we dug up a 55-gallon drum,” Hunter said. “And when we drained the hole from the winter runoff, we found bones, so we had to bring the archaeologist back in to prove the bones were not human.”
He added the Ross Foundation must specify in a forthcoming agreement that any problems found in the excavation for the flagpole would be the sole responsibility of the foundation.
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