City Council to Discuss Placement of Civic Building Flag Pole

The University Place City Council will discuss plans to erect - somewhere - an American flag at the Civic Building at Town Center on Monday.

After officials debated the , city staff studied four options:

1) Fifty-foot pole with a 10-by-10-foot flag located in the grass of Market Square closer to Bridgeport Way West. Lighting and associated electrical could be installed in the grass. Estimated cost for this option is $16,342.

2) Sixty-foot pole with 12-by-18-foot flag located in the sidewalk in front of the Civic Building near the south crosswalk. Installation of lighting and associated electrical at this location will require removal and replacement of some concrete sidewalk. Staff did look into installing lighting on the ledge between the first and second floor but determined that this may not provide sufficient lighting. A concern for this location is that during strong winds at times when the flag may be displayed at half mast, the flag could potentially touch the building. Estimated cost for this option is $24,785.

3) Install a pole on the roof of the Civic Building. This option is problematic due to challenges getting on the roof to lower the flag to half mast and securing the pole without unsightly guy wires. Therefore it was not explored further.

4) Mast arm pole with a 4-by-6-foot flag secured to the front of the Civic Building. This could be accomplished by mounting a bracket on the tile façade. Staff believes the size is not what City Council desires and this eliminates the half mast option. Estimated cost for this option is $5,255.

The City Council isn't scheduled to vote at tonight's meeting, which begins 6:30 p.m., at.